Crime & Safety

Charges Dropped Against Woman Involved in 2004 Fatal Double Shooting

A man from Lake Forest man and a man from Fountain Valley man were shot to death in 2004 in Garden Grove. Charges were dismissed Wednesday against Minh Thi Giang Ho, a passenger in the getaway car.

Murder charges were dismissed Wednesday against a woman whose boyfriend was involved in the fatal shooting of two men, including a 29-year-old from Lake Forest, in a Garden Grove cafe in 2004.

Deadly Revenge For Rudeness

Ngan Phi Bich Vo, a 20-year-old waitress at the Hawaiian Cafeteria in Garden Grove at the time, called her boyfriend Aug. 16, 2004, to complain that some men had made rude remarks to her and one tried to pull her skirt.   

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Her then-boyfriend, who was with a group of friends at another eatery, rushed over and shot and killed Kurt Martinsen of Lake Forest and 38-year-old Tri Thanh Phan of Fountain Valley.

In the intervening years, charges against Vo have been dismissed and three others pleaded guilty to lesser charges and were sent to prison.

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Getaway Car Passenger Unaware of Killings

On Wednesday, murder and other charges against Minh Thi Giang Ho, who was a passenger in the getaway car driven by her then-boyfriend, were dismissed in a West Justice Center courtroom in Westminster, her attorney Doug Myers said.   

"My client was the least involved of anybody charged," Myers said. "We've known for awhile this would happen."

Myers said Ho's boyfriend at the time—Toan Tuan Cao—drove her car over to the cafe and waited with her while the shooter killed the two victims. Cao then drove the shooter away from the scene, Myers said.

Ho had no idea what the two were up to at the time, Myers said.

Cao pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and murder charges against him were dismissed July 24, 2009, according to court records. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Co-defendants Kim Long Le and Danny Tran made the same plea bargains in 2009 and were both sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Two felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon other than a gun were dismissed against Vo March 16, 2007, according to court records.

Shooter Still At Large

Myers did not know the name of the alleged shooter, who was arrested shortly after the shootings, but then released because prosecutors wanted further investigation before filing charges. Authorities suspect the boyfriend used the opportunity to flee the country for Vietnam and remains at large.

Efforts to contact the case's prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Mark Geller, were unsuccessful.

--City News Service


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