Ohio suspect asks neighbor to record video confession after killing professor

Asia Nguyen-Duy told a neighbor to start a recording device immediately after the suspect shot two people to death in an Ohio home, prosecutors stated. The suspect, covered in blood and scratches, requested the video capture to document a confession while claiming they were escaping a cult and taking full responsibility for the acts.

Nguyen-Duy, 31, appeared in Lorain County court on Thursday. Several officers carried the suspect into the room, placed them in a chair, and rolled them to the defense table. Nguyen-Duy, who previously went by Daniel Jones, legally changed their name in 2025. During the hearing, the suspect identified as gender-neutral.

The charges include six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence. The victims were Pipo Nguyen-Duy, 64, and Thi Tran Phong, 56. Both died from multiple gunshot wounds inside their residence.

Police discovered the incident on Wednesday morning. Officers found a smoldering vehicle registered to Nguyen-Duy in an Oberlin College parking lot. The car contained loose ammunition and magazine packaging. A welfare check at the victims' home revealed both bodies.

Pipo Nguyen-Duy served as a studio art professor at Oberlin College and was an internationally exhibited photographer. A judge set bond at $3 million on Thursday. The case has now moved to the county common pleas court for trial.