Man Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Brother-in-Law in El Monte

Man Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Brother-in-Law in El Monte

by Contributing Editor

A Canadian resident pleaded not guilty Monday to capital murder in the stabbing death of his brother-in-law in the parking lot of an El Monte bowling alley.

Loi Vi Tran, 41, of Calgary, is facing a special circumstance allegation of murder by means of lying in wait, along with an allegation that he personally used a kitchen knife to kill 45-year-old Stephen Tran of El Monte last fall.

Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against the defendant, who is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court Sept. 18 to get a date for a preliminary hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Tran — who was visiting Southern California from Canada — went bowling with members of his extended family for several hours last Sept. 16. He paid for the games around noon and then waited for the group outside, where he had words with his brother-in-law and then allegedly stabbed him several times in the chest, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The men had been involved in an ongoing family dispute, according to a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

The defendant was arrested soon after the stabbing in the 10500 block of Lower Azusa Road, according to the sheriff’s department, which reported that a weapon was recovered at the scene.

The victim died at a hospital of multiple stab wounds to his upper body.

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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com