CYPRESS, TX – A 65-year-old Texas man, Lam Ngoc Tran, has been handed a 40-year prison sentence after being found guilty of murdering his wife using a nail gun. The gruesome incident took place at the couple’s residence on Peralta Springs Lane in Cypress, Texas, on January 10, 2022. The victim, My Thai Dang, aged 49, was attempting to escape an abusive relationship, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Ogg emphasized the severity of the crime and highlighted the increased risk faced by individuals trying to break free from abusive relationships. She noted that Dang’s death was a direct result of her husband’s inability to relinquish control over her.
Upon receiving a distress call, Harris County deputies arrived at the scene to find Dang in a pool of her own blood, having been assaulted with a heavy pneumatic nail gun. She was declared dead at the scene. Tran, who was also found at the scene, had apparently attempted to take his own life using the same nail gun after killing his wife. He was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, where he survived his injuries.
Investigations revealed that Tran had sent farewell messages to his close ones prior to the incident. He later pleaded guilty to the murder charge, allowing a judge to determine his punishment following a pre-sentence investigation.
Dang, originally from Vietnam, had moved to Houston from Minnesota to marry Tran. Both were employed at a plant manufacturing HVAC equipment. The couple had been married for about six or seven years, during which their relationship had devolved into a cycle of domestic violence, according to Assistant District Attorney Matthew Magill. A hearing for a protective order was scheduled for the day following the tragic incident.