Seaside Man Sentenced For Murdering Mother Of His Children

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — A Seaside man was sentenced to a term of 15-years-to-life for the second-degree murder of the mother of his two children, Monterey County prosecutors said today. Hai Long Tran, 46, was charged with the death of Hong Ngoc Nguyen after Seaside police found her body in a home on Kenneth Street in an upstairs bedroom with severe head wounds appearing to be caused by bludgeoning, prosecutors said.

The district attorney's office said the county coroner determined Nguyen was strangled to death on April 14, 2016, and had suffered 21 blows to the head, causing severe skull fractures. Officials learned through the case investigation that on the day of her death, Nguyen was at the Monterey County Courthouse to apply for a
restraining order against Tran, according to prosecutors.

In the request, she said that Tran was stalking her daily and it made her fear for her life. Police investigation revealed that Tran had installed a GPS device on Nguyen's vehicle and a video surveillance camera in her bedroom, the district attorney's office said.

During her father's sentencing, Tran and Nguyen's daughter addressed the court to describe the impact her mother's death and her father's incarceration had on her life as well as the impact it would have on her family, prosecutors said. Those who are suffering from domestic violence or know someone who is can contact the local crisis lines through the YWCA at (831) 372-6300 or (831) 757-1001. They can also visit the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council of Monterey County's website at www.co.monterey.ca.us/dvcc.

By Bay City News

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