← Crime House 24/7
Crime House 24/7
“My Dad Tried to Kill Me”: Stepfather Goes on Trial in Death of 11-Year-Old | Crime House 24/7
00:27:43
Loading summary
Transcript5 lines
- [00:02]
A
Hi, it's Vanessa. If you're drawn to true crime stories about disappearances, there's a new Crime House original you should check out. It's called the Final Hours, hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Sarah's an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose own sister disappeared in 2001. And Courtney is a true crime storyteller who's seen firsthand how crime can change a family forever. Together, they bring lived experience to every case, examining the moments just before a person disappears, the routines, the timelines, the small details that often get overlooked because every disappearance has a moment where everything still feels normal until it doesn't. Listen to and follow the final hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday. Foreign. This is Crime House. Good morning everyone. We have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need to know about and we're starting with the biggest one. A California man is now on trial for allegedly stabbing his wife and killing his 11 year old stepdaughter who prosecutors say used her final moments to tell from first responders quote my dad tried to kill me. This is crime house 24 7, your non stop source for the biggest crime cases developing right now. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a lineup for you today. Here's what you need to know. On March 5, a murder trial began in Orange County Superior Court for 81 year old Tan Tien Tran, who is charged with murder and attempted murder in the stabbing death of his pre teen stepdaughter and the attempted killing of his wife inside the family's Garden Grove, California home. The attack happened on August 29, 2018, more than seven years ago and the details laid out by prosecutors in their opening statement are devastating. The victim, 11 year old anyhen Nguyen Duong, died after being stabbed while trying to save her mother from the attack. As she lay on the front lawn waiting for paramedics, she told officers and first responders her last words, quote My dad tried to kill me. End quote. The knife had gone three and a half inches into her body, striking the left side of her abdomen. Deputy District Attorney Devin Campbell told the jury that an literally gave her life trying to save her mother's and that she died because she tried and succeeded in saving her mom. Tron met his wife San Nguyen while traveling in Vietnam despite a nearly 40 year age differ, was 69 and she was in her early 30s at the time. They began dating around 2014 and married in 2016, Tron brought Nuen and her three children to Orange County. An, who was 11 at the time of the attack, and her two younger brothers, then ages 3 and 6. Tron used his retirement benefits and watched the children while Nguan worked to bring in extra income. But according to prosecutors, Tron came to believe his wife was cheating on him. Campbell told jurors there appeared to be flirty, romantic texts another man on Nguyen's phone, and that Tron's suspicions may have been warranted. His anger, the prosecutor said, had been percolating and boiling up over time for weeks. A trial briefly filed by the prosecution stated that Tron had been mulling the idea of killing Nguyen. The night before the attack, Nguyen told Tron that while she did not plan to divorce him, she was looking for another place to live with the three children. That was the tipping point. The next morning, Aug. 29, as Nguyen was getting ready for work, Tron shot her in the arm with a BB gun, forced her into a closet and began stabbing her repeatedly with a knife. Her screams woke his stepdaughter, an, who came into the bedroom. Tron initially shut the closet door, blocking the girl from reaching her mother. Then, according to the prosecution, he grabbed an, threw her to the ground and straddled her body. As he continued stabbing at her mother through the closet door, the knife struck on in the abdomen. Nguyen was eventually able to escape from the closet and from the home, running outside in blood splattered clothing. Her screams drew immediate attention from neighbors in what had been a quiet residential street. Police responded and were able to get the injured girl and her two younger brothers, who were apparently unharmed, out of the house. Tron remained inside and got into a standoff with officers. He made several attempts to take his own life by cutting his wrist, his neck and poking a blade into his stomach, but all of the wounds were superficial. He was eventually taken into custody. An was found on the front lawn, where paramedics tried to save her. She did not survive. The prosecution also revealed that after Nguyen was released from the hospital in September 2018, she returned home and found a journal her daughter had been keeping. According to a trial brief, the journal contained allegations that Tron had been molesting on. The prosecution also noted that Tron's phone contained search history for explicit material involving underage girls. Tron is charged with murder and attempted murder, with sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury and attempted premeditated murder. He listened to the March 5 proceedings through Vietnamese language interpreters and appeared overcome with emotion by the end of opening statements, prompting Judge Lewis Clapp to call a temporary recession. His defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Eugene sun, told jurors the evidence would lead them to a different conclusion than what the prosecution alleged, but did not elaborate. And while that trial gets underway in California, a judge in Wisconsin showed no mercy this week when sentencing a teenager who killed both of his parents to fund a terrorist plot that never came close to succeeding. On Thursday, March 5, a Waukesha county judge sentenced 18 year old Nikita Kassap to two life sentences with no chance of parole for the murders of his mother, Tatiana Cassip, and his stepfather, Donald Meyer Jr. Inside the family's home in the village of Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year. Kassip had pleaded guilty in January to two counts of first degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors dropped seven additional charges as part of the plea deal, including two counts of hiding a corpse and theft. Under Wisconsin law, first degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence. The only question before Judge Ralph Ramirez on Thursday was whether Cassip would ever be eligible for what Wisconsin calls extended supervision, the state's equivalent of parole. The defense had asked for eligibility after 20 years, and judge Ramirez said no. He called Kass crimes horrific and inexplicable, telling him he did not have a crystal ball that would tell him when or if a profound or significant change could happen. Here's the timeline of what happened leading up to this point, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators believe Cassip shot his stepfather once in the back of the head while Meyer was working at his desk in his den and shot his mother three times as she entered the home on or around February 11, 2025. He then lived with the decomposing bodies for approximately two weeks. On February 28, Waukesha County Sheriff's deputies conduct a welfare check requested by family members discovered the bodies. By that point, Kassip had already fled across the country in Meyer's SUV, taking $14,000 in cash, jewelry, passports, his stepfather's gun and the family dog, according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested Feb. 28 during a traffic stop in Kansas when officers spotted the gun in plain view on the passenger side floor. But the murders were not the end of the story. Federal authorities accused Kassap of planning the killings to fund a far larger plot, the assassination of the president. According to a federal search warrant, Kassip had written a three page manifesto calling for the president's assassination with the goal of starting a political revolution. He'd been communicating online with others, including a Russian speaking individual about plans to flee to Ukraine. Afterward, he sent more than $8,700 in Bitcoin purchase, a fake license plate, a drone and explosives he planned to use in the attack. A classmate of Cassip's told police that Cassip had told him he was planning to kill his parents and was in contact with someone in Russia about overthrowing the government and assassinating the president. But prosecutors say the people Cassip had been communicating with never intended to supply him with anything and only saw him as an easy mark. After an intensive federal investigation, no other arrests were made. At his sentencing, Kassap gave a tearful statement saying he loved his mother and acknowledged that both she and Meyer were kind, loving people who took care of him. He said he became obsessed with hateful thoughts after the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany in December 2024 and told himself bad things had to happen in war. Kassip came to the United States from the Republic of Moldova with his mother when he was in grade school. Prosecutors described him as kid who had it all and now to New York, where a quiet residential street in Astoria became a crime scene this week after a years long feud between neighbors ended in a fatal stabbing.
- [10:20]
B
Do you have $10,000 or more in credit card debt? Maybe you're even barely getting by by making minimum payments. With credit card debt hitting record highs, National Debt Relief offers real debt relief solutions for people struggling to keep up. These options may reduce a large portion of credit card debt for those who qualify. You don't need to declare bankruptcy and you may be able to pay back less than you owe regardless of your credit. National Debt Relief has already reduced the credit card debt for more than 550,000 consumers. So don't wait. If you owe 10, 20 or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, you can now take advantage of this financial debt relief as the cost of living increases. To find out how much you could save, Visit National Debt Relief.com that's National
- [11:04]
A
Debt Relief.com a 75 year old retired math teacher was stabbed to death in the lobby of his Queen's apartment building on March 3rd and his 48 year old neighbor has been charged with murder. The NYPD says officers from the 114th Precinct responded to a 911 call about an assault in progress on 33rd street in Astoria around 1:40pm this is where they found the victim, George Dordunas, with multiple slash wounds to his neck in a first floor hallway steps from his apartment door. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A neighbor who entered the building during the attack called 911. Ray Fasanella, who lives across the hall, said he was asleep at the time and heard a muffled voice calling out for help. Dordunas had lived in the building for approximately 30 years. Fasanella told Gothamist that Dordunas was soft spoken, bookish and non confrontational. He had recently earned his doctorate and spent most of his time at his girlfriend's home or with his cats. Detectives took 48 year old Demetrios Manesses into custody hours later and on March 5th he was arraigned on a criminal complaint charging him with second degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Both men lived on the first floor of the building. Sources familiar with the investigation told multiple outlets that the two men had been involved in a long standing feud, though the specific cause remains unclear. Neighbors described it as one sided with Manassas fixated on Dordunas for years. One neighbor told the New York Post that Manasses was mentally obsessed with the victim and that he would talk about Dordunas constantly while walking in the street. Fasanella recalled that Manassas had referred to Dordunas as a fake Greek. Fasanella said Manassas had damaged Dordunas car the previous summer, but Dordunas chose not to press charges, worried it would escalate the situation. He said Manasses behavior had grown increasingly erratic, adding that his eyes were not clear and he would say things that did not make sense. Fasanella said that lately Manasses scared him. When reached by phone, Manessas mother, Georgia Manessas, told Gothamist tearfully that her son is mentally ill, describing him as paranoid and schizophrenic. She said he'd been receiving medication. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called it a senseless act of violence that has rattled the Astoria community. Manassas faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted and is expected back in court Monday, March 9th. And now to Ohio, where a dog walker's shocking discovery led police to a mother now charged with killing her two young daughters. On March 6, an Ohio mother accused of killing her two young daughters appeared in court for the first time after prosecutors filed murder charges in a case we've been closely following. 28 year old Aliyah Henderson of Cleveland has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of her daughters, 10 year old Amor Wilson and 8 year old Mila Chadman. A judge set henderson's bond at $2 million during her arraignment. The case began unfolding on March 2 when a man walking his dog discovered a partially buried suitcase in a field near Gin Academy and called police. Officers responding to the scene located the suitcase and found the body of a child inside. While searching the surrounding area, investigators uncovered a second shallow grave about 25ft away containing another suitcase with a second child's body. The Cuyahoga county medical Examiner's office later confirmed through DNA testing that the victims were Henderson's daughters. Authorities detained Henderson on March 4 as the investigation intensified. Police have not yet publicly detailed how the girls died or what evidence led to the charges. Investigators also located a third child connected to the household who was found safe at a residence and placed into the custody of Child Protective Services. And in another disturbing case involving children, authorities say a Christian school teacher has been accused of using artificial intelligence to place miners faces onto explicit images. On March 2, during a court appearance in Guilford County, N.C. a judge set bond at $750,000 for a Christian school teacher accused of creating explicit images involving minors. During the hearing, a detective testified that investigators discovered 111 explicit images on the defendant's electronic devices. Authorities alleged the images were created by placing minor faces onto sexually explicit photos using artificial intelligence. The defendant, 56 year old Richard Lynn Upright, is a former teacher at Vandalia Christian School in Greensboro. Upright was arrested on February 27 and charged with 10 counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Investigators say the case began after Google submitted multiple cyber tips to authorities flagging suspicious material that had allegedly been uploaded to Upright's Google Drive account. Following the charges, Vandalia Christian School confirmed Upright was fired from his teaching position. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing and is not yet clear how many potential victims may be involved. Upright is scheduled to return to court on March 31. As the case moves forward,
- [16:59]
B
Blizzard Entertainment presents Midnight, the newest expansion for World of Warcraft. Midnight calls every hero home to Azeroth. All paths lead to this moment. Xal' Atath rises, the void follows, and the Sunwell stands in peril. Raiders, Explorers, storytellers, newcomers and legends alike. This is your world, your story, your moment. Because Azeroth is home. And home is always worth fighting for. Available now@worldofwarcraft.com Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch upfront payment
- [17:51]
A
of 45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com if you're drawn to true crime stories about disappearances, there's a new Crime House show for you to check out. It's the new Crime House original series, the Final Hours, hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose own sister disappeared in 2001, and Courtney is a true crime storyteller and investigator who witnessed firsthand how crime can change a family forever. Together, they bring lived experience to every case, looking not only at what happened, but what led up to it. Each episode examines the moments just before a person disappears, the routines, the timelines and the small details that often get overlooked. Because every disappearance has a moment where everything still feels normal. A text that doesn't raise concern, a routine that goes unchanged. A door that closes just like it always has. Until it doesn't. The final hours puts those moments under a microscope. Because when it comes to justice, there's no such thing as overanalyzing. Listen to and follow the final hours on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen. New episodes every Monday. Before you go, let me tell you what else is happening at Crime House. Today. On the Final Hours, we examine the mysterious death of Chuck Morgan, an Arizona escrow agent who told his family he was in danger. In the days before his death. He claimed that powerful forces were watching him. He spoke in fragmented warnings. He carried a two dollar bill covered in cryptic markings. When he was later found dead in the desert, the official ruling did little to quiet speculation. There's a particular kind of case that unsettles people in a different way. It's not simply about violence. It's about perception. It's about someone insisting they're being followed, monitored or targeted. And then something. Sometimes those fears are rooted in mental distress. Sometimes they intersect with real threats. Sometimes the line between paranoia and danger is impossible to draw cleanly. When a person expresses fear of being watched and their life ends abruptly, the unanswered question lingers. Were they imagining the threat or were they right? Here are five cases where the victim claimed they were being watched or targeted before their deaths. Cases where perception became part of the mystery. Number one Ray Rivera the note behind the computer In May 2006, Baltimore writer Ray Rivera disappeared after receiving a late night phone call. His car was later found parked near a historic hotel. Days afterward, his body was discovered in a Conference room below a hole in the hotel's roof. The official ruling classified the death as a probable suicide. But the circumstances raised persistent questions. The Rivera had reportedly expressed fear prior to his disappearance. According to those close to him, he believed someone might be following him. He had installed a home alarm system and reacted strongly to certain phone calls. After his death, investigators discovered a long, cryptic note taped behind his computer. The document referenced secret societies, films and cryptic language that some interpreted as code. To some observers, the note suggested paranoia or delusional thinking. To others, it implied involvement in something larger. The ambiguity of the writing fueled ongoing speculation. What made the case endure was not simply the unusual scene. It was the combination of expressed fear and unexplained physical evidence. The sense that Rivera believed something was happening to him made the mystery feel intentional rather than accidental. Number two, Karen Silkwood. The whistleblower who said she was in danger. Karen Silkwood worked at a plutonium processing plant in Oklahoma in the 1970s. Raised concerns about safety violations and radioactive contamination. According to colleagues and friends, she believed she was being monitored because of her complaints. In November 1974, Silkwood died in a single car crash. While reportedly on her way to meet a journalist with documents related to her allegations. The official conclusion was that she fell asleep at the wheel. However, questions arose almost immediately. Some of the documents she had allegedly been carrying were never found. Supporters argued that she'd been targeted because of her whistleblowing. There's no definitive proof that Silkwood was murdered. However, the fact that she had voiced concerns about being followed or threatened created a narrative that extended beyond the accident report. Her expressed fear became inseparable from her death. It shaped public interpretation and contributed to decades of speculation about corporate misconduct and institutional retaliation. Number 3 Danny Casalaro the Journalist and the Octopus In August 1991, journalist Danny Casalaro was found dead in a West Virginia hotel bathtub. His death was ruled a suicide. However, Casillaro had been investigating what he described as a sprawling conspiracy involving intelligence agencies, software theft and organized crime. He referred to it as the Octopus. In the months before his death, Casillaro reportedly told friends he believed he was being followed and that his investigation had put him in danger. He expressed concern about the people he was writing about and claimed he was close to exposing something significant. After his death, some of his notes were missing. Those who doubted the suicide ruling pointed to the absence of certain materials as suspicious. Others argued that Casalaro may have been overwhelmed by the complexity of his theories. The case sits at the intersection of investigative journal and possible paranoia the key element that sustains speculation is the record of his own statements. Because he articulated fear before his death, the official explanation has never fully silenced alternate interpretations. Number four Philip Taylor Kramer the musician who feared surveillance Philip Taylor Kramer, a former bassist for the band Iron Butterfly and later a computer Engineer, disappeared in 1995. Prior to his disappearance, he reportedly made statements suggesting he believed he was being monitored or targeted. Months later, his remains were discovered in his vehicle at the bottom of a ravine in California. Authorities ruled the death a suicide. In the period before he vanished, Kramer had spoken about complex theories involving advanced technology and claimed he possessed significant knowledge that others might want to suppress. Friends described his behavior as incre increasingly erratic. The case reflects a pattern seen in several high profile, mysterious deaths. Expressed fears of surveillance or targeting blur the boundary between mental health crisis and external threat. Because Kramer's statement suggested he believed powerful entities were after him, his death became fertile ground for speculation beyond the official findings. Number five Frank Olson the scientist who fell from a window in 1953, Frank Olson, a US army biochemist, fell from a hotel window in New York City. His death was initially ruled a suicide. Olson had been involved in secret government research programs during the Cold War. Shortly before his death, he'd reportedly expressed distress and concern about his work. Decades later, the US Government acknowledged that Olson had been unknowingly dosed with LSD as part of an experiment. Prior to his fall, he the acknowledgment fueled suspicion that his death might not have been voluntary. In 1975, a presidential commission investigated the circumstances, and the Olson family later received a settlement. Although definitive proof of homicide has never been established, the case remains controversial. Olson's own distress and statements about his unease with classified activities complicated the narrative. When the government later admitted to secret experimentation, it validated at least part of the broader mistrust surrounding the case. The ambiguity persists because the line between documented secrecy and speculative conspiracy remains difficult to define. Why Fear becomes part of the evidence When a victim claims they're being watched or targeted, those statements take on new weight after death. If the death appears self inflicted, observers question whether the fear contributed to psychological decline. If the death appears suspicious, those earlier warnings can be interpreted as foreshadowing. Human psychology struggles with ambiguity. A person expressing fear may be experiencing stress, paranoia, or genuine threat. Without conclusive evidence, outsiders often interpret the fear in the direction that best fits the physical evidence or their own assumptions. In cases where the surrounding facts are incomplete, the victim's own words become central. They are replayed, analyzed, debated. The presence of expressed Fear transforms a death from a static event into an open question. Chuck Morgan's final days were marked by claims that he was being watched and that his life was in danger. His death in the Arizona desert, accompanied by cryptic notes and unexplained details, ensured that those statements would not be forgotten. For the full examination of his final hours, including the two dollar bill covered in markings and the unanswered questions that followed, listen to today' episode of the Final Hours. Because sometimes the most unsettling mysteries are not defined by what investigators find. They are defined by what someone said before everything went silent. You've been listening to Crime House 24 7, bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Richardson. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. Stay safe and thank you. Thanks for listening. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Hi, it's Vanessa. If you're drawn to true crime stories about disappearances, check out the new Crime House original the Final Hours, hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Listen to and follow the final hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or Word. Wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday. This episode is brought to you by Nespresso introducing Vertuo up, the latest in a long line of innovation from Nespresso. It's innovation you can touch, sense and taste in every single cup. With a three second start, easy open lever and dedicated brew over ice cream button, it's even easier to enjoy your coffee your way. Sip for yourself. Shop Vertuo up exclusively@nespresso.com.