Occurred: 5 November 2008
Sentenced: 23 September 2011
Where: 5/22-24 Stawell Street, Werribee
Convicted: Tuan Van Tran
Victim: Nguyen Van Nguyen
What happened?
Nguyen, a drug dealer, believed that Tuan owed him money. On Wednesday, 5 November, Nguyen came to Tuan's house and demanded his money. Tuan led him to his garage where Nguyen grabbed a broomstick and began beating Tuan with it. Tuan fought back, using a pair of scissors, stabbing Nguyen in the head, ear and the eyes. Tuan persuaded Nguyen to get in his car and told his girlfriend that he was going to drive him to the hospital. Instead, he dumped Nguyen's body in Tarneit. Nguyen died from head injuries.
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| Nguyen's parents appealed to the public when his killer could not be found. |
Victim's background
Nguyen was a drug dealer. His father wrote a victim impact statement that described the pain that will forever haunt their family.
Convicted's background
Tuan was 33 at the time of the murder. He was born in Vietnam and when his father died as an infant he went to live with his grandparents in a fishing village. He was educated to a Year 8 equivalent level. When he was 16 he migrated to Australia with his brother. He began drinking, using cannabis and eventually developing a heroin addiction. He and his brother were thrown out of the family home and lived in temporary accommodation where they developed heroin and ice habits and began dabbling in crime. Tuan served two and a half years of imprisonment for several armed robberies of taxi drivers. His younger brother died at 25.
He has since broken up with his girlfriend, who was present at the home at the time of the attack, and he no longer has contact with his two children.
Outcome of trial: Tuan pleaded guilty to defensive homicide but not guilty to murder. A jury found him guilty of murder.
Sentence: Tuan was sentenced with a minimum 16 years of imprisonment before eligible for parole (20 years max). He already served almost three years of his sentence in remand, which the judge described as an unacceptable situation.
You can read the judgement here. Media coverage is available here and here.
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| The fatal stabbing occurred at Tuan's premises in Werribee. |
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