A Houston nurse is accused of killing her husband and misleading law enforcement into believing he took his own life.
Authorities claimed Tu Thien Huynh, 29, used a shotgun to kill her husabnd Steven Hafer Thursday afternoon. She then allegedly called 911 to report a suicide.
Hafer was found shot to death in the bedroom. The Houston Police Department said a combination of suspicious evidence at the scene and Huynh’s changing story led them to believe that Hafer’s didn’t die by suicide, according to ABC 13 Houston.
Specifically, cops determined the trajectory of the bullet didn’t line up with a self-inflicted wound. And according to the Houston Chronicle, the weapon had been wiped clean — unlikely for a suicide.
Huynh is a nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center. From Vietnam, the 29-year-old started working at the cancer center after immigrating to the United States in 2004.
The couple were married for three years and have a 2-year-old daughter. Friends called Hafer, a civil engineer, a hardworking, dedicated family man.
“For the first several years of his career he was working 70 hours a week – and he did it all for the family,” Josh Becker told the Houston Chronicle. “He lived for being in that role.”
Though friends and family believed they had the perfect marriage, prosecutors reportedly said Huynh admitted to having an affair with an ex-boyfriend.
Huynh appeared in court Monday to face murder charges. Her defense attorney called the charges a “rush to judgment.”
“There are some real problems with the state’s case that the DA [District Attorney] is unaware of,” Attorney Brian Nguyen said. “We are extremely confident that at the conclusion of this process the truth will come out and we believe that Ms. Huynh will be cleared of the charges.”
State District Judge Randy Roll ordered that Huynh must surrender her passport if she makes her $50,000 bail.
Photo: Houston Police Department
