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SALT LAKE CITY — A homeowner now charged with aggravated murder in the deaths of three people, including a 2-month-old child, had wanted the renters to move out, court documents indicate.
"I'm putting down the gun," Alexander Hung Tran reportedly told police as they approached him in the basement of the home after locating the three bodies, according to charges filed Thursday in 3rd District Court.
"If I think it's my mom's fault and she should be here instead, is there anything I can do?" charges say Tran asked the officers. "She made me do it. I'm not saying I didn't do it."
Tran, 32, is charged with three counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in the deaths of Heike Poike, 50, Poike's 2-month-old granddaughter, Lyrik Poike, and 28-year-old Dakota Smith. The three were found shot to death in Tran's home on Sept. 18 after Heike Poike didn't arrive to pick an 8-year-old grandson up from school.
A medical examiner's report indicates all three died of multiple gunshot wounds.
If convicted, Tran could potentially face a death penalty for the aggravated murder charges.
Poike reportedly rented the upstairs area of the home at 639 N. Sir Phillip Drive (1990 West) while Tran lived in the basement.
Tran's mother told police she had purchased the home for her son. Four days before the triple homicide, Tran told his mother that a man, a woman and two children were staying in the upstairs portion of the house, according to the charges.
(The mother) indicated she did not want other people in the house, and Tran stated the people would not leave. (The mother) instructed Tran to tell the people to go and stated she would start the eviction process.
–Charging document
"(The mother) indicated she did not want other people in the house, and Tran stated the people would not leave," charges state. "(The mother) instructed Tran to tell the people to go and stated she would start the eviction process."
Tran called his mother again on the day of the shooting, about five hours before the bodies were discovered, and "told her the people upstairs were gone."
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Thursday that "all appropriate parties" have been charged in the case.
Police reports say that three months before the shooting Tran's mother and stepfather called to report Tran was experiencing a "possible psychotic problem" after the man dismantled a pair of scissors and started screaming he was Edward Scissorhands, then brandished several kitchen knives.
Officers indicated that Tran's stepfather and mother were waiting outside and were frightened about going back into the house. The couple told police at the time that Tran "does not have a history of mental issues or drug problems," according to the report.
On Aug. 29, Tran was charged in Salt Lake City Justice Court with reckless driving and an insurance violation, both class B misdemeanors, stemming from an unspecified Aug. 27 incident. A warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court on Sept. 10, according to court records.
