Cold Case Reopened: FBI Offers $1M Reward for Vietnamese Fugitive in 2014 Double Murder Case

A decade after a brutal double murder shocked Philadelphia, federal officials have renewed their search to find a key suspect who slipped away. Trung Duc Lu, a Vietnamese national accused in the 2014 killing of two brothers, has now been placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List. The move raised the reward for information leading to his capture to $1 million.

Authorities claim that Lu, who is now 45, played a central role in a violent plot linked with a drug dispute. Despite years of arrests and convictions, he remains the missing piece in a case that still haunts investigators and the victim’s families.

“Many of those defendants are serving significant prison sentences, but there is still an empty cell left to fill,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “We need the public’s help to do so.”

The case dates back to August 2014. Police say brothers Vu Huynh, 31, and Viet Huynh, 28, were lured into a trap. The two men, along with a friend, were involved in marijuana distribution between New York City and Philadelphia. Investigators believe they had taken drugs from a consignment and lost the money through gambling.

The debt set off a deadly chain of events. As per Fox29, authorities claimed that a man named Tam Le, acting as a local contact, invited the victims to his home, and later, they were ambushed. The brothers were bound with zip ties, tortured, and stabbed multiple times. Their heads were wrapped in duct tape, and their bodies were later dumped in the Schuylkill River, weighted down to keep them from surfacing.

The killings were planned to leave little trace. But one man survived the attack. His account, along with phone records and other evidence, helped investigators uncover a wider conspiracy.

At one time, several suspects were arrested and convicted. Tam Le was sentenced to death but never cooperated with authorities. He died in prison in February 2025, taking key details with him.

Lu, however, had vanished. Officials believe he fled the United States before authorities could close in. In May 2017, agents confirmed his phone number and learned that he had traveled to Vietnam. His last known sighting was confirmed to be in the country. He was later charged in absentia in 2019, and arrest warrants were issued.

“Every resource available to us here domestically and overseas will remain focused on finding this man,” Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office, said. “To the victim’s families, we have not forgotten what was taken from you.”

Lu’s background adds to the complexity of the search. He moved to the United States as a teenager and also lived in Queens, NY. Authorities believe he had ties to a gang known as “Born to Kill,” and also called BTK or Canal Boys.

He is known to use multiple aliases, including Phong Le, Brendan Lu, and Calvin Lu. He speaks English and Vietnamese and has worked as a nail technician. Investigators say he has distinct tattoos on his body including a dragon and the words “Asian Pride” on his back, along with dragon and tiger tattoos on his upper arms.

Despite the passage of time, officials say the case remains active and urgent. They continue to follow leads across borders, hoping someone will come with information.