Prosecutors Say 2009 Garden Grove Stabbing Murder Was Motivated by Revenge

A 43-year-old man twice kicked out of a party in Garden Grove returned a third time "hell bent" on revenge to fatally stab another man, new testimony alleges in a 2009 murder trial. 

Khanh Van Le's attorney said her out-of-work client returned to the party to smooth things over with prospective employers and used his knife in self-defense.

Le is charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement for using a deadly weapon in the Dec. 13, 2009, stabbing death of 37-year-old Anh Tuan Nguyen.

"He returned hell bent for revenge," said Deputy District Attorney Jim Mendelson. "He stabbed an unarmed man to death."

The owners of Saigon's Towing, 13921 West St., invited a group of fishermen, including Le, over for a "drinking party," to see who they got along with best as they sought to recruit a crew for  fishing excursions, Mendelson said.

While at the party, Le got into a conflict with his girlfriend's ex- husband, Binh Nguyen, Mendelson said. The argument started when Nguyen's girlfriend, Jenny Le Do, insulted the defendant's live-in girlfriend, Thao Nguyen, who drove Le to the party and is charged as an accessory.

Le was kicked out of the party, and police were called just before 6:30 p.m., Mendelson said. Several of those at the gathering then walked a block or two away to Cafe Cutie, Mendelson said.

Le returned, however, to confront Binh Nguyen again, the prosecutor said.

"Binh Nguyen just sat there and took the abuse," said Mendelson, adding that the defendant was heard saying, "He needs to teach his women to not be disrespectful."

The victim, Anh Nguyen, stepped in and told Le to leave the party "because he was ruining the vibe," Mendelson said.

The argument escalated into a shoving match in which the victim hit the defendant, though it's not clear who started the physical conflict, Mendelson said.

Le called police and the same officer returned at 7:05 p.m. The defendant claimed a "Mexican" hit him even though Anh Nguyen was a short distance away, and Le said he did not want to press charges, Mendelson said.

Le returned to his residence in Anaheim, where Thao Nguyen's phone was used to call Anh Nguyen in a 13-minute call, Mendelson said.

"It shows an orchestrated or set up opportunity to attack from a position of surprise," Mendelson said.

Thao Nguyen again dropped Le off at the party, where he stopped Anh Nguyen as he was driving away in his van, Mendelson said.

Le plunged a knife into the victim's chest, puncturing his heart, which was the fatal blow, Mendelson said. The victim was also stabbed in the left shoulder, which severed his spinal cord, and on the right forearm, the prosecutor added.

Anh Nguyen tumbled out of his van and declared, "he stabbed me," as some of the partygoers returned from Cafe Cutie, Mendelson said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Le got back into his girlfriend's van and she drove them back to their home, where Le tried to wash his blood-stained cargo shorts, Mendelson said.

DNA tests on the shorts later showed the victim's blood on them, Mendelson said.

Le's attorney, Shannon Winston of the Orange County Public Defender's Office, denied that her client planned to kill anyone.

"The only plan my client, Khanh Le, had ... was an opportunity to find a job."

Le, who had been out of work for a few months, "Didn't go there with any intent to get into a fight with anyone, but a tragic set of circumstances occurred that led him with the only option to defend himself," Winston said.

Le returned to the party twice more to smooth things over because he needed the job and because he knew he would be working with many of the other fishermen in the future, Winston said.

"The person stabbed in this case is the aggressor," Winston said, adding that police found two knives in the victim's vehicle.

– City News Service.