The suspect, previously identified as Daniel Jones, faces 11 felony charges in the shooting deaths of an Oberlin College professor and his wife.
OBERLIN, OH — A 31-year-old suspect accused of killing an Oberlin College professor and his wife was carried into court by officers Thursday after refusing to walk into the courtroom, before a judge set bond at $3 million and sent the case to Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
The defendant was initially identified by Oberlin police as Daniel Jones of Ashland, Oregon. During Thursday’s court appearance, the defendant said their name is Asia Nguyen-Duy and that they are gender-neutral, according to Cleveland 19. Court records reviewed by the station show the name was legally changed in 2025. Nguyen-Duy faces six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence. The charges are allegations, and Nguyen-Duy has not been convicted.
News 5 Cleveland reported that Nguyen-Duy had to be carried into the courtroom after refusing to walk in. Nguyen-Duy was restrained as officers brought them before the court. The defense waived a preliminary hearing, allowing the felony case to be bound over to Lorain County Common Pleas Court for further proceedings. Bond was set at $3 million.
The charges stem from the deaths of Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, a longtime Oberlin College studio art and photography professor, and his wife, Tran Thi Phong, 56. Oberlin police said officers found both victims inside their South Pleasant Street home Wednesday. Pipo Nguyen-Duy was found on the first floor and Phong was found on the second floor. Police said both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation began about 8:57 a.m. Wednesday when Oberlin police went to a parking lot at the Oberlin College Conservatory to assist firefighters with a smoking vehicle that might have been on fire. Officers began looking for the vehicle’s registered owner and located Nguyen-Duy in the 200 block of Shipherd Circle at about 10:19 a.m. Police said Nguyen-Duy was taken into custody without incident.
About nine minutes later, officers went to the South Pleasant Street home to check on Nguyen-Duy’s family members. There, they discovered the two victims. Authorities have described the case as domestic in nature and said the suspect was the son of Pipo Nguyen-Duy and stepson of Phong. Police said the arrest meant there was no continuing threat to the public.
During Thursday’s hearing, a prosecutor described evidence investigators say they collected before Nguyen-Duy’s arrest. Cleveland 19 reported that prosecutors said Nguyen-Duy went to a stranger’s home on Shipherd Drive and asked the resident to record a video. The prosecutor told the court that Nguyen-Duy made statements in the recording taking responsibility for their actions. Those statements are allegations presented by prosecutors and have not been tested at trial.
Authorities also said the firearm believed to have been used in the shootings had not been recovered as of Thursday’s court proceeding. News 5 reported that investigators were also looking for a belt bag Nguyen-Duy was believed to have been wearing. Police have not publicly announced a confirmed motive for the killings.
Pipo Nguyen-Duy had taught at Oberlin College since 1998 and was a prominent photographer and artist. Oberlin’s Studio Art Department listed him as its chair and as an instructor in photography. The college said his work had an important impact on generations of students and described his death as a major loss for the campus community. Studio Art classes were suspended Thursday while most other classes continued.
The Wednesday investigation also prompted Oberlin College to issue a temporary shelter-in-place order at the request of police. The order was lifted after authorities said the suspect had been detained and there was no continuing danger to the college or surrounding community. The college has said it plans opportunities for students, faculty and staff to remember Nguyen-Duy.
With the preliminary hearing waived, the criminal case now moves beyond Oberlin Municipal Court and into the Lorain County court system. Nguyen-Duy remained in custody on $3 million bond Thursday while the double-homicide investigation continued. No trial date has been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 29, 2026.