On August 7, in their Beacon Hill, Seattle residence, a 21-year-old University of Washington student, Angelina Tran, was fatally injured while defending her mother from an attack by her stepfather. 

The disturbance began when Tran heard a commotion in her home. Charging documents indicate her stepfather, Nghiep Kein Chau, 54, physically assaulted her mother in the kitchen. Tran intervened, leading Chau to escalate his attack on both women. 

As her mother contacted emergency services, Tran tried to contain Chau, who grabbed a knife and then stabbed her repeatedly, up to 107 times. Security footage captured Chau intermittently halting the assault, changing his clothing and weapon. When the police arrived close to 5 am, they found Chau with a knife, Tran unresponsive, and Tran’s injured mother. 

Chau was detained and admitted to the act, claiming he fought with his wife because she wanted to divorce him and take his money. When Tran intervened, Chau became more angry and stabbed her over and over, continuing even after she was dead, according to officials. He is currently facing legal consequences and is held on a substantial bond of $5 million. His arraignment is scheduled for August 31.

A fundraiser in Tran’s honor has been initiated for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.