Woman Acquitted of Model Killing Sues Santa Monica police

A Thousand Oaks woman acquitted last year of killing an aspiring model is suing the Santa Monica Police Department.

The lawsuit filed by 48-year-old Kelly Soo Park alleges police damaged her reputation and intimidated witnesses.

Prosecutors described her as a killer-for-hire who strangled 21-year-old Juliana Redding with her bare hands in 2008. Park was arrested in 2010 when police said she matched many DNA samples collected from the crime scene. A jury found her not guilty in June.

Park’s lawsuit says three witnesses who planned to testify on her behalf were scared away or tainted by a police detective.

The suit says she’s suffered from “extreme and severe mental anguish” since she was arrested.

The Police Department and district attorney’s office both declined comment.