Charges against a Seattle man have been filed accusing him of fatally stabbing his stepdaughter 107 times as she protected her mother from domestic violence.
Seattle police responded to the report of an assault in the 5300 block of 31st Avenue South in Beacon Hill in the early morning hours of Aug. 7.
According to court docs, detectives say Nghiep Kein Chau killed his own stepdaughter, Angelina Tran, by stabbing her over 100 times.
Police arrived at the home at about 4:55 a.m., where they met Tran’s mother at the door. She appeared to be visibly upset and was bleeding from injuries to her face.
As officers entered the home, Chau came down the staircase holding a large bloody kitchen knife, which he dropped when officers told him to do so.
According to police, Chau was covered in blood and had some fresh wounds on his right hand.
After Chau was placed in handcuffs, officers searched the home, where they found the obviously dead body of Tran, lying on her back in the kitchen.
Once the home was secured and a search warrant was obtained, officers found CCTV footage from inside the home detailing the entire attack.
According to police, at about 4:43 a.m., Tran’s mother and Chau were in the kitchen, when Chau started punching Tran’s mother in the face about 15 times.
As she attempted to leave, he continued to punch her. Police believe the noise from the assault awoke Tran, placing herself between Chau and her mother.
Chau continued to punch her mother, sometimes punching Tran in the process.
As they struggled, Tran’s mother was able to get away and Tran held on to Chau to prevent him from chasing her mother.
They both fell to the ground, where they wrestled on the floor. Chau then dragged Tran toward the kitchen cabinets.
According to police, Chau grabbed a knife from a kitchen drawer and started to stab Tran.
As she stood up to run away, Chau continued to stab her until she fell to the ground.
Tran continued fighting with him, sometimes turning away from him, as he stabbed her in the back.
Police say Chau stabbed her into unconsciousness when she eventually died.
Even as she was dead, police say Chau continued to stab her. Police say he returned to the kitchen drawer and retrieved a meat cleaver, returning to stab her more.
According to police, Chau told patrol officers, “I killed someone.”
Chau was booked into the King County Jail on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Chau’s bail was set at $5 million. His arraignment has been pushed back due to the fact that Chau is medically unavailable. The arraignment is now scheduled for August 31 at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom E1201 in King County Superior Court.
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