An Oregon man now using the name Asia Nguyen-Duy was carried into an Ohio arraignment with restraints and his pants around his ankles, according to NBC News. The Western Journal report says he is charged in connection with the deaths of his parents in Oberlin, Ohio.
Victims identified; charges detailed
The Daily Mail reported the victims were Oberlin College professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, and his wife, Thi Tran Phong, 56, who were found shot to death in their home. The Western Journal article states the suspect faces six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and one count of evidence tampering. The suspect was initially identified by police as Daniel Jones of Ashland, Oregon, the article says. In court, he asked to be addressed with gender-neutral pronouns and used the name Asia Nguyen-Duy, according to the same report. WOIO-TV is cited in the Western Journal piece as showing a legal name change in 2025. Bond was set at $3 million, the article says.
What prosecutors told the court
Prosecutor Zachary Simonoff said the defendant knocked on a resident’s door on Shipherd Circle and asked her to record a video to post online. “He told her that he did not want the police involved,” Simonoff said. “In the video he identifies himself as Asia Nguyen-Duy, says he’s escaping a cult and also says, ‘Everything I did was on my own accord, and I take full responsibility.’”
How police were directed to the scene
During the arraignment, it was stated that officers first encountered the suspect after a call about a disheveled person; he then directed police to his family’s home after saying he had killed his parents, according to the Western Journal article summarizing court statements.
Arraignment video and other reported details
Video posted to X by user Chris Ripa appears to show the suspect going limp as officers carry him into the courtroom in Oberlin.
The Daily Mail also reported that a car tied to the suspect had boarded-up windows, a wood stove in the back seat, and a makeshift chimney through the roof. The Mail said the firearm used in the killings had not been recovered.
Neighbor Greg Porson said the suspect asked him for a ride to the library to “escape this cult.” “I said: ‘You know, I never get into anything like that, so I’m out of here,’” Porson said, per the Western Journal report.
All charges are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
