Maxim model fought desperately in her final moments

Jurors in Los Angeles heard this week how a beautiful 21-year-old model and actress discovered strangled in her Santa Monica apartment battled for her life.

Juliana Redding was found dead in March 2008 and prosecutors believe she was killed by Kelly Soo Park, described as the ‘James Bond’ style enforcer of a shady doctor who has since fled the United States.

Redding’s mother broke down in tears as Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Stacy Okun-Wiese showed jurors photographs of Redding’s body taken after her death.

‘Juliana Redding spent the last moments of her life literally fighting to save herself,’ Okun-Wiese told the jury.

‘Juliana Redding tried to fight off a woman. A woman she did not know…. A woman who needs to be held accountable for her actions.’

The first officer on the scene also described the gruesome scene inside the apartment where prosecutors believe Park stangled Redding with her bare hands – then turned on the gas stove and lit candles, hoping to cause an explosion. Park, 47, is alleged to have worked as an enforcer for a Dr. Munir Uwaydah and the physician dated Redding, a cover girl for Maxim magazine, for a time.

During that time, Uwaydah attempted to go into business with her father, Greg, an Arizona pharmacist.

However, Greg Redding began his own background check into the doctor and discovered that Uwaydah was lying about his age, was married and had a family.

On learning this, Juliana ended their affair her father also stopped the business venture he planned with Uwaydah. Greg Redding sent Uwaydah a letter on March 10th ending their business relationship – five days before his daughter was killed.

Prosecutors said that Uwaydah made six-figure payments to Park and her family before the killing and before Park’s arrest.

They said he had also bragged that he had a ‘female James Bond’ ready to act. It took two years to discover a suspect in the murder and investigators linked Park through DNA evidence found on Redding’s neck. However, Park’s attorney has questioned the evidence.

Initial reports at the time described a desperate struggle during which Redding had managed to dial 911 for help when her killer apparently grabbed the phone and hung up.

Prosecutors allege that Uwaydah dispatched Park to Juliana and in turn her father into changing his mind about their planned venture.

While Uwaydah has since left the United States following Redding’s death, he has not been charged in the murder.