A Plague on Both Your Houses | 4

Summary

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Blood Will Tell – Ep. 4: A Plague on Both Your Houses (March 26, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this emotionally charged episode, host Jen Miller guides listeners deeper into the aftermath of the San Jose birthday party murder, focusing on the parallel journeys of identical twins Ahn and Trung, whose lives are bound by an unspoken code of silence and profound sacrifice. As Ahn languishes in jail for a crime Trung committed, both brothers—and those around them—grapple with guilt, loyalty, and the burdens of cultural legacy. Echoes of Shakespearean tragedy and the legacy of violence loom large as the truth slowly edges toward the surface.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shakespearean Irony and Setting the Stage

• Jen reflects on the tragic irony central to this chapter in the story, comparing it to Hamlet’s duel—emphasizing themes of responsibility, unintended consequences, and fatal choices. (00:00)
  • Notable Quote: “I think about Laertes because of one crucial detail from that night…both ironic and tragic.” —Jen Miller (00:26)
• Trung leaves his knife at home before the party to avoid bringing danger, not realizing he would end up using Ahn’s knife in the fatal moment. (00:40–01:36)

2. The Code of Silence ("The Lifestyle")

• After Ahn is arrested, both brothers adhere strictly to the unspoken rule: don't talk.
  • Breaking this would mark them as snitches, putting them at risk among gang affiliates. (05:21)
  • Notable Quote: “It's bad for all the people who snitch. Yeah, it'll be bad for me too.” —Ahn (05:21)
• The stabbing itself wasn’t a gang incident, but the optics and unwritten rules loom large for the twins.

3. Ahn’s Ordeal in Jail

• Ahn’s emotional state deteriorates: shock, numbness, guilt, and eventually deep depression.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • “It's just so hard to explain. It's just like I felt numb, I guess.” —Ahn (05:57)
    • “What is my future? Like, why did I come to America to be in here right now?” —Ahn (06:23)
• His old clique leader, Kevin, is coincidentally assigned to his cell block, offering mentorship, routine, and emotional support. (06:30–08:11)
  • Their makeshift routines—watching movies, making loungewear from extra jail shirts, and praying together—become a lifeline for Ahn.

4. Emotional and Social Fallout

• Ahn’s increasing sense of abandonment as Trung remains silent, despite repeated collect calls—dubbed “the stress box.” (09:03)
• The relationship with his girlfriend deteriorates; she knows he’s innocent but grows frustrated with his continued silence. Eventually, she finds someone else. (10:41–11:14)
  • Notable Quote: “My heart was breaking like, this is your fault, Trung. Like, straight up.” —Ahn (11:14)

5. Kevin’s Guilt and Reflections on "The Lifestyle"

• Kevin reflects on his own role in Ahn’s downward spiral—recruiting him into the gang life, helping him feel “worthy,” and perpetuating a cycle driven by generational trauma. (11:41–13:54)
  • Notable Quote: “I feel like a big part of his downfall was influenced by me, you know, that's why I have so much guilt. I feel in many ways that I manipulated Ahn.” —Kevin (11:41)
• Both families endured trauma as Southeast Asian refugees, shaping their children’s need for acceptance and belonging—ultimately drawing them toward street gangs. (13:54)

6. Trung’s Journey of Guilt and Self-Destruction

• Trung receives his Eagle Scout medal—a profound moment of contrast between his potential and his guilt.
  • Notable Quote: “This feeling like a shock that goes to my legs. Not a lot of people are able to go through all those years and meet all those requirements to get there. So I felt a sense of responsibility and also I felt very American as well.” —Trung (17:12)
• Consumed by guilt, Trung spirals into substance abuse, dropping out of college and moving through life numb and disconnected. (18:23)

7. Friendship, Tragedy, and Turning Points

• Trung’s new friend “B” becomes a Mercutio-like figure—fun-loving, nonjudgmental, and ultimately self-sacrificing. (19:14–20:05)
  • Together with Steven, they go to a bar, where a violent altercation leads to B being shot while protecting Trung. (21:31–23:57)
  • Notable Quote: “He stood right there, right in the middle. Shielded me from everything with his body.” —Trung (23:17)
• B’s death serves as a harsh awakening for Trung, compounding his guilt and leading him toward therapy and, finally, a confrontation with the truth. (24:49–25:41)

8. Legal Strategies and Breakthroughs

• Trung confesses to his public defender: “I've been hiding this crucial piece of information from you.” (26:07)
• New lawyer Barney Berkowitz recognizes multiple investigative errors—namely, running a lineup with both identical twins, which could be grounds for suppressing evidence.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • “He's the only murder client I've had in my career who was an Eagle Scout. So that tells you a little bit.” —Barney Berkowitz (26:53)
    • “It's insane that they did a lineup with identical twins because the eyewitness initially picked out Trung and then changed his mind.” —Barney Berkowitz (27:43)
    • “If two people are involved, you aren't supposed to have both the suspects in the lineup. So that's another problem.” —Barney Berkowitz (28:44)
• Trung, however, resists taking the case to trial, prioritizing his brother’s release over his own legal advantage. (29:22–29:37)

9. Ahn’s Defense: Struggles and Revelations

• Ahn’s attorney, Clinton Morales, faces immense frustration at Ahn’s reluctance to participate in his own defense.
  • Notable Quote: “It was kind of like a game of tug of war, you know, trying to pull stuff out of him. Like, I'm trying to help you, why aren't you helping yourself?” —Clinton Morales (30:22)
• Probing the witness list, Clinton becomes convinced of Ahn’s innocence, with crucial confirmation coming from the brothers’ ex-girlfriends.
  • “It was the third interview that confirmed what I had thought. That Trung was holding Ahn's knife when he ran into the fray.” —Clinton Morales (32:48)
• With mounting evidence, Clinton pressures for action: “You really want to go down for something that your brother clearly did. My feeling was if Trung really cared about you the way you cared about him, he would have stepped up already.” —Clinton Morales (33:45)
• The episode closes as both brothers prepare to finally face the truth, signaling the next phase in their legal and personal reckoning. (34:10–34:22)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I think about Laertes because of one crucial detail from that night…both ironic and tragic.” —Jen Miller (00:26)
• “My way of coping with that reality is to go live life as if nothing has happened.” —Trung (02:09)
• “It's bad for all the people who snitch. Yeah, it'll be bad for me too.” —Ahn (05:21)
• “I always thought I was like the bad twin. One of us was going to go down.” —Ahn (15:27)
• “This feeling like a shock that goes to my legs…So I felt a sense of responsibility and also I felt very American as well.” —Trung (17:12)
• “He stood right there, right in the middle. Shielded me from everything with his body.” —Trung (23:17)
• “I’ve been hiding this crucial piece of information from you.” —Trung (26:07)
• “It's insane that they did a lineup with identical twins…” —Barney Berkowitz (27:43)
• "You really want to go down for something that your brother clearly did..." —Clinton Morales (33:45)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:36: Jen sets the Shakespearean framework and the pivotal decision about the knife.
• 03:33–04:02: Heartfelt birthday moment as Trung tries to connect with Ahn from outside the jail.
• 05:21–07:09: The code of silence ("don't talk") and its paralyzing impact on Ahn.
• 09:03–10:16: Ahn’s desperate phone calls to Trung, the “stress box.”
• 11:41–13:54: Kevin’s guilt and recognition of generational trauma’s impact.
• 17:12–18:23: Trung’s Eagle Scout recognition & subsequent guilt spiral.
• 21:31–23:57: Barroom shooting; the tragic death of B.
• 25:41–26:18: Trung’s breakthrough in therapy—decision to confess.
• 26:53–29:37: Legal revelations about the flawed lineup; Trung’s hesitance to go to trial.
• 30:22–32:48: Clinton Morales’ frustrations and the breakthrough with ex-girlfriends’ testimony.
• 33:45–34:10: The lawyers’ ultimatum, setting the stage for the next act.

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Thematic Threads

• Family vs. Brotherhood: The twins’ enmeshment, the power (and curse) of loyalty.
• Inheriting Trauma: Generational scars shape the choices and self-views of both main characters.
• Truth vs. Silence: Both the law and personal relationships hinge on whether and how the truth is finally revealed.

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For Listeners New to the Series

This episode is a pivotal emotional and narrative turning point in the saga of two Vietnamese-American brothers trapped by bonds of family, loyalty, and a tragic mistake. Drawing on Shakespearean allusions, interviews, and raw first-person testimony, “A Plague on Both Your Houses” illuminates what happens when silence, sacrifice, and circumstance collide—with consequences for everyone involved.

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Transcript

[Jen Miller]

Audible subscribers can listen ad free. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Campsite media. Toward the end of Hamlet, there's a duel between Hamlet and Ophelia's brother Laertes. For Laertes, there's a lot at stake. Hamlet has killed his father and pushed his sister to madness and suicide. So Laertes brings a poison tipped sword to get his revenge. But in the middle of the fight, the swords are swapped. At the end, Laertes is stabbed with his own poisoned sword. Shakespeare was a master of turning irony into tragedy. I think about this a lot when I think about the next act of this story. The night that Trung convinces Ahn to put his textbooks down and join him at a party. A night he promises they could have some fun together. I think about Laertes because of one crucial detail from that night. A detail both ironic and tragic. When Trang is getting ready to go out, he decides to leave his knife behind. It's a regular college party, after all. Nobody from the Lifestyle will be there. No Bobby, no Tim. Why would he need protection?

[Trung]

I was like, no, I don't want to do something stupid.

[Jen Miller]

Then later, when he sees Ahn drunk and getting upset, he slips Ahn's knife into his own pocket. Because he doesn't want Ahn to do something stupid. And so when he sees his brother go down in the fight, it's his brother's weapon he reaches for. Trung had tried to keep the danger away, but he failed to realize that he is the dangerous one. He makes a terrible choice to prove his courage. And he will now make a second terrible choice to preserve his freedom. He will do nothing.

[Trung]

My way of coping with that reality is to go live life as if nothing has happened.

[Jen Miller]

And in the months to come, Trung will continue his silence, continue thinking he is not the agent of danger. Until he simply cannot pretend anymore. From lingerie and campside media, I'm jen miller and this is blood will tell. This is Episode four, A Plague on Both your Houses. Trung pulls up to Santa Clara County Jail and parks across the street. Due to his accessory charge and his status as Ahn's co defendant, he's restricted from visiting his brother, who is sitting inside. But Today is their 19th birthday and Trung wants to do something special for Ahn. And he's got an idea. A handful of their friends climb out of the car with balloons and a cape. Then they stand there awkwardly, searching the windows of the concrete tower.

[Trung]

Everybody is just kind of looking up and hearing people bumping on the Windows.

[Jen Miller]

Trung and his friends are yelling and waving their arms, hoping the guy they see up there waving back is on it is.

[Ahn]

I was like, hey, I love my brother's down there. Telling everybody, I love my brother down there, my twin brother. It was a good moment because usually when I'm alone, I'm always sad in there.

[Jen Miller]

The birthday gesture from Trung makes him feel good in the moment, but it's still just a gesture because Ahn is still in jail for a homicide his brother committed. Ahn has now been in custody for over six months in Santa Clara County. Incarcerated people charged with a felony spend an average of 353 days in jail before they're let out or transported to state prison. Ahn is on day 177, and he still hasn't told anyone the truth about what happened, not even his lawyer. So why hasn't he said anything? Why isn't he fighting for his innocence? Could he really love his brother that much to sacrifice his own freedom? There are actually multiple reasons why he stays quiet. Some take a while to crystallize and we'll get to them. But from the moment Ahn learns the charges have been switched, there is one key reason he keeps his mouth shut. The code. The agreement the brothers established the day after the party, don't talk. Which is also the foundational rule of the lifestyle. Because breaking that code makes you a target.

[Ahn]

It's bad for all the people who snitch. Yeah, it'll be bad for me too.

[Jen Miller]

The stabbing wasn't gang related, but that doesn't matter. The important thing is how the gangs will see it. If Ahn is willing to give up his own twin brother, what else might he be willing to give up? Trung knows this too.

[Trung]

If he speaks up, he's fucked. From the lifestyle, he's going to be marked right?

[Jen Miller]

For Ahn, this paralysis is excruciating. In the early days and weeks of his incarceration, he's just in shock, and

[Ahn]

it's just so hard to explain. It's just like I felt numb, I guess.

[Trung]

Yeah.

[Jen Miller]

But numbness eventually turns to tears.

[Ahn]

And then later on I cry to myself in the room.

[Jen Miller]

Then tears give way to disbelief.

[Ahn]

I just ask God, like, is this really happening?

[Jen Miller]

And after this, he wonders what, if anything, his life amounts to.

[Ahn]

What is my future? Like, why did I come to America to be in here right now?

[Jen Miller]

An's old clique leader Kevin, watches Ahn process all of this.

[Kevin]

I was locked up in a cell in 7B main jail, north general population.

[Jen Miller]

By some Stroke of luck or fate or just small worldness. Ahn is taken to the same cell block as Kevin.

[Kevin]

I saw a little bit of his tattoo. I started screaming. I started banging the door. I was like, oh. I ran straight to him. And then when I finally embraced him, hugged him, tell him I love him. I cried. I didn't care. You're not supposed to cry in there. Especially, you know, it's also seen as weakness. But I cried. God. Like, man, I missed him.

[Jen Miller]

After two and a half years of being apart, it's a joyful reunion for both Ahn and Kevin. Every day that goes by, Ahn feels increasingly abandoned by his brother. So Kevin steps in to support him, resuming his role as a mentor. He's even able to pull some strings and gets Ahn assigned to his cell.

[Ahn]

I was on the upper bunk, he's on the bottom bunk.

[Jen Miller]

The friends develop a sort of routine. Kevin pulls out his contraband ipod downloaded with tons of movies.

[Ahn]

We were actually huddled up together. We would roll our ma it like a cushion, sort of a couch.

[Jen Miller]

Then they put on their DIY cozy loungewear.

[Ahn]

We would steal extra shirts and make those into shorts. Yeah, you just put your two legs into the sleeves and then you tie it up.

[Jen Miller]

And then they get the movie going,

[Ahn]

one with Zac Efron Neighbors. That was really funny.

[Jen Miller]

And then after the movie, we would pray together.

[Ahn]

He finished it by knocking on the table.

[Jen Miller]

Then they put the mattress back until the next day when they do a version of this routine again. Kevin is trying his best to help Ahn, but he's concerned.

[Kevin]

You can tell him I said this. He was a stress case too. You know, he was in a relationship at the time, so he was worried about that. He was worried about Trump, he was worried about his family, and he was just always worried.

[Ahn]

Yeah, he seen me cry. Seen me cry for like a very long time.

[Jen Miller]

The phone is the only way Ahn can keep tabs on the outside world and especially on what Trung is thinking. Ahn has been waiting, hoping for his brother to step up, tell the truth, and get him out. So the second the cell doors unlock each day, he's first in line at one of the jail's wall mounted phones making collect calls to Trung.

[Ahn]

That's called a stress box. That's the name of that phone, the stress box.

[Jen Miller]

All their calls are recorded, so they're careful not to mention any specifics of the case. Instead, they've got a kind of shorthand,

[Ahn]

just basically saying, you know, like, when,

[Jen Miller]

meaning when are you going to Tell everyone I didn't do this, Trung. And each time, Trung reassures his brother, I'm going to do the right thing. You just need to be patient.

[Trung]

I'm not going to leave you in there. I got you.

[Jen Miller]

But until he actually makes good on these promises, Ahn keeps calling and calling. It becomes a kind of compulsion. And after he hangs up, he always feels worse.

[Ahn]

Just like, ugh, my brother, my brother. Listen, Dab.

[Jen Miller]

Some days he gets Trung on the line and just goes off on him,

[Ahn]

raising my voice like, dude, get me out of this fucking place. And I just hung up on him.

[Jen Miller]

You know, anything to wake Trung up,

[Ahn]

just make him feel guilty that he's out there and I'm in here, you know, because time kind of beats you down.

[Jen Miller]

So as Ahn's 19th birthday turns into his 20th birthday, his outgoing calls to Trung shrink from several times a week to a couple times a month. And still on each call, Trung is

[Trung]

promising, I'm not gonna leave you in there. I got you.

[Jen Miller]

Ahn isn't the only person frustrated with this status quo. Whenever Ahn talks to his girlfriend, the conversation ends in tears.

[Ahn]

She just wanted me to be home with her, you know, fight for her love.

[Jen Miller]

She was there the night of the party. She knows that Ahn is innocent. And she can't believe he still refuses to speak up.

[Ahn]

She's just like, dude, sometimes, you know, Tron goes out, Chuun goes somewhere, you know, and then she would blame me.

[Jen Miller]

Eventually, Trung is out there just living his life, and you're letting him. You're choosing him over me. Eventually, Ahn receives some news. His girlfriend has met someone.

[Ahn]

Finding out she's hanging out with another guy. My heart was breaking like, this is your fault, Trung. Like, straight up.

[Jen Miller]

Every time Ahn comes back to the cell after one of these phone calls, Kevin is there to comfort him. Watching his friend unravel, he's starting to grapple with how much of this might be his fault. If it weren't for him, maybe Ahn wouldn't be here.

[Kevin]

I feel like a big part of his downfall was influenced by me, you know, that's why I have so much guilt. I feel in many ways that I manipulated Ahn.

[Jen Miller]

He recalls this one time he bought Ahn a new pair of black Reeboks for his birthday. Ahn was stoked, so he said it made him feel like part of the group. That's what pains Kevin now. That's how he wanted Ahn to feel. He knew he could make Ahn feel worthy and grateful. And he did so even though he had complicated feelings about the lifestyle, even though he'd been dragged into it without much choice.

[Kevin]

I was getting targeted at school and after school, before school, because of who my brother was. You might as well just, you know, kind of dedicate, commit yourself to this. Don't forget we're part of this life.

[Jen Miller]

Kevin had been pulled in during middle school because several older family members were part of a long established Southeast Asian street gang. And then he'd gone on to start his own little group, the one he'd recruited Ahn into. But it wasn't until he was in jail that Kevin started to think more deeply about his life and his circumstances.

[Kevin]

My dad worked in a donut shop for like 30 something years. You know, he worked seven days a week, graveyard shift, and he always made sure we had food, clothes on our back, stuff like that. But once I got older to like maybe fifth, sixth grade, I knew, okay, not only are we on sectioning housing, we're in a neighborhood that's filled with crime, poverty, violence, gangs, everything you can think of. And you're bound to clash with each other, you know,

[Jen Miller]

at the time, that clash had felt inevitable. During his time in jail, Kevin started to understand this was so much bigger than him. It wasn't just about the economic instability or even the criminal activity he and an experienced. It was also about the violence and trauma their parents had endured and how that seemed to influence so much of their behavior.

[Kevin]

I had some very tough, tough, tough conversations with my mom and my dad where I had them open up about their stories, not knowing that it was going to be filled with so much trauma.

[Jen Miller]

Like Anh's parents, who had fled the North Vietnamese Communists, Kevin's family had survived the brutal repressive regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Both sets of parents tried to suppress those experiences in order to survive. But these traumas didn't just disappear. For kids like Ahn and Kevin, they were in every lesson their parents taught them, in every rule they told them to obey, in every ounce of expectation placed on them to get everything they possibly could. In America. It's an inheritance of sorts, A legacy that made it incredibly difficult for Kevin and an to understand who they were meant to be here. A legacy that drove them to join these groups in search of belonging. This is something that Kevin is only beginning to unpack. The parts of his past that can't be blamed on circumstance, but on his own choices. And in Ahn, he's really starting to see the cost of those choices. Not just that Ahn is sitting in jail, but that Ahn seems to be like a shadow of himself. The kid Kevin first took a liking to was outgoing, funny and confident. Throwing up gang signs even though he didn't know what they meant. Now this kid is sad, lonely and paranoid. And that's only what Kevin sees. It's even worse inside An's head. An feels like he never managed to be more than some gangster kid. That maybe the right twin was locked up.

[Ahn]

I always thought I was like the bat twin. One of us was going to go down. And I just felt like he was more talented. He had a job and he was a leader in Boy Scout. I thought he just had a better life going on for himself than me.

[Jen Miller]

Ahn had never been given the benefit of the doubt, especially when standing beside his brother. Plus, what had he done to let people think otherwise? And on top of it all, isn't he also responsible in some way for what happened at the party?

[Ahn]

I mean, I blame it on myself sometimes because, you know, that knife that killed the victim was my knife.

[Jen Miller]

His drunkenness, his aggression, his knife. If he actually came forward and told the truth about his innocence, who would even believe him? Truong holds a heavy envelope that has just arrived in the mail.

[Trung]

It was fancy and said Boy Scouts of America. I knew what it was.

[Jen Miller]

He breaks the seal and pulls out a thick sheet of paper and a box.

[Trung]

Like the holder of, you know, like jewelry.

[Jen Miller]

He opens it.

[Trung]

Medals. Their certificate.

[Jen Miller]

The medal itself is a silver colored pendant of an eagle strung on a red, white and blue ribbon stamped with the motto Be Prepared. He is officially an Eagle Scout.

[Trung]

This feeling like a shock that goes to my legs. Not a lot of people are able to go through all those years and meet all those requirements to get there. So I felt a sense of responsibility and also I felt very American as well. Like a bunch of our presidents had become Eagle Scouts.

[Jen Miller]

But as he looks down at the polished metal, the guilt hits Trung hard.

[Trung]

I can't go to the Eagle Scout ceremony. It's a big event. They call it the Eagle Scout nest. And the ceremony is them pretty much passing over the honor of their responsibility.

[Jen Miller]

Honor and responsibility. This pendant shows Truong who he used to be and also reminds him exactly who he's become. Someone who killed an innocent man and then abandoned his brother.

[Trung]

After that day, I couldn't even look at it. I did that with the whole idea of scouting. Like I had placed it in a box somewhere like inside of me and I didn't even think about it anymore.

[Jen Miller]

He just wants to be numb.

[Trung]

So much alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, sometimes popping pills. It was like I trying to convince myself that all that didn't happen because I just didn't want to feel anything.

[Jen Miller]

Trung drops out of college and he toggles between all night benders and waking up in time for his server job. A lot of his old friends keep their distance. Between the charge of accessory to a homicide and the green light, he's not the safest guy to hang around. But he makes a new friend who we're going to call B.

[Trung]

Skinny, tall guy, usually doesn't have a lot of money, but he's always, like, willing to give everything. He's someone that you don't feel like you need to be on guard with.

[Jen Miller]

In the warring houses of Tim and Bobby, Bea is like Mercutio, Romeo's best friend.

[Trung]

This personality is very much like Bea. Very easygoing, always, like, having fun, always smiling, always busting jokes. When Romeo is trying to be serious or in his feelings, he's able to lean on Mercruzio to make things a little bit more lighter. That was the relationship that we shared.

[Jen Miller]

Bea takes Trung under his wing, and it's refreshing because for the first time, Trung has an older brother figure who asks absolutely nothing from him. There are no strings, no mind games, no problematic affiliations. And another similarity between Bee and Mercutio. Mercutio was uncommitted in the battle between the Montagues and the Capulets, and so is Bea.

[Trung]

He's not a gang member. He knew how much, like, pain I was in from all sides. We would hang out, like, almost every night. He would kind of take me everywhere with him to his friends.

[Jen Miller]

One evening, after working a long shift at Olive Garden, Trung pulls out his phone and calls.

[Trung]

What are you doing?

[Jen Miller]

B's at a Vietnamese bar and Trung is in.

[Trung]

But he said, I don't think he should go.

[Jen Miller]

B notices some people from other gangs are there, and after all the trouble Trung has been in, he probably shouldn't risk it. But Trung will do anything it takes to maintain that denial.

[Trung]

Just wanted to get drunk, just wanted to party.

[Jen Miller]

So in his business casual work uniform,

[Trung]

dress shirt and black slacks, he heads

[Jen Miller]

over to the bar and invites their friend Steven to join.

[Steven]

We meet up with a bunch of

[Jen Miller]

friends, a group of 10 or so. They enter the bar.

[Steven]

It's dark, but there's, you know, flashy lights, like a ray, you know, red, blue, green, kind of like strobe lights.

[Trung]

There are strippers come in for a handshake hug.

[Steven]

We sit at a table and trunks

[Jen Miller]

ready to let loose.

[Trung]

Hey, let's take a shot.

[Steven]

We're all having a good time, drinking, probably doing cocaine. We're just trying to relax, you know, trying to catch up.

[Trung]

Next thing I know, I felt like a really hard thing hit my head.

[Jen Miller]

A Heineken bottle this time.

[Steven]

What the fuck? We looked towards the door.

[Trung]

I saw a bunch of people ran outside the door.

[Steven]

The people that threw it. At that moment, we're like, okay, what the fuck is going on? Let's go get them.

[Jen Miller]

Steven, Bea and Trung chase after the guys who threw the bottle. Bee's in front.

[Steven]

I see Bee go around the corner. So I'm chasing after him.

[Ahn]

And then

[Steven]

I hear gunshots. And I see flashes.

[Trung]

The whole gun being emptied. Seeing the sparks that was coming out the. The barrel of the gun. I froze. I was like, oh, shit, I'm dead.

[Jen Miller]

Anyone that comes around that corner is next.

[Trung]

Saw the security on the ground. He had been hit, like in the leg.

[Steven]

I started pushing, trying back, like, get back inside. And then I was like, oh, shit, he's still outside.

[Jen Miller]

Music in the bar shuts off and people scramble, trying to get the hell out of there.

[Trung]

I put my head out. I just see Bea on the ground.

[Steven]

Bea was shot and he was bleeding. We were thinking of calling the ambulance, but the ambulance was gonna take too long.

[Jen Miller]

They put Bea into Steven's car and speed off.

[Steven]

It was just a lot of yelling and chaos.

[Trung]

Just go, just like, just pass all those cars.

[Steven]

Just honk, run that light. Just go, go, go. All the way back down to Regional Hospital, which is probably like 10 minutes away.

[Jen Miller]

They arrive and Carrie be inside together yelling for help. Hospital staff roll him back on a gurney. Trung and Steven are left in the waiting room. Trung can't shake the thought that somehow this is all his fault.

[Trung]

He told me not to go there that day. I went that day knowing the potential of things that would happen. And he stood right there, right in the middle. Shielded me from everything with his body.

[Jen Miller]

They spend the night in the hospital hoping for good news, but finally head home to wait. The next day, Trung talks to Bi's mom.

[Trung]

She told me that he woke up, he was very weak. But right when he woke up, the first thing he asked if Trung was okay.

[Jen Miller]

The next day, Trung is at work when he gets a message from B's family. He's not going to make it. Trung rushes to the hospital, and once he arrives, he's Told that B has passed, Trung has no way of knowing if he was the target. But that's not the point. He feels responsible.

[Trung]

It cost him everything just because he

[Jen Miller]

cared for me that night. B kept trying to put himself in Trung's way. Like the scene in Romeo and Juliet when Romeo gets into an argument with Juliet's cousin, and Mercutio throws himself in between them. And instead of stabbing Romeo, the cousin stabs Mercutio.

[Trung]

After what happened with B, like, I wasn't really sleeping. I was either drunk, and when I'm tired, I'm using cocaine, right? Going to work. I felt very disconnected from reality. I was like, man, I need to talk to somebody. I need to talk to a counselor or something.

[Jen Miller]

Trung starts meeting with a therapist.

[Trung]

I felt stuck. I felt there was just, like, a heavy feeling on my chest, and I just can't get rid of it.

[Jen Miller]

The weight of all the lives he's taken. The life of his friend, the life of an innocent young man at a party, and, in a way, his brother's life.

[Trung]

Like, I'm carrying all that. I'm carrying, like, my brother being there. It was just like, so much guilt and shame.

[Jen Miller]

And over months of therapy, Trung learns there's only one way to lift that weight from his chest.

[Trung]

To share the truth.

[Jen Miller]

The warning on that Eagle Scout medal has come to fruition. Be prepared. Prepared to sacrifice his freedom. Prepared to take responsibility. Prepared to stop running from his fate and take control of it. He calls his lawyer, takes a breath, and delivers some news.

[Trung]

I've been hiding this crucial piece of information from you.

[Jen Miller]

He tells his public defender that the wrong twin is facing the murder charge.

[Trung]

I became honest, and I told him, and I was like, I need a homicide lawyer.

[Jen Miller]

Trung is skeptical the day he walks into the office of his new lawyer. He doesn't have a ton of confidence in public defenders. But then Barney Berkowitz walks in.

[Trung]

You know, big guy with a big suit, with a very confident voice.

[Barney Berkowitz]

He's the only murder client I've had in my career who was an Eagle Scout. So that tells you a little bit.

[Jen Miller]

Almost instantly, Trung, Thanks. Barney's different.

[Trung]

He seemed very seasoned. I can tell right away that there was a reason he was assigned to my case. I felt like he was the right person.

[Jen Miller]

And Barney sees a kid he wants to fight for.

[Barney Berkowitz]

I do anything to win because that's my job. I want to win. I want to win the trial. I want to get the best deal possible. I want to get their case dismissed. If I Can. Because murder is so often situational.

[Jen Miller]

As Barney dives into the case files, he discovers something unusual. A pretty significant misstep with the investigation. The lineup.

[Barney Berkowitz]

I mean, the whole thing's insane. It's insane that they did a lineup

[Jen Miller]

with identical twins because the eyewitness initially picked out Trung and then changed his mind.

[Barney Berkowitz]

That's how they end up charging on, based on that witness in that lineup, distinguishing between the twins.

[Jen Miller]

That's a problem

[Barney Berkowitz]

when you have two identical twins involved in a chaotic, traumatic situation. Any ID Made by any witness who doesn't know them intimately is not going to be very reliable. It's not like the witnesses are, you know, family members who can distinguish them easily. These are witnesses who, you know, I think most were vaguely familiar with them, especially if it's a stabbing that happens at a party at night. Right.

[Jen Miller]

There are also regulations around how lineups are supposed to be conducted. And the way this lineup went, it was not kosher.

[Barney Berkowitz]

If two people are involved, you aren't supposed to have both the suspects in the lineup. So that's another problem. If you violate rights or you violate due process or fundamental fairness, that evidence can sometimes be suppressed and not used in the prosecution.

[Jen Miller]

Depending on Barney's approach, emphasizing the lineup could work for or against Trung. If this goes to trial, Barney could bring a motion to suppress the lineup. Or he could make the details of the lineup violation public, which would look very bad for the deputy da. Either way, he's feeling like they have

[Trung]

the advantage right away. He's like, telling me, if you want to take it all the way to trial, this is one of the cases that I feel very confident about.

[Jen Miller]

But to Barney's surprise, Trung is hesitant.

[Trung]

I told him, like, nah, I can't take it to trial. It's not guaranteed enough that Ahn will be released. And, like, we gotta find something better.

[Jen Miller]

Trung wants the best deal for him and his brother, and that's the challenge that both of their lawyers are up against by the time Barney takes Trung Ahn as a client. Attorney Clinton Morales has been working on Ahn's case for more than a year. He's well aware of how problematic the lineup was, and for good reason. It put his client behind bars. But he has a problem. From day one, Ahn has been the most unhelpful client. Most days, Clinton feels like Ahn doesn't even want his help.

[Clinton Morales]

It was kind of like a game of tug of war, you know, trying to pull stuff out of him. Like, I'm trying to help you, why aren't you helping yourself?

[Jen Miller]

Which feels more confounding to Clinton. Every time he sees Ahn, he just

[Clinton Morales]

looked like a scared kid.

[Jen Miller]

It's difficult for Clinton to see the vulnerable looking kid in front of him as capable of murder. But there's not much Clinton can work on until Ahn opens up. Every time he asks about the night

[Ahn]

in question, Ahn tells him, like, oh no, somebody else. Like somebody else had a knife.

[Jen Miller]

Omitting that somebody was Trung, you know

[Clinton Morales]

that I don't know if I did it or not. I couldn't tell whether he was just trying to protect his brother or if he truly didn't remember. It drove me crazy.

[Jen Miller]

So Clinton just forges ahead on his own, hoping that Ahn will come around. He combs through the case, searching for anything that could reveal what actually happened at the party.

[Clinton Morales]

My investigator interviewed everyone that the police talked to. I think there was probably, I want to say 20, 25 people, hours and hours of interviews. There was like a big chart to where each person you know, do they know Trung? Do they know Ahn? If they do, could they tell them apart? How much did they have to drink? Were there any drugs? It was kind of a mess because this was a teenager party.

[Jen Miller]

He also wants to understand the fight. Who started it? Was it self defense? Maybe this shouldn't have been a murder charge to begin with.

[Clinton Morales]

I reread everything on a weekly basis. Even if there wasn't new material, you're making sure that you've got everything.

[Jen Miller]

And through these interviews and his many reads, he becomes increasingly certain that Ahn is innocent. Especially the more he looks at the brothers, now former girlfriends.

[Clinton Morales]

This is the part that drove me crazy. The brothers girlfriends both knew what happened.

[Jen Miller]

Both women were there, both witnessed the fight. They also both had reason to protect the brothers. But maybe now, since nearly two years had passed and the relationships had ended, the women might be willing to reveal what they know. Clinton tracks them down and convinces them to come in. It takes a few visits before one of the girlfriends finally opens up.

[Clinton Morales]

It was the third interview that confirmed what I had thought.

[Jen Miller]

That Trung was holding Ahn's knife when he ran into the fray. The fact that Trung has upgraded to a homicide attorney tells Clinton and by extension Ahn, that Trung is at least thinking of coming forward. But that's about all an and Clinton know. Barney is keeping everything close to the vest. And even though the lawyers are talking, the communication is frustratingly slow. Barney and Trung are dragging their feet and Clinton is losing his patience. Every week and month that Barney takes is one more that Ahn spends in jail.

[Clinton Morales]

I think I harassed his attorney dozens and dozens of times.

[Jen Miller]

Still, Clinton believes he now has enough evidence to convince the deputy DA that his client is innocent. The problem is that Ahn doesn't want to do that.

[Clinton Morales]

You know, you really want to go down for something that your brother clearly did. My feeling was if Trung really cared about you the way you cared about him, he would have stepped up already.

[Jen Miller]

So Clinton decides it's time for an ultimatum. Either Trung comes forward or Ahn will.

[Trung]

I looked at my friends. I looked at my family. I nodded.

[Ahn]

It was like a very, very bittersweet moment.

[Jen Miller]

That's next time on Blood. Audible subscribers can listen to over 200 podcasts ad free, including hit shows like Dr. Death, Business wars, and Over My Dead Body. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Blood Will Tell is a production of Wondery and Campside Media. This series is reported, written and hosted by me, Jen Miller for Campside Media. Our senior producers are Lindsey Kilbride and Ashley Ann Krigbom. Our producer is Annie Nguyen. Our story editor is Ashley Ann Krigbaum. Sound design and mix by Ewen Lai Trimuin and Mark McAdam. Fact checking by Tracy Lee. Consulting by Thomas Liu. Translation by Tran Vu For Wondery, Managing producer is Sarah Mathes. Leta Pindia is senior managing producer. Senior development editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Executive producers are Josh Dean, Vanessa Grigoriadis, Adam Hoff and Matt Sher. For Campside Media. Executive producers are Nidri Eaton, Martin, Julia Lowery, Henderson Marshall Louie and Jen Sargent. For Wondery.