Wednesday, October 1, 1997
Jurors convict Ly’s killer
KILLING: Man, 24, is found guilty of stabbing the former VSU
president
By Hannah Miller and Frances Lee
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
An alleged white supremacist was convicted Tuesday for the
murder of UCLA graduate Thien Minh Ly, and could receive the death
penalty.
Gunner Lindberg, 24, was convicted of first-degree murder for
stabbing the 24-year-old Ly. A former president of UCLA’s
Vietnamese Student Union and a Georgetown University graduate
student, Ly was attacked while rollerblading on a tennis court at
Tustin High School on Jan. 28, 1996.
Lindberg, the second person to be convicted in the attack, could
receive the death penalty because jurors decided that the murder
was a hate crime, and that it was committed during an attempted
robbery.
"We are relieved that justice was served this time," said Trinh
Huynh, a spokesperson for the Vietnamese Student Union.
Ly was a "very influential person at UCLA and Georgetown," said
VSU external vice president Vy Huynh. "He did so many things, and
impacted so many lives.
"I hope that his life won’t be wasted, and that more people will
realize that hate crimes also happen to Asian Americans."
Prosecutors have said they will ask the jury to recommend death
at the conclusion of the penalty phase, which begins Thursday.
The brutal murder was poignant to VSU members: Ly was young
enough that some of them had known him personally. And even more
damaging were the clear racial overtones of the crime.
During the trial, Lindberg’s cousin, Walter Ray Dulaney 4th,
testified that Lindberg had told him in a letter that he had
"killed a Jap," that the act was "better than a drug," and that it
was done on behalf of a "racial movement."
Dulaney said he and Lindberg were founding members of a group
called "Insane Criminal Posse" and that they decided it would be a
white-supremacist gang.
White-supremacist literature was found in the home Lindberg
shared with Domenic Christopher, who was convicted earlier this
year of first-degree murder for witnessing the attack. Christopher,
now 18, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Lindberg’s attorney, David Zimmerman, insisted the letter was
merely a boast and that his client picked up details of the murder
from news reports.
The letter was turned over to authorities, who asked Lindberg
how he knew Ly had only a car key with him – a fact that wasn’t
released to the news media. Lindberg claimed he thought of it on
his own.
The attorneys for both defendants denied the attempted-robbery
allegation, and Zimmerman denied that racism was a motive.
Christopher’s attorney said that Ly offered the car key to placate
the harassing pair.
Since the murder, several friends and colleagues have come
forward to pay tribute to Ly, who graduated from UCLA with degrees
in biology and English.
Last year’s Vietnamese Cultural Appreciation Night was dedicated
to the memory of Ly, with a slide show about his contributions.
Fusion Pictures has produced a video documentary about his life and
death, called "Letters to Thien," and launched a Web site of the
same name.
"This case is very important," said Tram Linh Ho, a staffer for
VSU. "A lot of people were just wondering why it happened.
"It could have been anyone," Ho added. "It happened right down
the street from (UC Irvine). He was just rollerblading."
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services."We are relieved
that justice was served this time."
Trinh Huynh
Vietnamese Student UnionRelated Link:
Letters to Thien