WAKE FOREST, N.C. — More than a year after a violent domestic incident that left his wife dead and himself critically injured, 64-year-old Xuan Thanh Pham has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a prison sentence of up to two decades.
According to The News & Observer, Pham admitted in court on Feb. 5 to killing his wife, 58-year-old Hue Thi Lu’o’ng, on September 5, 2023. Prosecutors say Pham stabbed Lu’o’ng multiple times inside their Wake Forest home before turning the knife on himself in what appeared to be a murder-suicide attempt.
Plea Deal Reduces Sentence
As part of a negotiated plea arrangement, Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins sentenced Pham to a minimum of 16 years and a maximum of 20 years and three months in prison. Without the plea deal, a conviction could have carried a harsher penalty.
Court documents show Pham will also undergo substance abuse treatment and mental health evaluations while incarcerated. He was credited with 508 days already served in jail, reducing his time behind bars by more than a year.
Emotional Courtroom Scene
In a previous court appearance on Sept. 16, 2023, Pham, who had been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after the attack, sobbed openly and at one point raised his hands to the ceiling before covering his face. He reportedly spoke to family members in Vietnamese as deputies escorted him out of the courtroom…