A Calgary man could face the death penalty in Los Angeles after he was charged in his brother-in-law’s fatal stabbing while on vacation, authorities said Tuesday.
Loi Vi Tran, 40, was charged with killing his brother-in-law — 45-year-old Stephen Tran of El Monte, Cal. — in a bowling alley parking lot in El Monte on Sept. 16, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. Loi had been bowling with his extended family during his visit to California, prosecutors said.
After the group played for several hours, Loi paid for everyone’s games and went outside to wait for them, investigators said.
Around 12:30 p.m., after an exchange of words, Loi is accused of stabbing Stephen several times in the chest.
El Monte police arrived and arrested Loi on scene. Stephen was transported to hospital where he later died.
“There are no allegations of anyone else being hurt in the complaint,” said Paul Eakins, public information officer of the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
Loi faces one count of murder with the “special circumstance allegation of lying in wait,” making him eligible for the death penalty, according to the District Attorney’s new release.
“It means he was lying in wait in order to commit the crime, that it was a planned crime,” Eakins said. “It wasn’t something that happened in the heat of the moment.”
Loi is accused of using a deadly and dangerous weapon, a kitchen knife, according to the criminal complaint in the case.
If convicted, Loi faces the death penalty or life in state prison without the possibility of parole.
His arraignment was postponed from Sept. 18 to Oct. 17, which Eakins said is not unusual in these cases.
Loi is in custody at Men’s Central Jail in L.A. and was denied bail because of the special circumstances.
The Homicide Bureau of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate.
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