Mother Shot Her Two Sons, Attempted To Murder Concerned Neighbor, Authorities Say

A Pennsylvania mother is accused of shooting her two young sons as they slept in their bed as well as a neighbor who came to the family’s home to investigate the sounds of gunshots, officials said.

In the early morning hours of May 2, Trinh Nguyen, 38, allegedly shot her boys in a Newtown duplex, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said at a press conference.

Citing civil court documents, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Nguyen was facing eviction from the home the day after the shooting, on May 3, because a judge ruled against her for failing to pay $11,000 in rent to Corinna Tini-Melchiondo, her landlord and former sister-in-law.

According to investigators, another relative of Tini-Melchionodo, Gianni Melchiondo, 22, heard the gunshots and discovered Nguyen on the property’s front lawn with a box of photos, which she asked he deliver to her ex-husband.

Melchionado agreed, and while he was taking the photos, she attempted to shoot him with a gun that didn’t fire, Weintraub said.

Melchionado was able to take the gun away from Nguyen, who fled the scene.

Responding officers found the mother’s two sons, ages 9 and 13, in their bedrooms with gunshot wounds to the head, and the boys were rushed to a local hospital, where they were placed on life support systems.

Nguyen was apprehended hours after the incident. According to Weintraub, she tried to kill herself with an overdose of narcotics.

Authorities expect to charge Nguyen with murder since her two children will not survive their injuries, the district attorney noted.

“Both children will give the gift of life to others as their organs will be transplanted, once that occurs we will update these charges to two counts of homicide,” Weintraub said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.