Doughnut Shop Manager Slain in Apparent Holdup

A Fountain Valley doughnut shop manager, described by customers and family as a “sweet little old lady” who never worried about being held up, was shot and killed during an apparent robbery Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Virgie Ella LaFountain, 57, of Fountain Valley was shot in the chest and collapsed to the floor near the cash register, which was found open and containing only change, police said.

“The woman couldn’t have put up a fight. She was an old woman,” said Lyman Young, 75, who had been inside the Yum Yum Donuts shop, 17217 Brookhurst St., just before the shooting to pick up a friend.

“She probably just gave him (the killer) the money,” said the victim’s brother, William Carter, 44, of Fountain Valley, who works as the 24-hour shop’s nighttime baker.

His sister had never been robbed before, but “she always figured that if she did like she was supposed to and gave them the money, they wouldn’t hurt her,” Carter said, standing outside the doughnut shop while solemnly watching police investigate the murder.

Police said witnesses heard shots and saw a man speed away from the scene in a white 1970s Volkswagen van, heading south on Brookhurst. One witness caught a glimpse of part of the license plate, with the numbers 784.

The shooting occurred about 2:35 p.m., and when police and paramedics responded to the call they found LaFountain dead, said Fire Capt. Gary Bottenfield.

The woman apparently had been shot once, and there was “very little blood loss,” indicating she had died quickly, Bottenfield said. A spent cartridge was found next to her body, he said. An autopsy had not been completed by late Tuesday.

Police said that because all the cash had been taken from the register, they believe the motive was robbery. No customers were in the store at the time, they said.

Mike Strickland, area supervisor for Yum Yum Donuts, said LaFountain had managed the shop for about 2 1/2 years.

“She’s a good person who’s been with us a long time,” Strickland said, wiping away tears.

News of the murder saddened other merchants in the shopping center.

‘Always Had a Smile’

“She was a very nice lady, but very frail,” said Josh England, an employee at Gem Meats, who often would chat with LaFountain when he bought a cup of coffee at the doughnut shop. “She always had a smile on her face.”

Amanda Guardado, a worker at Carriage Trade Cleaners, described LaFountain as “a really, really nice person . . . . I can’t believe it. How much money can you get out of a doughnut shop? It’s so sad.”

LaFountain’s brother, Carter, said his sister had once been a nurse but went to work for him when he managed a Winchell’s Donuts shop in Oklahoma. Carter said he went to work for his sister at the Fountain Valley shop about two years ago.

He said LaFountain had never expressed worry about being robbed. Carter described his sister as “just a nice person” who “liked talking to the customers.”

“She got along with everybody,” said the 22-year-old girlfriend of LaFountain’s son. The woman, who worked at the doughnut shop counter during the morning shift, said she did not want to be identified.

‘Why? ... I Don’t Know’

“She was the sweetest lady I have ever known,” said Daniel DePretto, 29, of Fountain Valley, a frequent customer.

“She probably just handed (the killer) whatever he wanted,” DePretto said. “Why anyone would want to shoot her? I don’t know.”

Young, who had been in the doughnut shop just before the shooting, said he walked back to the area a few minutes later, only to find the shop cordoned off by police.

“It was all done so quick,” Young said, referring to the shooting. “I sure hope they catch whoever killed that nice lady.”