Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, previously identified by police as Daniel Jones, has appeared in court in Ohio charged over the shooting deaths of Oberlin College professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy and his wife, Tran Thi Phong. A judge set a $3 million bond following Thursday’s hearing.
The two victims were found on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at a home on South Pleasant Street in Oberlin, a city west of Cleveland. Oberlin Police Department identified them as Pipo Hieu Nguyen-Duy, 64, and Tran Thi Phong, 56, and said both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Police described them as the suspect’s father and stepmother.
The suspect was initially named Daniel Jones in the police statement. During an appearance at Oberlin Municipal Court on Thursday 29 October, they identified themselves as Asia Nguyen-Duy and said they were gender-neutral, according to Cleveland 19. News reports say their legal name was changed in 2025.
What happened in court?
Nguyen-Duy, who is from Ashland, Oregon, faced six counts of murder, four of felonious assault and one of tampering with evidence at the initial hearing. Bond was set at $3 million. They waived a preliminary hearing, and the case was transferred to Lorain County Common Pleas Court for consideration by a grand jury, according to News 5 Cleveland.
Footage published by WKYC Channel 3 shows several officers carrying the shackled defendant into the courtroom. The images are striking, but they do not themselves establish why the officers carried Nguyen-Duy. The video is embedded below from the original news channel.
What prosecutors have alleged
During the arraignment, a prosecutor alleged that Nguyen-Duy had asked an Oberlin resident to film a statement in which they said they were escaping a cult and accepted responsibility for killing family members. The prosecutor also said the defendant had allegedly told officers that they had killed their family and supplied an address. These are prosecution allegations made in court, not findings of guilt.
Investigators have not announced an established motive. There is no reliable basis to treat the defendant’s reported reference to a cult as evidence that one existed. Nguyen-Duy is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
What police have confirmed
The police investigation began at about 8.57am on 28 October after firefighters reported a smoking vehicle in a car park near the Oberlin College Conservatory. Officers located the vehicle’s registered owner at approximately 10.19am and took the suspect into custody. At roughly 10.28am, officers visited the family home to conduct a welfare check and found the two victims, one on each floor.
The city’s published police releases confirm the date, location, victims and charges. Local reporting says investigators had not recovered the suspected firearm at the time of the court hearing. The investigation remains ongoing.
Why are there six murder charges when two people died?
The six charges do not mean six people were killed. The police charge list includes two counts under Ohio Revised Code 2903.02(A), which concerns purposely causing another person’s death, and four under section 2903.02(B), which concerns a death resulting from the commission or attempted commission of certain violent felonies. Prosecutors can bring multiple counts on differing legal grounds in a case involving the same deaths. The court will determine how the charges proceed.
Remembering Pipo Nguyen-Duy and Tran Thi Phong
Pipo Nguyen-Duy was a professor of studio art and photography at Oberlin College, where he had taught since 1998. He came to the United States from Vietnam as a refugee in 1975 and went on to become an internationally exhibited artist and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.
In a statement to the college community, president Carmen Twillie Ambar described him as a cherished teacher and colleague whose loss had deeply affected the campus. A subsequent message remembered both Pipo and his wife, also named Trần Thị Nam Phong by the college, and outlined opportunities for students and colleagues to honour their lives.
What remains unknown
Authorities have not established a public motive for the killings. The court proceedings and any grand jury decisions may also change the charges or bring additional details. Fish 4 News will distinguish any further allegations from confirmed findings as the case develops.
