Suspect May Be Linked To Couple’s Murder Gang Member ‘Person Of Interest’ In Slayings Of Spokane Vietnamese Couple

An Asian gang member suspected of robbing and killing a dozen Vietnamese people along the West Coast is being investigated by Spokane police in connection with a double-murder here.

Samreth Pan, 18, was arrested in San Bernardino, Calif., last week on charges of first-degree murder. That case involves the shooting deaths of five members of a Vietnamese family Aug. 10.

Pan is a suspect in seven other deaths along the West Coast, not including the Spokane case, San Bernardino police Sgt. George Finkle said Wednesday. Pan hasn’t been charged in those killings.

Finkle said all but three of the deaths involved Vietnamese victims. The other victims were Korean.

In Spokane earlier this summer, Johnny Hagan, 26, and his wife Hong Nga Thi Pham, 23, were found shot to death in their apartment on North Smith. Their hands were tied behind their backs and each was shot in the back of the head.

Police have developed few clues in the July 10 killing of the Vietnamese couple, but describe Pan as a “person of interest” because of similarities with the other cases, spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Detectives refused to elaborate or say whether they believe Pan was in Spokane at the time of the murders. They plan to meet next week with investigators from cities where the other deaths occurred, Cottam said.

Like Hagan and Pham, all of the other homicide victims distrusted banks and kept large amounts of cash and jewelry at home, police said.

The Spokane victims ran a video rental service out of their apartment and held regular card games, where guests gambled and cash was exchanged.

Asian gang members frequently prey on other Asians, knowing they’ll find money or valuables in their homes, Finkle said.

“Robbery is the motive,” he said. “Killing them is just the easiest way to keep them quiet.”

California gang experts believe Pan is affiliated with a gang that operates throughout the United States, Finkle said.

Pan has been wanted in Sacramento since early August, when a 70-year-old man and his 42-year-old son were shot to death in their apartment, police said.

Before that, on July 4, a Lynnwood, Wash., couple and their 19-year-old son each were killed with a single gunshot to the head.

The couple owned a downtown Seattle grocery store and brought money home daily, Lynnwood police said.

Hagan and Pham emigrated from Vietnam to Spokane five years ago. The couple loved the country so much they gave their two children American names, friends and relatives said.

Their 3-year-old son, Johnny, and daughter Diana, 1-1/2, were in the apartment when their parents were killed. Police tried to interview the boy, but were unable to get any information.

Neighbors in the same apartment complex told police they suspected drugs were being sold in Hagan’s unit because of the number of visitors he routinely had.

Police, however, said the couple was not suspected of selling drugs and no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.

Language barriers have hindered detectives’ efforts at developing leads in the case, and the Vietnamese community’s overall distrust of police caused problems.

More than 300 fliers written in Vietnamese were mailed to residents and posted at neighborhood stores offering a cash reward for information on the murders. There was little response, police said.

, DataTimes