- Alexander Hung Tran was found guilty of three counts of aggravated murder by a jury Thursday.
- The victims of the 2015 killings were Heidi Poike, her 2-month-old granddaughter Lyrik, and their friend Dakota Smith.
- Tran's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7; he faces prison terms of 25 years to life.
SALT LAKE CITY — An eight-person jury found Alexander Hung Tran guilty of the aggravated murder of a grandmother, her grandchild and a family friend on Thursday.
The verdict was reached about 1 p.m. after just three hours of deliberations.
Tran, 42, was found guilty of three counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in the shooting deaths of Heidi Poike, 50; her 2-month-old granddaughter Lyrik; and a family friend, Dakota Smith, 28.
On Sept. 18, 2015, officers entered the home where the Poike family lived on the main level and Tran lived downstairs after Poike did not show up to pick up her grandson from school. Officers found the three bodies in the living room before encountering Tran heading upstairs to the main level while clearing the home.
'Not accidental'
In her closing arguments, deputy Salt Lake County attorney Morgan Vedejs said Tran was not shocked, and "doesn't even seem concerned" when police showed up at his home. She said the only thing he was concerned about was getting shoes for his feet.
"He's not surprised because he knows exactly why they are there," she said.
He told the police it was his mother's home and that she was concerned about the rising electrical bill after they moved in.
Vedejs said Tran's recently purchased firearm was in his hands when police saw him. An empty case of ammunition was also found in his room.
Each of the victims was shot multiple times, and prosecutors said residue from the shots showed the shots were fired from only a few feet away.
The prosecutor said Poike was shot under the chin, in the back of the neck and in her back and on her leg — the final shot being fired while she was face down on the ground, citing testimony from the two days of evidence during the trial. She said there were 12 shots fired and Tran's gun holds nine shots, meaning that he would have needed to reload partway through the killing spree.
"This was not accidental. ... This was intentional and knowing," Vedejs said.
She said Smith was the first victim and was sitting on the couch, unaware he was about to be shot. She said he only had a moment to raise his arm to try to defend himself from someone shooting him in the head. He was shot four times.
Vedejs said 2-month-old Lyrik was shot twice in the head in her baby bouncer.
The attorney read texts from Tran to Ashley Poike, Heike Poike's daughter, during the three days between when they met after she had moved in and when she was arrested and had to leave the home. He said she had "rescued" him. She encouraged jurors to look over them when considering his motive.
"You are my miracle girl. Do you promise to never leave?" one of the messages said.
She said Ashley Poike responded uncharacteristically, engaging him because of their living situation. Ashley Poike testified on Tuesday that she had arranged to live in his home, but they had not solidified what they would pay for rent.
Vedejs said Tran became obsessed with her, and when she was taken to jail, her mother and children were left in Tran's home. Prosecutors said Tran continued to be obsessed with her, downloading her booking photo multiple times.
Defense casts doubt on the investigation
Kerri Priano, one of Tran's attorneys, pointed out other leads that she said investigators should have followed but didn't. She said DNA and print tests were not done until 2025, almost 10 years after the killings, and they came back with unmatched DNA.
She told jurors that the standard of proof prosecutors need to reach in a criminal trial, beyond a reasonable doubt, is the highest standard. She said that it means the case is something that is too important for police and prosecutors not to gather all of the necessary evidence.
"They didn't even look at the possibility that someone else could have done this," Priano said.
She said a woman told police there could be retaliation from codefendants of Ashley Poike, and Ashley Poike testified that she had offered to tell police what she knew despite the case having 11 codefendants. The attorney also pointed to ex-boyfriends of Heike Poike, who may have been jealous of her friendly relationship with Smith.
Priano discussed one officer's notes shared during the trial with a neighbor's account that Tran left his home around 8 a.m. that morning, before Heike Poike would have dropped an 8-year-old grandson off at school, and did not return until around noon.
"The reasonable assumption is these killings had already happened while he was not home," she said.
The attorney said Tran could have gone into his home through the back door and directly downstairs to his area of the home without learning of the bodies in the front room.
A 'horrific' crime
Vedejs told jurors that Tran's attorney was asking them to ignore motive, the crime scene's condition with family photos in the main area and bedrooms flipped over and Tran's own admissions. She said all of the evidence points directly to Tran.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement after the verdict, "This horrific crime shocked not only our community, but people around the world."
He said the "wheels of justice moved slowly" in the case — referring to years where Tran was considered incompetent and a motion that took two years and an appeal to resolve. But Gill said no matter how long it takes, his office will fight for accountability for those who victimize others.
"We hope that the loved ones of the victims in this case feel like they have received some measure of justice," he said.
Tran is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7. Based on Utah law, he is facing a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for each count.
