A 65-year-old woman, Vicky Kyung Mi Kim, is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of her 77-year-old husband, Richard Kaufman, who was allegedly beaten to death with a curtain rod. The incident occurred in their upscale Enclave Condominium complex in Palm Desert. Kim is currently held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on a $10 million bail, and she missed three previous court dates due to medical holds within the county correctional system. She is scheduled to appear for arraignment. According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Kim had a documented history of severe domestic abuse against Kaufman. Prosecutors opposed a request from Judge John Ryan to downgrade her previous felony domestic abuse charge to a misdemeanor. The judge had waived her eight-day jail sentence and declined to place her on probation, which prosecutors argued was an inadequate response to the severity of her actions. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the couple’s home near Gateway and Gerald Ford Drive around 10 a.m. on September 3 after reports of a deceased person. They found Kim outside with a bystander, who reportedly said her husband was "very sick" and "sleeping" after an early-morning fight. Inside the home, investigators discovered a blood-soaked scene with spatter on the hallway and living room walls. Kaufman’s body was wrapped in a blanket or rug and showed signs of decomposition and blunt force trauma across his head, face, and torso. A large metal curtain rod with a blood-caked circular finial was identified as the murder weapon. Authorities confirmed that sheriff’s deputies and Adult Protective Services had previously responded to multiple domestic violence calls at the residence, with Kaufman listed as the victim each time. Financial elder abuse allegations against Kim are also under investigation. Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase reported red flags after Kim allegedly tried to force her husband to transfer large sums of cash from his accounts. At the time of Kaufman’s death, Adult Protective Services had open financial fraud investigations into Kim. If convicted as charged, Kim could face life in prison.