US: College student stabbed more than 100 times trying to protect her mother

A 21-year-old college student in the United States was killed while trying to protect her mother after a horrifying fight where her enraged stepfather allegedly stabbed her over 100 times. The Seattle man has since been charged and remains in custody.

What happened?

Media reports citing court documents said that the woman identified as Angelina Tran, 21, woke up after hearing sounds of fighting and struggle in her family’s home in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Seattle, Washington.

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According to the documents, her stepfather Nghiep Kein Chau, 54, punched her mother at least 12 times in the kitchen. This prompted Tran to intervene and then Chau began attacking both women, said the prosecutors.

Eventually, Tran’s mother was able to reportedly escape and called 911 while Tran held Chau back. During this time, the two struggled and fell to the floor, before Chau allegedly grabbed a knife and stabbed Tran 107 times.

The Seattle police said they were responding to a reported assault in the early hours of August 7. The police arrived at the home at about 4:55 am (local time) where they met Tran’s mother at the door who was bleeding from injuries to her face.

As the officers entered the residence, they found Chau holding a large bloody kitchen knife which he eventually dropped after being asked to do so, reported the local media. He also allegedly told the police, “I killed somebody.”

The officers also found CCTV footage that showed that the police arrived just 15 minutes after Chau and his wife, Linh Tran had gotten into a violent argument.

Charges against the accused

According to the charging documents, Chau stopped stabbing several times during the rampage including once to change his clothes and then to grab a different knife. The police said Chau kept stabbing Tran even after she was dead.

The 54-year-old was immediately taken into custody and later told the police that he was “bickering” with his wife. Chau had been in a relationship with Tran’s mother for 19 years.

He also told the police that he was hitting Angelina’s mother because he thought she was going to divorce him and take his money.

Chau has since been booked into King County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. He is being held at the King County Correctional Facility on a $5 million bond.

According to local media reports, Chau’s arraignment was pushed back after he was medically unavailable and is now scheduled for August 31.

The friends and family of Angelina, who was an engineering student at the University of Washington, have since set up a fundraiser for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging in her memory.

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