A Cypress man will spend 40 years behind bars after authorities say he murdered his wife with a nail gun, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday.
Lam Tran, 65, was convicted of murder in the death of 49-year-old My Dang on Jan.10, 2022, in his home on Peralta Springs Lane in Cypress.
Deputies responded to a 911 call when they found Dang dead in a pool of her own blood.
At the scene, deputies said she had been beaten to death with a heavy pneumatic nail gun.
Authorities said Tran had apparently tried to kill himself by shooting himself with the nail gun several times after he murdered his wife.
Officials said Tran sent “goodbye” texts to loved ones before attempting to commit suicide.
“This is a horrible murder, and it reinforces that the most dangerous time for a battered spouse is when they are trying to leave the relationship,” District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “This woman was trying to get away from an abusive husband, and the only reason she is dead is because he could not stand to lose control of her.”
Tran was transported to Memorial Hermann by Life Flight.
According to authorities, Dang had emigrated from Vietnam to Minnesota and then moved to Houston to marry Tran. In fact, the couple both worked at a plant that manufactures HVAC equipment.
“They had been married six or seven years and things had escalated into a cycle of domestic violence,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Magill said. “They were scheduled for a hearing for a protective order the very next day, and his response was that if he couldn’t be with her, no one would.”
Tran reportedly pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year in exchange for letting a judge decide punishment after a pre-sentence investigation.
