Prosecutors say a stepfather allegedly stabbed an engineering student more than 100 times Aug. 7 while the student was trying to protect her mother from the stepdad allegedly attacking her, according to The Seattle Times.
Police arrested and charged Nghiep Kein Chau, 54, with the first-degree murder of 21-year-old University of Washington student Angelina Tran and the first-degree attempted murder of Tran’s mother, The Seattle Times reported. Chau allegedly attempted to kill his spouse in an alleged attack reportedly caught on the home’s security cameras before Tran intervened.
After 21-year-old Angelina Tran was killed trying to protect her mother on Aug. 7, a Seattle University professor talks about domestic violence statistics. https://t.co/PCSsAPV8BY
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) August 24, 2023
Footage viewed by Seattle police show Chau striking Tran’s mother over a dozen times in their kitchen as she repeatedly attempted to leave, per The Seattle Times. When Tran intervened, Chau reportedly began hitting both women.
At some point, Tran held on to Chau, giving her mother time to escape to call the police, according to documents obtained by The Seattle Times. Chau reportedly wrestled Tran to the floor, where he allegedly stabbed her repeatedly with a knife — even going so far as to reportedly change his clothes and weapon during his assault, per the documents. (RELATED: Stabbing Suspect Allegedly Posted Footage Of Woman’s Slaying On Facebook, Police Say)
Further footage shows Chau searching the house for Tran’s mother just before authorities arrived at the home around 5 a.m., the outlet stated. When confronted with officers, Chau reportedly dropped the knife he was holding, and police took him into custody.
Court documents say Chau told officers through an interpreter he had been “bickering” with his wife and was angry over suspicions she was preparing to divorce him and take his money, the outlet stated. Chau and Tran’s mother had reportedly been in a relationship for almost two decades. Chau reportedly knew the engineering student for most of her life.
Chau is currently being held in the King County Correctional Facility on a $5 million bond after prosecutors determined he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. An arraignment hearing for Chau is scheduled for Aug. 31, The Seattle Times reported.