By Basant El-Faramawy
Oberlin College professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, and his wife Tran Thi Nam Phong, 56, were found shot dead in their home a few blocks from campus on Wednesday. Their 31-year-old child, Asia Nguyen-Duy, is being held on a $3 million bond and faces murder charges in the killings.
Arraignment and Charges
Asia Nguyen-Duy, previously known as Daniel Jones of Ashland, Oregon, was arraigned Thursday on charges of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. The suspect, who identifies as gender neutral, appeared in municipal court with visible facial tattoos and injuries. Prosecutor Zachary Simonoff told the judge that the accused confessed to the crimes and led police to the parents' address. The suspect's mother had earlier contacted police saying her child was "currently psychotic" and needed medication.
Investigation and Court Proceedings
Police discovered the bodies on the first and second floors of the home. Identification found in a car set ablaze near the college's conservatory of music led officers to the scene. The case has been bound over to Lorain County Common Pleas Court, where it will go before a grand jury. The suspect remains in the Lorain County Jail.
College Community Mourns
The deaths have shaken the private liberal arts college, where students had just returned from fall break. Studio art classes were paused or modified, and an exhibit of Nguyen-Duy's internationally acclaimed photography was placed on display at the campus art museum to provide a space for gathering and reflection. A memorial tribute is being planned, and digital forums for condolences were set up by Oberlin and regional institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. College President Carmen Twillie Ambar called it "a deeply challenging moment for our community" and expressed overwhelming sadness at the loss.
Professor's Background
Pipo Nguyen-Duy, a studio art and photography professor at Oberlin since 1998, was a 2011 Guggenheim Foundation photography fellow. He immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1975 and took up photography in his late 20s. He held a bachelor's degree in economics from Carleton College and both a master of arts and a master of fine arts from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. The Guggenheim Foundation noted his work explored immigration, intimacy, abandonment, cultural assimilation, and the cost of war.
