Ear Hustle Presents: Blood Will Tell

Summary

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Ear Hustle Presents: Blood Will Tell – Episode 1: Shakespeare in San Jose

Date: March 12, 2026
Podcast: Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
Host: Jen Miller (Guest from Blood Will Tell)
Podcast Description: This is a special presentation of “Blood Will Tell,” the true story of identical twins, Trung and Ahn, who are caught up in a life-changing crime and mistaken identity.

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Episode Overview

This gripping first episode of Blood Will Tell explores the fallout after a deadly confrontation at a birthday party in suburban San Jose, involving Vietnamese American twin brothers, Trung and Ahn. The story follows the immediate aftermath: confusion, guilt, loyalty, silence, and the consequences of mistaken identity. The narrative is framed by Shakespearean themes of sibling bonds, sacrifice, and fate, as both the police and the brothers struggle to disentangle the truth.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Shakespearean Framing and Twin Dynamics

• Jen Miller, a reporter, introduces the twins through a lens of Shakespeare—highlighting sibling bonds, jealousy, and mistaken identity.
• Trung is engaged in a therapy-centric Shakespeare acting group, using drama to confront his past and trauma.
• Shakespeare himself had twins (Judith and Hamnet), inspiring themes of twinship and mistaken identity in his plays—mirroring the central story of Ahn and Trung.

Quote:

"Shakespeare was fascinated by siblings. There’s Ophelia and Laertes, Edmund and Edgar, Sebastian and Viola... He tests the limits of their love for one another. And he pushes them apart, sometimes violently."
— Narrator, 03:20

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2. The Night of the Crime

[07:00–18:30]

• Trung and Ahn reluctantly attend a black-and-white themed birthday party together, reviving their childhood tradition of dressing alike.
• The party is “bougie,” filled with college-age Vietnamese Americans. Tensions rise when a drunken guest becomes violent.
• Monica, Trung’s girlfriend, is assaulted by the intoxicated guest. Ahn, more intoxicated, becomes heated. Fearing for his brother, Trung takes Ahn’s knife for safekeeping.
• A physical altercation ensues outside. Trung sees Ahn on the ground and intervenes, making a split-second decision to brandish the knife—intended only to wound, but it results in a fatal stabbing.

Quote:

"In that moment, I pulled out the knife...I was like, oh shit, there’s just so much blood."
— Trung (spoken by Jen Miller), 13:15

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3. Aftermath and Cover-Up

[14:30–21:00]

• In shock and fearful, the twins quickly try to cover their tracks – washing bloodstained clothes, cleaning the car, and ultimately disposing of the knife deep in the woods.
• Both are consumed by dread and disbelief as news reports reveal that the stabbed man has died.

Quote:

"It took me about 30 seconds. I just knew that things would never be the same again."
— Trung, 18:46

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4. Family, Guilt, and the Question of Fleeing

[21:30–25:56]

• The twins contemplate fleeing to Vietnam but cannot bring themselves to abandon their parents, who rely on them as translators and caretakers.
• They decide to stay and prepare to deal with the consequences, determined to protect one another in their statements to police.

Quote:

"When you choose to run away, you throw away your whole life."
— Trung, 23:16

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5. Police Investigation & Eyewitness Confusion

[27:10–41:00]

• Police piece together a confusing scene from conflicting and intoxicated witness statements. Most only recall “one of the twins” with the knife.

• The police arrest both twins during a nighttime raid. During separate interrogations, both request lawyers and stick to their plan of silence.
• Police place the brothers together, hoping they’ll incriminate one another, but instead they comfort each other.

Memorable Exchange:

"I was trying very hard to be the comforter, trying to be the caretaker. I saw a lot of vulnerability in him, and I just wanted all that to be gone."
— Trung to Ahn, 34:58

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6. Shocking Lineup and Mistaken Identity

[37:00–42:20]

• An eyewitness, initially resistant, is pressured into making an identification from a police lineup of Asian men in red jail uniforms.
• The witness first identifies Trung, but then, upon seeing Ahn’s mole, recants and accuses Ahn instead (citing the “beauty mark”).
• Despite the confusion, police switch the murder charge from Trung to Ahn, who proclaims his innocence but refuses to incriminate his brother.

Memorable Exchange (Lineup):

"Wow, that’s funny. I picked the wrong one."
— Eyewitness, 39:10
"I seen his f***ing beauty mark...he stabbed someone."
— Eyewitness, 40:12

Quote:

"So just tell him straight up, like, you guys got the wrong person."
— Ahn to police, 42:02

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7. Release, Guilt, and Lingering Questions

[42:47–44:00]

• Trung is unexpectedly released, now only facing an accessory charge, while Ahn awaits trial for murder he didn’t commit.
• Trung is overcome by guilt and conflicting emotions—relieved to be free, but devastated that his brother is incarcerated in his place.

Quote:

"That’s when I dropped down to my knees. I was wailing...my brother’s still in there. And I’m in here like, how did this happen? I just felt so guilty, and I felt so cowardly as well, because I was very glad to be free, and it was at the cost of my brother’s freedom."
— Trung, 43:24-43:51

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8. Reflections and Themes

• The story circles back to big existential questions: What shapes us—our choices, or our bonds? How much do we owe the people closest to us?
• The episode sets up a season-long exploration of twin identity, sacrifice, and the fallibility of justice.

Quote:

"How much of who we are is truly our own and how much is determined by those closest to us?"
— Jen Miller (narrator), 45:53

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the decision to attend the party:
  "We deserve this. Let’s just go and have fun." — Trung, 07:39

• On the stabbing:
  "I was like, oh, shit, there’s just so much blood." — Trung, 13:35

• On the police lineup:
  "We're done." (Eyewitness picks Trung) — 38:48
  "Wow, that’s funny. I picked the wrong one." (Eyewitness realizes mistake upon seeing Ahn) — 39:10
  "I seen his f**ing beauty mark...he stabbed someone."* — 40:12

• On guilt and release:
  "My brother’s still in there, and I’m in here...I felt so guilty, and I felt so cowardly..." — Trung, 43:24-43:51

• Central question:
  "How much of who we are is truly our own and how much is determined by those closest to us?" — Jen Miller, 45:53

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Key Episode Segments & Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Event | |----------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–03:00 | Introduction, Shakespeare setup, meeting Trung | | 07:00–13:41 | Party, fight escalation, stabbing incident | | 14:45–16:32 | Aftermath, cleanup, disposal of evidence | | 18:35–22:03 | Next morning, realization of death, siblings shaken | | 23:04–25:56 | Considering escape, deciding to stay and face consequences | | 27:10–29:15 | Police narrative, interviews, confusion about twins | | 30:09–34:58 | Arrest, interrogation, brothers comfort one another | | 37:00–41:02 | Lineup, mistaken identification, charge switches | | 42:47–43:51 | Trung released, emotional fallout | | 44:00–End | Shakespeare reflections, set-up for season arc |

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Conclusion

This arresting episode is a vivid, immersive narrative that dramatizes the devastating ripple effect of a single night’s decisions, complicated by the deep bonds and confusion of twinhood. It paints a picture not just of the criminal justice system’s imperfections, but of the profound, sometimes tragic, ties between siblings—what we do for love, for loyalty, and the consequences of silence.
For more episodes of Blood Will Tell, listeners are directed to Audible and other platforms.

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Transcript

[Jen Miller]

Hey listeners, we're sharing something a little different in our feed. It's an episode of a new podcast called Blood Will Tell. In Blood Will Tell, two identical twin brothers are put in a lineup for a crime that only one of them committed. The outcome changes their lives forever when

[Narrator/Interviewer]

a birthday party in suburban San Jose turns deadly. Two 18 year olds are arrested for suspicion of murder.

[Jen Miller]

One brother spends nearly two years in

[Narrator/Interviewer]

jail before the truth comes out. Authorities locked up the wrong twin.

[Jen Miller]

How could one brother let his twin take the fall? And why would the other sacrifice his freedom for a crime he didn't commit? Blood Will Tell is a modern day saga following Vietnamese American brothers whose unbreakable bond is tested by silence, sacrifice and an unthinkable choice.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We hope you enjoy the first episode of Blood Will Tell.

[Jen Miller]

Listen to more episodes of Blood Will Tell on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Campside media. In front of me there's a group of acting students. The youngest ones are in their 20s. The oldest is over 70, and they're intently focused on their teacher. She's a woman with wiry salt and pepper hair and she's leading them through an exercise. She calls out two conflicting emotions. Let's start with love and fear. So let your movements express love and fear combined. Suddenly, these actors are circling the room, silently pantomiming feelings of love and fear. They're warming up to rehearse the final act of Athel, a play about jealousy and deception. I'm here in California on assignment for the Washington Post. I'm reporting a piece about Shakespeare as therapy, how these stories about our deepest humanity can help people heal from their trauma. Because Shakespeare's plays, at a core level, they're about what human beings do to each other, what we're capable of at our best and our worst. I start talking to one of the actors. I'm Jen. What were your name again? Jen. Jen.

[Jen Miller]

Yeah, Trung.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung. Truong is friendly and soft spoken. Literally. I have to lean in close in order to hear him. He's mid-20s, clean shaven, with impeccably pomaded hair. He tells me he's a substance abuse counselor. And that tracks. The way he looks at me, I can tell he's really listening. And when I ask him, Trung says there's a lot of reasons he wanted to join this Shakespeare group.

[Jen Miller]

I had a lot of opportunities to showcase myself and actually I did break dancing too.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He loves to perform and he likes these plays. How their universal themes of sacrifice, loss and love have helped him access his emotions to see himself more clearly. He says these plays have allowed him to confront the pain he's caused. I ask him what he means by that, and to my surprise, he doesn't hesitate. He launches into a story that I cannot believe is real. A story that feels like Shakespeare himself could have written it. A story that starts with Trang's identical twin brother. Shakespeare was fascinated by siblings. There's Ophelia and Laertes, Edmund and Edgar, Sebastian and Viola. In both his comedies and his tragedies, he makes them compete for the attention and approval of their parents. He tests the limits of their love for one another. And he pushes them apart, sometimes violently. Shakespeare himself was the father of twins Judith and Hamnet. And when Hamnet died at the age of 11, Shakespeare began to process this very particular grief. In his plays. He writes Twelfth Night, about twins separated in a shipwreck. The action of the play is built around mistaken identities, but it's really about the unique bond these siblings share and what happens when that tie is broken. Trung knows all about this, and it's a tale he's now pouring out to me. Six years earlier, Trung tells me his twin Ahn got into a fight at a birthday party. By the time it was over, the twins had embarked on a journey that would forever change both of them. Not just who they were as individuals, but who they were to each other. So where is your brother right now? As Trung and I talk, his fellow thespians are rehearsing right there beside us. And I hear Othello mourn. You must speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well. I can see how Trung and Ahn are guilty of having loved each other too well, if not always wisely. Twins bonded through DNA and also hardship. Brothers who were best friends, who trusted each other completely, who would have followed each other anywhere, even if it meant losing absolutely everything. From wondery and campside media, I'm jen miller and this is blood will tell. This is episode one Shakespeare in San Jose. It's a Saturday evening in January when 18 year old trung knocks on the door of his brother's bedroom. They live in the same home, but they haven't seen each other much lately. Trung's been swamped juggling a sales job at T. Mobile, a full course load at college and finishing his Eagle Scout certification. And Trung is missing his best friend. But there's a party tonight.

[Jen Miller]

We were adulting pretty much for the first time like that. So these parties like it felt like a drag. But at the same time, like, oh, let's just go have fun. It sounds like a good way to relax.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Ahn looks up from his bed, which is littered with textbooks.

[Jen Miller]

I didn't want to go. I had homework.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung is surprised. He's the one typically concerned about how today's choice will impact tomorrow's outcome. That's how. He's two semesters ahead in college. But more recently, Ahn has felt the pressure to keep up with Trung. Ahn begs, let me study. Trung's not having any of it.

[Jen Miller]

You know what? We deserve this. Let's just go and have fun.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Maybe this party will be a good way to blow off steam for both of them. So on relents.

[Jen Miller]

All right, let's do it. It's hyped up. Pick our outfits.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The party is a 21st birthday thrown by a friend of Trunk's girlfriend. There's a black and white theme. The twins pull on their True religion jeans and long sleeve black shirts. When they were little kids, their parents often dressed them the same. So this it's like a fun throwback. And tonight it makes it almost impossible to tell them apart. They're both five nine, around 160 pounds. They have a few physical differences though. Trung's face is clean shaven and more narrow and Ahn has a sparse mustache and the shadow of a mole over his lip. These minor physical differences are going to be crucial for what's to come for the both of them. After a final fit check in the mirror, they're ready to head out. Trung drives his brother and their girlfriends, we're calling them Monica and Carly, to a well appointed split level home in the foothills of San Jose, California. It's a short trip and a world away from the affordable housing complex where the twins grew up. They walk past a rock garden and flower beds. Following the thump of music. Trung enters the party and takes a quick scan. He's impressed.

[Jen Miller]

It was like pretty bougie and had a DJ and everything.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He goes to pour himself a drink.

[Jen Miller]

They opened like a cooler and I saw shot glasses made out of ice.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung makes his way through the house. The guests are mostly Vietnamese like him. Some of them are college kids, but he doesn't recognize them. They're at four year schools, not community college like him and Ahn. Trung is relieved. In recent months he has been trying and largely failing to avoid situations and people he knows are trouble.

[Jen Miller]

When we would go out with specific individuals, shit would always pop off right. I would always feel the need to jump in and participate.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

But the vibes here are good. The booze is flowing, pot brownies are being passed around, and the music is popular. Pumping.

[Jen Miller]

It was turned down. For what? By Little John. Like that song just came out.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung and an make a beeline to the beer pong table, where they proceed to completely bite it.

[Jen Miller]

We played horribly, cuz didn't we sat under. Yeah, we had to sit on the table, man. We trolled like we didn't make any shots. It was embarrassing.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung is so happy to have his brother here. It's been so long since they've simply hung out like this as brothers. Around them, everyone is getting drunk or high or both. Trung is fully in the moment. He's making the rounds, a beer in his hand. For a while, he loses track of his girlfriend Monica. That is, until she heads toward him, clearly upset. She says a guy at the party was so drunk he fell down. But when she and some other women tried to help him up, he hit them. Trung is furious and starts to feel angry with himself.

[Jen Miller]

I wanted to do something to confront him for Pancho. Monica, I'm going to show you, right?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

But before Trung can act, he notices that Ahn is even more heated up over the whole thing.

[Jen Miller]

And I actually went over to my brother. He was super drunk.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Ahn usually has no problem jumping into a fight, and he's had plenty of liquid courage.

[Jen Miller]

I grabbed a knife from his pocket.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung slips Ahn's knife into his own pocket. He doesn't want his brother to do something stupid and dangerous.

[Jen Miller]

I was like, oh, you know what? You know what? Like, calm down. Let's just go.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Other people are getting increasingly upset over the guy who is rumored to be hitting girls too. The hosts decide it's time to wrap this up. Everybody out. But not everybody's complying.

[Jen Miller]

There was at least like 10 guys standing outside waiting for that guy that was beating up girls to come out.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

One of those 10 guys is AHN, and he starts arguing with another guest about the rumors. The argument quickly turns physical. Trung runs over, tries to pull his brother back, but Ahn breaks free. Then suddenly, Ahn is on the ground wrestling with the guy. A bunch more people rush in. At this point, it's unclear how much danger Ahn is really in.

[Jen Miller]

But in Trung's mind, he was vulnerable. He was on the ground. So like, I had to be the protector.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Now that's usually Ahn's role, but not this time. Trung runs toward the fight, telling people

[Jen Miller]

to get out of the way. Get out of the way.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

And as he approaches, he makes a devastating decision.

[Jen Miller]

In that moment, I pulled out the knife.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He considers wounding the guy who's fighting on maybe somewhere on one of his legs. An action that would immediately stop the fight without causing too much harm. But then suddenly

[Jen Miller]

I was like, oh, shit, there's just so much blood.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

You know, when you speed up a video, watch it at 3x speed. What happens next is kind of like that. A wild, disorienting blur. Ahn extracts himself from the pile of people, tussling. Trung calls for him and the girlfriends to get going. As they rush away, someone at the party calls 911. Others are crying. Everyone is in shock. The twins and their girlfriends are silent as Trung drives them back to Monica's house, where the brothers are currently living. Ahn is pretty much passed out in the backseat and covered in blood, though he doesn't seem to be injured, just a few scratches. Trung doesn't have any serious injuries either, but his mind is spinning. What the fuck did I just do? Trung pulls his Honda Civic into the garage. Everyone climbs out of the car, except for Ahn. He can barely stand, so the others help him.

[Jen Miller]

He was pretty faded, but me, I was. I was wide awake.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Wide awake. With red stains down his shirt and jeans.

[Jen Miller]

There's just so much blood on me,

[Narrator/Interviewer]

on both of them. Trung tells the others, I'll take care of this.

[Jen Miller]

I need to collect everyone's clothes to put in the washer.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He starts the load and returns to the garage. He's telling himself, you're the responsible one.

[Jen Miller]

I need to protect myself and all the people who are involved by getting rid of all the evidence.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The back seat is covered in blood where his brother was passed out. But first, Trung has a more pressing problem. The switchblade, also stained red. He takes it to the sink.

[Jen Miller]

Just put a lot of soap on there and just really clean the knife as hot as I can handle the water. I can't have this around me. This is hard evidence and I need to get rid of it right away. And I made a decision to drive.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung borrows his friend's car, already parked at the house. He slips the knife into a secret compartment inside the glove box. Then he heads back out into the night.

[Jen Miller]

Had a little bit of the window open and it was cool and there was nobody around.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He drives in silence, trying not to think about the party, the fight, the stabbing.

[Jen Miller]

Once I got into the woods, it was like really dark.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He's driving Toward an area in the foothills where the twins and their friends used to goof around in high school. They go there, drink 40s, and scare themselves shitless over ghost stories. But Trung is no longer a high school kid messing around in these woods. Now he's the main character in a horror story of his own making. He turns from the main road to a smaller one. He pulls over. He shuts the car door as softly as he can.

[Jen Miller]

But it was still so loud because there was really no sound.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung enters the silent thicket of trees and starts to walk. The underbrush loud as firecrackers beneath his feet.

[Jen Miller]

I really didn't know what I was doing. I was just thinking like, oh, this is what people do when they're watching all those movies, right?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

A quarter mile into the woods, Trung stops. He looks around. There's nothing. Just black.

[Jen Miller]

And I pulled the knife out.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

His brother's knife. Black handle, black blade.

[Jen Miller]

I gripped it, felt the coldness from the knife, the edge of the blade, you know, try to be careful. And I was like, I'm gonna throw it as far as I can.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung holds his breath, lifts the knife over his shoulder.

[Jen Miller]

It was just like throwing a football. And there's nobody around. So no one would ever see it. No one would even know. That's what I hoped.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The next morning, Trung wakes up in his and Monica's sky blue bedroom.

[Jen Miller]

The blinds were really bright. The sun was shining in.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

For a moment it's calm. Like last night never happened. But just for a moment, it took

[Jen Miller]

me about 30 seconds. I just knew that things would never be the same again.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He doesn't know what else to do other than try to act like everything is normal. Maybe if he just keeps putting one foot in front of the other. Last night will soon be nothing more than a bad dream. A night where nobody was seriously hurt. He climbs out of bed and walks past the nightstand and the bureau cluttered with makeup and accessories. He gets ready for work in the living room so he won't disturb Monica.

[Jen Miller]

I put on my black T Mobile shirt, put on some slacks, pair of dress shoes.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Chung looks at his Honda. He tried to clean the backseat after returning last night, but the stains linger. So he takes Monica's car and clocks into his sales job at T Mobile. Back at the house, his brother Ahn wakes up with a head crushing hangover.

[Jen Miller]

Look over my shoulder and. And Carly.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

She was there, there, but truly and exceptionally furious.

[Jen Miller]

She was just so upset. Just that look like of disgust. And I'm like, wait what's wrong? And then she said, do you know what happened last night? And I was like, no, wait, wait. What happened?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

What happened, she announces, is that Ahn got into a fight at last night's beautiful birthday party. Ahn racks his brain.

[Jen Miller]

I don't remember fighting. I do remember just going to the party and, you know, having a good time.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

And then Karlie tells him Trung stabbed the guy you were fighting.

[Jen Miller]

I was like, oh.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Whether it's the shock or the immensity of his hangover, Ahn is not processing this news. All he can do is shove it away and try and have a normal Sunday with his girlfriend. First step Food. They're teenagers. They're hungry.

[Jen Miller]

We went for lunch at this Asian fusion place where we always like to go. I got a text from my friend. He just sent me a link of the Mercury News, and they talked about the party. That person died. That's when all the emotions. That's when reality hit. And I was like, we gotta go.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung is working when Monica calls him.

[Jen Miller]

She says that the guy went to the hospital and he died at the hospital. It was like. Like my sense of hearing. I hear, like, certain echoes, but just like my whole body, the energy changed.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He tells his boss there's a family emergency and rushes out of the store and jumps into his car.

[Jen Miller]

That was when all the emotions hit me.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Disbelief that a man is dead, regret for making such a catastrophic decision, and panic.

[Jen Miller]

My life would change forever now. I would never be in school again. Started working at a really good place for my age, and all of that is over.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

When he gets home, an is there waiting.

[Jen Miller]

Right when we seen each other, we kind of fell to the ground and just kind of balled out, cried.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The brothers hold tightly to each other. They're terrified. It's only a matter of time before the police arrive and start asking questions to piece together which twin is guilty of what. Because Trung might be guilty of homicide, but Ahn was the one fighting in the first place. They need to make a plan. And there are only two options. Stay and face the authorities or flee.

[Jen Miller]

Okay, so do I go on the run? Do I book some kind of ticket to go to Vietnam? Try to hide out there?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The twins haven't been back to their native Vietnam since they immigrated here as fourth graders. Also, could they really run away? If they go, that's it. There's no coming back.

[Jen Miller]

When you choose to run away, you throw away your whole life.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

More importantly, running doesn't just mean leaving their own lives behind. It means abandoning Their parents. They think about how hard their parents worked to get here in the first place and how hard they've worked since trying to provide for them while making minimum wage, the Taekwondo lessons, the Boy Scout gear. They think about how much their parents rely on them for help translating mail, navigating doctor's appointments, and keeping track of benefits. Ahn shakes his head.

[Jen Miller]

We look at each other like there's no way that we're gonna leave our.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

If they're not going to run. They decide they still need some sort of plan.

[Jen Miller]

Knowing that fuck like it's over, but also giving yourself the best chance possible.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung means the best chance of avoiding prison, so he makes a list.

[Jen Miller]

First thing we had to do was to get our story straight.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

They decide the best course of action with the police is to say nothing. If questioned about their role in the fight, say they don't know anything and request a lawyer. And no matter what, don't say anything that might incriminate the other. Next on Trung's list, collect any scrap of evidence that connects them to the stabbing. He and Ahn gathered their clothes from the party, along with Trung's college textbooks, which were in the backseat of his and are now covered in blood. Then he and Ahn take everything into the backyard and light up the grill. The clothes ignite quickly, but the textbooks are thick and they are not catching.

[Jen Miller]

I burned just the COVID and some pages, but most of it was still intact and so I panicked.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung searches for a spot to hide the books and finally throws them up on the roof, hoping the police won't think to look. They hunker down for the night, playing through different scenarios. Will the police show up at their work? At the house? How should they act? And then, when there's nothing left to talk about, they go into their separate rooms. Trung with Monica and Anh with Karlie. For a long time, Trung can't sleep. He hugs Monica as she falls asleep, and then he stares at the ceiling,

[Jen Miller]

thinking about my girlfriend, thinking about my parents.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung thinks about his current life, which has its fair share of stress and tumult, but is also one he does not want to lose. He and Ahn have found a home at Monica's. Sure, it's got a patchy front yard nobody has time to care for, and a patio scattered with cigarette butts. But out back is this orange tree with fruit so blindingly bright it seems to glow, and within is a congregation of family and friends, significant others constantly passing through. It's a loving if Chaotic place. One that Trung cannot imagine leaving. Trung eventually drifts off, and the ranch house, with its orange tree and unkempt yard and gaggle of chosen family, is quiet. Until it isn't. From the moment the twins left the birthday party, the police have been busy assembling their own narrative of the killing. A narrative supplemented by interviews with dozens of eyewitnesses.

[Jen Miller]

So why don't you just go and tell me what you know about what happened on late Saturday night, early Sunday morning. Okay.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Slowly, a picture has begun to emerge of a pretty ordinary house party. A birthday party, a party where the birthday girl's parents were there the whole time. And a party that had unexpectedly exploded into violence.

[Jen Miller]

I just hear someone inside the house yell out, like, someone got stabbed. And I was.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I freaked out. It's completely dark. Like, I don't remember seeing anything, but

[Jen Miller]

I guess someone stabbed him. But I wasn't looking.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I didn't see who stabbed him.

[Jen Miller]

Well, I didn't see, like, him, like Drake stabbed it. I saw him swaying with the knife.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Detectives are dealing with a group of guests in their teens and early twenties. Most were intoxicated. Nobody had a clear idea about what happened. Still, witnesses do keep referring to two people in particular.

[Jen Miller]

I didn't see who attacked who or anything like that.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

It was, yeah, one guy.

[Jen Miller]

He seemed like a twin of one of the brothers.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Everyone's been saying that they saw the

[Jen Miller]

twins with a knife. I heard people talking about. They mentioned, oh, it's one of the twins. Twins. And I said to some guy named Tron. Trong. I believe it's Trong. So did anybody say who stabbed him? No, but everyone's just saying that it's

[Narrator/Interviewer]

one of the twins because he was the one. One of the twins? Yeah, the twins is. His name's like, on.

[Jen Miller]

We tell them apart just by looking at them.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

They're identical. They even have the same hair.

[Jen Miller]

I hear girls saying, on, get off of him.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Detectives emerge from the interviews certain of one thing. One of these brothers was responsible for the stabbing. Now all they have to do is figure out which one. Back at Monica's house, it's just past midnight. Trung is jolted awake.

[Jen Miller]

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Right after that, I just heard loud bang.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The family dogs are barking and they're shouting. Trung jumps out of bed, then turns to Monica.

[Jen Miller]

I said they were here, and I just hugged her and kissed her. I opened the door and I turned around, put my hands on the back of my head. And the whole time I just was looking at Monica.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Trung is handcuffed and walked outside as police make their way to An's room.

[Jen Miller]

I just woke up with, like, I don't know, four or five guns pointing at me. I was like, oh, sh.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He's handcuffed, too.

[Jen Miller]

Dragged my ass out to the front door.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The police take the brothers downtown. A detective walks Ahn into a sterile interrogation room, removes his handcuffs, and directs him to sit. The available chair is crammed between the wall and a table that's too big for the space. Ahn is literally trapped.

[Jen Miller]

And then that's where the interrogation started. Who had the knife out there? I have no idea at all. This shit, dude.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Why.

[Jen Miller]

Why would. Why would clothes get burned out at your house? What are you talking about?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Ahn sticks to the plan he made with Trung. Say nothing, but he is starting to spiral.

[Jen Miller]

I'm just, like, sitting there feeling like life is over.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The detectives tell Ahn they know he's lying.

[Jen Miller]

Sometimes the truth hurts. We understand that.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Okay?

[Jen Miller]

You understand what I'm saying? I know you don't want to get certain people in trouble.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Ahn knows they mean his brother. They're trying to get him to incriminate Trung, but he sticks to the script.

[Jen Miller]

What are you talking about?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The detectives stand up from the table, hand Ahn some water, and tell him they'll get him food. All right?

[Jen Miller]

We'll be back the same time, okay? And we'll be back. What's gonna happen now?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We'll come back and talk to you about it, okay?

[Jen Miller]

Can you just tell me now? No, I can't tell you right now because we're not done with anything yet, okay?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

They can't tell him because they're questioning Trung in another room down the hall. Trung gives the minimum, where he works and the kind of car he drives. And then they ask about the party.

[Jen Miller]

What'd you do yesterday? You want to talk to a lawyer?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Yes. Trung definitely wants a lawyer.

[Jen Miller]

Anything I say will be used against me. So you're saying that you don't want to talk to us until you have a lawyer here? Yeah. Okay.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

All right. Okay.

[Jen Miller]

So just so you know, what we're going to do right now is we're going to have somebody in there ready to take some pictures of you as stuff like that, and then we're gonna go ahead and you're gonna get booked into jail. Is it juvenile?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Is it juvenile? Trung asks.

[Jen Miller]

No. County jail, men's jail.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Everybody knows that county is nothing like juvy. And this answer is Definitely not what 18 year old trung wants to hear, but the detective isn't finished.

[Jen Miller]

Are you curious of what you're gonna get booked for? Or do you even care? Murder,

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Okay.

[Jen Miller]

I remember telling myself, like, although you may be feeling a lot of emotions right now, just don't show it to them. When I heard him said, do you even care what you're being charged for? Of course I cared.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

A few rooms over an experiences the same series of events. He's also told he's getting booked into county jail on suspicion of murder. Then detectives reunite the brothers in an interrogation room. When they see each other, their relief is palpable, but they also understand what's going on. The detectives are leaving them alone together, hoping they'll incriminate themselves. The video recording of their time together in this room is hard to hear, but their actions are very clear. After detectives shut the door, Ahn doubles over, his head against Trung's leg, his body heaving. Trung squeezes his shoulder.

[Jen Miller]

Let him know, like, I'm gonna be strong here, like, trying to sure things can be okay.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

They take turns gasping short bursts of emotion, which they quickly pull back, trying to be stoic like their dad has taught them. Ahn has always been good at suppressing his emotions. But in this moment, he's struggling. He tells Trung he's cold, and Trung takes off his long sleeve shirt and gives it to him. Then Trung takes each of Ahn's hands in his own.

[Jen Miller]

I was trying very hard to be the comforter, trying to be the caretaker. I saw a lot of vulnerability in him, and I just wanted all that to be gone.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

And then Trung starts crying too, his whole body shaking. It's hard to make out, but through his tears, he says something about what's going to happen to their parents. Through all of this, he doesn't let go of his brother's hands. Their time together doesn't last long. They're cuffed again and taken downstairs to be booked into the county jail, where they'll wait to hear what the police will do next. They change from their T shirts and pajamas into red tunics and pants. Double red, the color given to the most serious offenders. They ask if they can stay together in county jail, ideally in the same cell. But the officers take each of them away, neither knowing when they may see the other. A couple days later, the brothers attorneys relay their official charges. They've determined that Trung will be charged with murder. Ahn will be charged as an accessory because the police say he helped dispose of evidence after the fact Ahn is now eligible for bail. An officer walks him over to juvenile hall and hands him a juvie uniform. But then something very strange happens. After a couple of nights in juvie, Ahn is shuttled back to the main jail into a holding tank full of Asian guys in red.

[Jen Miller]

I walked up looking like a little kid.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

For a moment, Ahn feels both embarrassed and vulnerable. But then he sees Trung is there too. An officer motions for Ahn and hands him the same double red. Uniform detectives are also talking to an eyewitness who claims to have actually seen the stabbing happen. An eyewitness who initially didn't want to talk, but has since changed his mind under pressure from the authorities.

[Jen Miller]

I want you to understand all these instructions. I am going to show you multiple subjects. Individuals may or may not appear exactly as they did. Appearances are subject to change. The person or persons involved in this investigation may or may not be shown.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

An officer starts to give instructions to Ahn, Trung and the five other Asian guys in double reds. That's when the realization hits the twins. Oh, shit. We're here for a lineup.

[Jen Miller]

They're coming in one through seven, in that order. Okay, one through seven. Barbarous and the first woman.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The eyewitness sits behind a one way mirror, looking into the room. One at a time, the men walk through the door. And thus begins a kind of audition. An officer guides each inmate in a slow circle, allowing the audience behind the mirror to assess the performer from multiple angles. Good.

[Jen Miller]

Next one.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The witness dismisses number one and number two. In walks number three, Trung. He looks exhausted, his head down. The officer tells him to raise his chin. Just as he turns away from the mirror, the eyewitness speaks up for the first time.

[Jen Miller]

We're done.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

We're done, he says. As in, it's him.

[Jen Miller]

Trung, I just need you to look through everyone, okay?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The lineup isn't over. Fast forward through two more auditions.

[Jen Miller]

No, next one.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

When he sees an, the eyewitness speaks up immediately.

[Jen Miller]

Wow, that's funny. I picked the wrong one. I did pick the wrong one.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Wow, that's funny. I picked the wrong one. He picked the wrong one. How do I even talk about the insanity of this moment? Or really of this whole situation? To put two identical twins in a lineup? Really, every time I think about this, I just want to shake the detectives or the deputy district attorney or whoever had this bright idea? But so it goes. Now that the eyewitness has seen Ahn, he no longer believes Trung is the guilty brother. When the detectives ask him if he wants to see the lineup again just to make sure he agrees.

[Jen Miller]

Which one of those subjects did you

[Narrator/Interviewer]

recognize in the incident for a second time? The eyewitness chooses Ahn, not Trunk, because

[Jen Miller]

I seen his fucking beauty mark.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The little mole above Ahn's mustache.

[Jen Miller]

I was close enough to his face when everything happened. And what was that person's role in the incident? You asked me to explain to you what he did. Yes, he stabbed someone.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Okay. An did it. The witness says he saw it with his own eyes.

[Jen Miller]

Anything further that we need to go through? I think we're all good.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The detectives ask the eyewitness to sign a piece of paper confirming his testimony. Then they turn off the video. The brothers are told nothing. They say goodbye to each other. Once again, we hug.

[Jen Miller]

I said my goodbyes and had me go back to juvie.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Over the next few days, Trung is moved twice. He's first downgraded from maximum security to the general population cells. Then he's taken to a minimum security facility. Facility. He is confused. Hasn't he been charged with murder?

[Jen Miller]

And that's when I realized, like, what

[Narrator/Interviewer]

the hell is going on back in juvie? An is about to get the answer. A corrections officer leads him into an interrogation room where two detectives are waiting. The same guys who interrogated him a week ago.

[Jen Miller]

Those officers just asked me, like, okay, so now do you have anything to tell us? You know?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Ahn says no. And that's when they confirm they are switching the charges. Trung is getting the accessory, and Ahn is being charged with murder.

[Jen Miller]

When they announced that they're switching charges and they're charging me with it, they asked, how do you feel?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I was like, oh, ah, an is in shock. He didn't do this.

[Jen Miller]

So just tell him straight up, like, he has to get the wrong person. You get the wrong person.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The detectives ignore this because that's what everyone says. And Ahn doesn't say anymore. He cannot and will not tell them who the right person is because it's his brother.

[Jen Miller]

What could I do?

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He doesn't resist as he's cuffed and led out of juvie and back across the law enforcement complex to county jail, where he will wait to be formally indicted for murder, a murder that he did not commit. Trung receives the news that the charges are being reversed.

[Jen Miller]

He going home. I was shocked. I just couldn't believe it.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

He moves out of county jail quickly, and his girlfriend takes him home to a strange new reality.

[Jen Miller]

When I came home, I was sitting in a room alone by myself. That song all of Me by John Legend played.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Truong has heard this song before, lots of times. But now he starts to really listen to these lyrics about unconditional love, about the unbreakable bond that two people share.

[Jen Miller]

That's when I dropped down to my knees. I was wailing, what the fuck? My brother's still in there. And I'm in here like, how did this happen? I just felt so guilty, and I felt so cowardly as well, because I was very glad to be free, and it was at the cost of my brother's freedom.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I started this episode with Shakespeare. Shakespeare being, in a way, the reason I learned about this story in the first place. And when I think about Trung on the floor of his room, free at his brother's expense, spinning between guilt and relief, I picture Hamlet, Othello, or Macbeth. Someone facing a crisis of the soul. A person locked in a battle between desire and loyalty, between selfishness and sacrifice, between free will and fate. That battle, with its Shakespearean proportions, is what first pulled me into this story. How could Trung abandon his brother, his twin, the person he loves so deeply? And why? Why would an just let it happen and take the blame? I've been talking to the twins for five years now, trying to answer these questions. And I've come to understand how the path leading to that fateful party started long before Trung knocked on An's door that evening, even before they arrived in America as little kids. That path is rooted in the very essence of their twin ness. Two brothers who shared a womb, who were each other's closest childhood companions, who were raised to dress and act as one, but were constantly pulled between competing forces, and who could never escape their twinness and the egregious mishaps caused by their nearly identical faces. It all leads me to one question that I and the twins are still trying to find the answer to. A question that we all must contend with at some point in our lives. How much of who we are is truly our own and how much is determined by those closest to us?

[Jen Miller]

He's the only murder client I've had in my career who was an Eagle Scout. He's tired being told that he's scared of fight or scared of react. You know, that definitely builds up. If Trung really cared about you the way you cared about him, he would have stepped up already. I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of him. If you want to start enjoying the benefits, you got to put your balls on the line. After that, I was like, no, I'M a join a gang. Like I said, this is not going to happen anymore. They have been ordered to attack. Often times that means with very severe violence. I could just be executed right there.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

That's all coming up this season on Blood will Tell. You. 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 Krigbomb. Our producer is Annie Nguyen. Our story editor is Ashley Ann Krigbaum. Sound design and mix by Ewen Lai Tramuin and Mark McAdam fact checking by Tracy Lee Consulting by Thomas Lu 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 are Nadjuri Eaton, Julia Lowery, Henderson Marshall Louie and Jen Sargent. For Wondery.