Heroic Seattle college girl, 21, tries to save her mother from brutal attack by stepfather, is fatally stabbed 107 times
- Angelina Tran, 21, was stabbed at her Seattle home earlier this month
- She tried to protect her mother from her stepfather Nghiep Chau, 54
- Chau has admitted that he planned to kill her mother before the police arrived
An engineering student at the University of Washington was brutally stabbed to death after he intervened when her mother was attacked by her stepfather, it is alleged.
Angelina Tran, 21, was stabbed a whopping 107 times earlier this month in the Seattle home she shared with her mother Linh Ngoc Tran, 50, and stepfather, Nghiep Kein Chau, 54.
Chau has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after the attack, which was caught on the home’s security camera.
Prosecutors say Chau punched his wife about 15 times in the face and head as they argued in their kitchen before Angelina, who was asleep, emerged from her room and tried to intervene.
Chau then punched Angelina, who stopped him so her mother could escape and run downstairs.
Angelina Tran, 21, was stabbed a whopping 107 times earlier this month when she intervened when her stepfather assaulted her mother
Linh Ngoc Tran, 50, and her husband Nghiep Kein Chau, 54, are seen in their kitchen before he began beating her as many as 15 times, prosecutors say
The Seattle home the family shared is pictured above
He then wrestled his stepdaughter to the ground, grabbed a “large” knife and began stabbing her repeatedly in the chest, court documents show.
The alleged killer then proceeded to change clothes, “because of all the blood,” before choosing another knife, a meat cleaver, to continue the attack.
Angelina’s mother Linh had reportedly run to a room to hide when she called 911.
When police arrived, Chau was still carrying “a large bloody kitchen knife with a fixed blade in his hands.”
Prosecutors say Chau admitted planning to kill Linh before police arrived. Police say they took him into custody “when he came down the stairs in their house, still armed with a knife.”
He reportedly said, “I killed someone” when he was arrested.
Chau told police through an interpreter that he was upset because he thought his wife would divorce him and take all his money
Chau and Angelina’s mother had reportedly been together for nearly 20 years, meaning he knew his stepdaughter most of her life
Chau also told police through an interpreter that he was upset because he thought his wife would divorce him and take all his money.
“This murder appeared to be the result of anger at his stepdaughter for interfering in the defendant’s attack on her mother. Angelina Tran’s intervention allowed her mother to escape and hide in a nearby bedroom, but the suspect did not stop his attack,” the indictment against him said.
Chau and Angelina’s mother had reportedly been together for nearly 20 years, meaning he had known his stepdaughter for most of her life.
He is being held at King County Correctional Facility on $5 million bond.
a GoFundMe page for Angelina has already surpassed his $15,000 goal by thousands.
“(Angelina) graced our lives as an incredible daughter, a dear friend, and above all, a perfect friend. Her dedication and hard work were truly admirable. The pain of her absence is deep, because she was a gem of a human being,” the page read.
“All contributions received will be directed to the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, reflecting Angelina’s spirit and commitment to making a difference in the lives of the elderly.”