John van Trung Tran

Name

John van Trung Tran

Status

John van Trung Tran committed suicide by shooting himself the same day. Five victims were killed and one was wounded.

Background

John Tran was engaged to Lieu Huynh until late September, 1987. Tran’s engagement ended when Lieu Huynh broke it off and immediately became engaged to another man. Tran swore revenge on her and planned her demise.

The offence

On October 10, 1987, Tran showed up at the backdoor of Lieu Huynh’s ex’s family’s home.

Thuan Huynh, 63 (Lieu Huynh’s father), was the first to be killed. He was shot repeatedly in the head and body until he managed to escape to the back yard, where he died.

Tran then stormed through the house and killed Lieu Huynh’s mother, one sister, and one brother. Lieu Huynh’s other brother was seriously wounded as well.

Tran eventually found Lieu Huynh and finished her with one shot.

After killing Lieu Huynh, Tran raised the gun to his head and blew his brains out.

Tran’s suicide occurred on the same day as the killings. Tran could have killed Lieu Huynh’s two other sisters who were in the room when he killed himself, but he did not.

Victims

• Thuan Huynh, 63 — killed
• Lieu Huynh — killed
• Lieu Huynh’s mother — killed
• One sister of Lieu Huynh — killed
• One brother of Lieu Huynh — killed
• Lieu Huynh’s other brother — seriously wounded

Timeline

• late September, 1987 — Lieu Huynh broke her engagement with John van Trung Tran and immediately became engaged to another man.
• October 10, 1987 — John van Trung Tran showed up at the backdoor of Lieu Huynh’s ex’s family’s home, killed multiple family members, killed Lieu Huynh, and then committed suicide by shooting himself.

Other details

The case summary described 1987 as a year of mass murder in Australia and stated that Julian Knight and Frank Vitkovich were considered pioneers of mass murder in Australia, while John Tran was described as overlooked by the mass media.