Two men charged with murder of beloved East Bay restaurant owner

Donte Holloway, 39, is charged with murder after following the April death of 61-year-old Cindy Le. Donte Holloway, 39, is charged with murder after following the April death of 61-year-old Cindy Le. Photo: Alameda County Sheriff's Office / Photo: Alameda County Sheriff's Office / Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Two men charged with murder of beloved East Bay restaurant owner 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Alameda County prosecutors charged two men with murder in the April killing of 61-year-old Cindy Le, the beloved owner of two East Bay Vietnamese restaurants who died after her head was slammed against the pavement during an attempted purse-snatching.

Paul Prudencio Paez, 38, and Donte Holloway, 39, each face a murder charge with special circumstances for allegedly committing the murder while “lying in wait” and during the course of a robbery. If found guilty, both men would be eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.

Paez was also charged with attempted second-degree robbery, while Holloway faces an additional charge of assault to cause great bodily injury for allegedly attacking two men who came to Le’s defense with a metal pipe.

At around 11 p.m. April 6, the two suspects followed Le as she drove from her Oakland restaurant to another in Alameda, according to an Alameda police report. They allegedly confronted her just outside her Pho Ahn Dao restaurant at 1919 Webster St.

Paez attempted to grab Le’s purse and punched her in the face after she resisted, causing her to fall and strike her head on the concrete sidewalk, police said.

Amid the scuffle, authorities said, two other men intervened and started fighting with Paez, prompting Holloway to try and defend Paez with a metal pipe.

“(Holloway) admitted to being at the scene and swinging the metal pipe at unknown individuals,” Alameda police Officer Koby Burns wrote in a probable cause statement. Burns added that witnesses said two victims were struck over the head with a “metal pipe-like object.”

Le and a 28-year-old man were taken to the hospital for head injuries. The man survived but Le died a few days later.

Her attackers were identified partly due to surveillance footage capturing Paez exiting and later re-entering the suspects’ vehicle and Holloway wearing a “uniquely patterned jacket” during the attack, Burns wrote.

If convicted, each man could face additional time in prison due to prior convictions. Holloway faces a third strike if found guilty, while Paez already has one strike.

Both men have criminal records in Alameda County. Each was convicted of second-degree robbery on March 21, 2000. Holloway was also convicted of accessory after the fact on March 30, 2011 and second-degree robbery on Sept. 11, 2012.

The suspects are being held without bail and Holloway has an arraignment hearing Friday for an alleged parole violation.

Customers of Le’s restaurants were stunned days after the brazen attack that ended the life of an attentive chef and businesswoman.

“Not every restaurant owner greets every customer, but she did,” Adriel Wong said. “She took pride in her restaurant and her work.”

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy