Asia Nguyen-Duy is being held on a $3 million bond as the case moves toward a Lorain County grand jury.
OBERLIN, Ohio — An Oberlin College professor and his wife were found shot to death in their home near campus Wednesday, and the professor’s 31-year-old child is being held on a $3 million bond on murder and other charges, authorities and court records show.
Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, a professor of studio art and photography, and his wife, Trần Thị Nam Phong, 56, were found dead Oct. 28 after police went to their South Pleasant Street home for a welfare check. Police found Nguyen-Duy on the first floor and Phong on the second floor. Authorities said both had been shot multiple times. Their deaths have shaken Oberlin College, where Nguyen-Duy had taught since 1998 and was remembered as an influential photographer, teacher and colleague.
Asia Nguyen-Duy, of Ashland, Oregon, who was previously known as Daniel Jones, was arraigned Thursday on charges including murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. Authorities have identified Nguyen-Duy as the professor’s child and Phong’s stepchild. The charges are allegations, and the case has not been adjudicated. The defendant waived a preliminary hearing, and the case was bound over to Lorain County Common Pleas Court for consideration by a grand jury.
The investigation began shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, when Oberlin police went to a parking lot near the Oberlin College Conservatory to assist firefighters with a vehicle that was smoking or burning. Police traced the vehicle to the younger Nguyen-Duy and began trying to find them. Officers located the suspect in the 200 block of Shipherd Circle at about 10:19 a.m. and took them into custody without incident.
Oberlin City Prosecutor Zachary Simonoff told the court that the defendant had approached a resident before the arrest and asked to have a video recorded for posting online. Simonoff said the defendant made statements taking responsibility for their actions. The prosecutor also said the younger Nguyen-Duy told officers that they had killed family members and provided the address of the South Pleasant Street home. Officers went to the residence minutes later and discovered the two victims.
Authorities have not announced a motive. Police also had not recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the shootings as of the latest reports reviewed. Investigators initially described the case as domestic in nature and said there was no continuing threat to the public after the suspect was detained. The college briefly issued a shelter-in-place order at the request of police before lifting it when officials determined the campus and surrounding community were no longer in danger.
During Thursday’s court appearance, the defendant said they are gender neutral and use the name Asia Nguyen-Duy. Judge Farah L. Emeka set bond at $3 million. Prosecutors had asked for a lower amount, but the judge cited the seriousness of the allegations in setting the bond. The defendant remained in the Lorain County Jail as the criminal case moved to the common pleas court. No plea was entered at the initial appearance.
Nguyen-Duy was a longtime figure in Oberlin’s arts community. The college listed him as professor of studio art and photography and chair of studio art. Born in Hue, Vietnam, he immigrated to the United States as a political refugee in 1975 before pursuing an artistic career. His work was exhibited internationally, and he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in photography in 2011. His photography addressed subjects including migration, cultural identity, memory and the effects of war.
Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar said the deaths of Nguyen-Duy and Phong had brought an outpouring of grief across the campus. The college created an online memorial for Nguyen-Duy and placed a small exhibition of his work in the Allen Memorial Art Museum. School officials also said the studio art faculty planned a broader exhibition of his work for the spring semester. A separate community gathering to remember Nguyen-Duy and Phong was being planned, with details to be announced after arrangements were confirmed.
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not publicly established what led to the shootings. The next major legal step is expected to come in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, where a grand jury will consider the evidence and determine what charges, if any, should proceed against Asia Nguyen-Duy.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.