Bucks Mother Accused Of Shooting Sons Had Been Involved In Custody Battle: Reports

NEWTOWN, PA — After a Newtown mother was arrested and accused of shooting her two sons in their beds Monday morning, new details have emerged showing legal battles in the family over years.

Trinh Nguyen, 38, faced multiple felony charges Monday after law enforcement found her children, 13-year-old Jeffrey and 9-year-old Nelson Tini, in their beds with gunshot wounds to their heads.

A neighbor and former in-law, 22-year-old Gianni Melchiondo, notified police after he said Nguyen also attempted to shoot him with a black revolver. She had also given him a box of photographs for her ex-husband, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office detailed in a news conference.

Nguyen's sons remain on life support but are not expected to recover, and will "give the gift of life" as organ donors, the DA's office said.

No suspected motive has yet been released in the incident.

Court documents have revealed legal turmoil in the family, though, according to reports from multiple outlets.

>>Learn more about the case: Bucks Co. Mom Accused Of Shooting Sons

Philly Voice obtained court documents detailing a civil case against Nguyen by Corrina Tini-Melchiondo, who had purchased the duplex where Nguyen and her sons lived in July 2012 with her brother — Nguyen's ex-husband, Edward Tini.

Nguyen and Tini, the father of her youngest son, were married in 2015, according to NBC10. Philly Voice said the older boy, known to friends as JT, is one of two sons Nguyen had in her previous marriage. Both JT and Nelson took Tini's last name, the outlet said.

NBC10 said the year they were married, court documents showed Tini had accused her of fleeing to Texas with their toddler and saying she wouldn't return — but the couple seemed to resolve that dispute.

Then, in divorce proceedings which started in 2021, the couple agreed to split the value of a Philadelphia home, in which Nguyen would be paid $220,000 and receive monthly support payments, NBC10 said. The outlet said a judge also granted her request to take their son to Vietnam in the summers.

But Nguyen returned to court in July, NBC10 said, accusing Tini of not complying and failing to get a passport for their child. His attorneys said she had no income and had only recently begun to work by selling eyelashes online, the outlet detailed.

Nguyen was also facing eviction, the Bucks County Courier Times revealed in a report.

Court documents revealed she owed Tini-Melchiondo, her former sister-in-law, $11,500 in rental payments and her post-divorce lease had expired in September. The family would have been evicted Tuesday, the documents obtained by the Courier Times outlined.

NBC10 said a new custody agreement between Nguyen and Tini had gone into effect April 1, and a hearing as well as other court proceedings were scheduled within the next few months.

Nguyen has been charged with four counts of felony attempted homicide and one count of possessing an instrument of crime, the DA's office said.

Her children attended Newtown Middle School and Sol Feinstone Elementary School, where community members have struggled to make sense of the violent incident.

"I continue to ask for your prayers and support for the family, students, staff, and community as we process this tragedy within our Council Rock community," Assistant Superintendent of Schools Susan Elliot wrote to families. "It is important that we come together to support each other with grace, patience, and kindness."

More on this story:

• Bucks Co. Mom Accused Of Shooting 2 Sons: Latest Updates
• Newtown Mom Was Facing Eviction Prior To Shootings: Report
• Newtown Mom Shoots Her 2 Sons, Ages 9 And 13, In Bed: DA