Prosecutors say the suspect in the shooting deaths of an Oberlin College professor and his wife asked a stranger to film a video confession, saying the suspect was “escaping a cult.”
Story Snapshot
- Prosecutors say the suspect, covered in scratches and blood, asked a nearby resident to record a video and said, “I take full responsibility.”
- Police say the suspect told officers about killing family members and led them to the South Pleasant Street home.
- Officers found professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, and his wife, Tran Thi Phong, 56, shot to death inside.
- A judge set bond at $3 million, and the case goes to a Lorain County grand jury.
In court on Thursday, October 29, Oberlin City Prosecutor Zachary Simonoff described a video the suspect asked a neighbor to record after the killings on the morning of Wednesday, October 28. The suspect is Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, who went by Daniel Jones until a 2025 name change, according to court records. Police say the victims were the suspect’s father and stepmother. In the video, prosecutors say, the suspect claimed to be “escaping a cult.” Police have not released any other motive.
The suspect is charged with six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, which in Ohio means causing serious harm or using a deadly weapon against someone, and one count of tampering with evidence. The suspect is accused, not convicted, and has not entered a plea.
Prosecutor Describes On-Camera Admission Requested by Suspect
Simonoff told the court that the suspect, covered in scratches and blood, approached a nearby resident and asked that a video be recorded for the internet. In that video, the suspect gave the name Asia Nguyen-Duy and said, “Everything I did was on my own accord and I take full responsibility,” according to the prosecutor. The suspect also said police should not be involved, the prosecutor said.
That detail matters because the request to record came from the suspect, not from police questions. Courts look closely at whether a confession was given freely. Here, by the prosecutor’s account, no officer asked for it. One neighbor, Greg Poirson, said the suspect asked him for a ride to the library. He refused to record any video, called police and watched officers make the arrest.
Police Told of Killings and Given Address, Two Victims Found Shot
The morning began with a fire. At about 9 a.m. Wednesday, October 28, police were called to a smoking vehicle in the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot. The car was registered to the suspect and held loose ammunition. About an hour later, officers found the suspect in the 200 block of Shipherd Circle, wet and hurt, with scratches on the face. Police say the suspect said family members had been killed and gave the address on South Pleasant Street.
Officers went to the home and found two people shot several times. Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, was on the first floor. Tran Thi Phong, 56, his wife and the suspect’s stepmother, was upstairs. At police request, the college told people on campus to stay indoors, then lifted the order after police said there was no danger to the public. Police have not found the gun or a belt bag the suspect was reportedly wearing.
Court Sets High Bond as Case Advances; Identity and Conduct Noted
Officers had to carry the suspect into the courtroom after the suspect refused to walk in. In court, the suspect rejected the name Daniel Jones and said they are gender-neutral. Prosecutors and the defense had agreed to a $1.5 million bond, but Judge Farah Emeka set it at $3 million, pointing to past low-level offenses in Oregon. The suspect gave up a preliminary hearing, so the case goes to a grand jury, a panel of citizens that decides whether the evidence supports formal charges for trial.
The suspect’s mother, who lives in Oregon, told police the suspect needs medication for a mental health problem, according to reports. Pipo Nguyen-Duy came to the United States from Vietnam as a refugee in 1975, taught studio art and photography at Oberlin from 1998, and earned a Guggenheim Fellowship, a well-known award for artists and scholars. Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar called him “a cherished colleague and a vibrant presence in the classroom.” The suspect could face life in prison if convicted.
Sources:
kptv.com, morningjournal.com, abcnews.com, cleveland.com, fox8.com, abc6onyourside.com
