Suspect asks for video confession

Lorain County prosecutors stated on Thursday that a suspect knocked on a neighbor's door shortly after two family members were shot dead in their home. The suspect asked the resident to record a video while admitting to the killings.

Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, appeared in court on Thursday. Several officers carried the defendant in, seated them in a chair, and moved them to the defense table. Court records show the individual legally changed their name from Daniel Jones in 2025. Nguyen-Duy told the court they are gender-neutral.

The defendant faces six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors described the suspect as covered in scratches and blood when they approached the nearby resident. In the video, Nguyen-Duy claimed to be escaping a cult and took full responsibility for the acts.

Police received a call on Wednesday morning after finding a smoldering, modified vehicle in an Oberlin College parking lot. The car was registered to Nguyen-Duy and contained loose ammunition and magazine packaging. Officers located the suspect nearby and performed a welfare check at the victims' home. They found both victims dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

The victims were Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, and Thi Tran Phong, 56. Pipo Nguyen-Duy served as a studio art professor at Oberlin College and worked as an internationally exhibited photographer. A judge set bond at $3 million and bound the case over to county common pleas court.

The hearing took place in Lorain County, Ohio. The case involves a 31-year-old suspect and two victims residing in the same area. The vehicle discovery occurred in a college parking lot before the bodies were found.