Stabbing Victim Probably Knew Killer, Police Say

Friends of a 24-year-old man who was repeatedly stabbed at Tustin High School offered a $5,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to the killer, as investigators continued searching for a motive in the slaying.

Detectives said they believe Thien Minh Ly, who recently earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University, probably knew the person who knifed him more than a dozen times. There were few signs indicating that Ly was surprised or had tried to fend off the killer, police Sgt. Brent Zicarelli said.

“If he had been surprised by somebody, he would have struggled to get away and there would have been a lot of blood all over the place. If it was somebody he knew standing next to him, he’s not going to be moving,” Zicarelli said. “In this case, there wasn’t a lot of blood around him. There was a pool of blood underneath him and a trail of small drops.”

The victim suffered a few slashes on the arm, which could indicate that he was trying to ward off the attack, but investigators said that in stabbing cases, defensive wounds are usually found on the hands. There were no slices on Ly’s hands, Zicarelli said.

Investigators said all of the wounds were inflicted with one knife, indicating that the attacker probably acted alone. A weapon has not been recovered.

A custodian found Ly, still wearing in-line skates, dead on the tennis courts at Tustin High early Monday. Police said he was killed sometime between midnight and 7:45 a.m. that day.

Ly was an honors student at Tustin High before he attended UCLA and earned a dual degree in biology and English. He received his master’s last year at Georgetown and had returned home to look for a job.

At the family’s Tustin home Wednesday, Ly’s parents, brother and sister were busy with calls from relatives and friends who wanted to express condolences. Ly’s mother, Dao Huynh, strapped on her son’s favorite book bag, which he carried with him “everywhere he went,” she said.

In the bag was a collection of Vietnamese poetry, a Vietnamese epic poem called “The Tale of Kieu” and an LSAT preparation guide.

“He was thinking about going to law school, not to be a lawyer but to learn about the law so that he can go back to Vietnam and help change the law system there someday,” said Thu Ly, a younger sister.

In his room, Ly’s books reflected his wide range of interests. His books on painting and the arts sat neatly stacked on a bottom shelf, while the works of Nietzsche and Plato were on the top shelf, along with a collection of Vietnamese literature. Nearby, his mother found a poem Ly had written about her life. Almost in tears, she said, “I can’t share it with anyone outside of the family. It’s too personal.”

Ly loved literature and had planned to be a doctor, but decided to delay medical school and get a job. In recent months, he also thought about going to law school and was trying to get a job at a courthouse in Santa Ana, family members said.

He had been living at his parents’ house for the past few weeks while interviewing in Orange County. Family members said they can’t recall any recent conversations with Ly in which he gave them a hint something was wrong.

“Everything went on as it always has, and all of sudden. . . . We still can’t believe that someone would hate him enough to do this,” Thu Ly said.

News of the slaying also pulled at the heartstrings of students and staffers at UCLA and Georgetown.

“A lot of people here are very concerned about him,” said Ken Thomas, editor of the Hoya, Georgetown’s campus newspaper. “Everyone who knew him when he was here had nothing but good things to say about him.”

A group of friends from UCLA offered a $5,000 reward and made plans for a candlelight vigil Friday to remember Ly, who served as president of the university’s Vietnamese Students Assn. during the 1992-1993 school year.

The vigil is scheduled at 6 p.m., beginning at the family’s home and continuing to Tustin High’s tennis courts, where the killing occurred, said Peter Vo, a UCLA student organizing the event.

“He was such a big influence among the students here, especially the Vietnamese students,” Vo said.

His family was making funeral arrangements and tentatively set a viewing from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary Cemetery and Cremation Service, 1702 Fairhaven St., Santa Ana. The funeral is set for noon to 1 p.m. Monday at the same location.

Police are asking anyone with information about the slaying to call (714) 573-32251 or (714) 573-3247. Ly’s friends are asking anyone interested in contributing to the reward fund to call (310) 208-3757.