A man was convicted of killing his girlfriend in Fairfax County last year after his defense claimed she killed herself.
Jurors said on Monday that they found Huy Nguyen guilty of second-degree murder and a gun charge in the shooting death of Alison “Kate” Laporta.
Laporta was suffering from a gunshot wound when Nguyen took her to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital last year. The 38-year-old mom of two died of her injuries.
Laporta’s family told News4 they’re pleased with the verdict but disappointed it wasn’t on a first-degree murder conviction.
Nguyen, who went by Max, told Fairfax County police Laporta had been hit by a random bullet to the stomach as the couple walked through a parking lot in Annandale, prosecutors said. Investigators quickly learned the couple had never been there.
Then, prosecutors said Nguyen changed his story and said LaPorta shot herself.
“Evidence presented at trial, including the trajectory of the bullet and a photo of the firearm’s imprint on Kate’s seatbelt, showed that Mr. Nguyen was the one who pulled the trigger while they were both seated in Kate’s car,” the office of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement.
“Kate should still be with us today,” Descano said in the statement. “Max Nguyen’s needless actions stole a daughter from her parents and a mother from her children. I’m relieved that his attempts to lie about what happened to Kate did not allow him to escape accountability. I hope that this conviction can bring some measure of closure to Kate’s family.”
News4’s reached out to Nguyen’s defense attorney but did not immediately hear back.
Police body cam footage showed an officer arriving at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. Just minutes earlier, Nguyen brought in Laporta, who was critically injured and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Nguyen held up his blood-tinged hands and arm as the officer began to ask what he said happened.
As the police interview continued, Nguyen was told his girlfriend had died, and he became emotional.
In court last week, men who were with Laporta and Nguyen on April 18, 2024, said the couple had been fighting at a pool hall and that Nguyen made threatening statements.
Police recovered what they say is the murder weapon, a .45-caliber gun found near the steps to Nguyen’s home.
Laporta and Nguyen was at a Revolution Darts & Billiards location earlier in the evening, according to testimony.
“The only way this argument ends is with a bullet,” one man testified that Nguyen said.
“I’m going to shoot this girl,” another man testified that he said.
Prosecutors told jurors physical evidence supports their case. There were four bullet casings on the driver’s side of the SUV and one in Laporta’s purse. The fatal bullet was recovered in the back seat.
Prosecutors said LaPorta would have faced difficulty handling a weapon since one of her wrists was injured and in a brace.
Nguyen’s defense attorney said prosecutors were relying on inferences that are not in evidence and that the Commonwealth has not shown any evidence that Nguyen pulled the trigger.
The defense introduced 400 pages of medical records taken in 2022, two years before the shooting, when LaPorta experienced a mental health crisis and was admitted to a hospital. A forensic psychologist who analyzed the documents told jurors Laporta had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. In response to the defense attorney’s question, a forensic psychologist who analyzed the documents told jurors LaPorta’s mental illness could have put her at higher risk for death by suicide.
Nguyen testified in his defense and said much of what he told investigators was a lie. He testified the couple was never in Annandale that night and said the gunfire in the Jeep took place as they drove on Telegraph Road.
He had told police Laporta threw the gun out of the car. On the stand, he testified he removed the gun from the SUV before driving to the hospital.
In court, the prosecutor spotlighted every time Nguyen’s story changed and asked his defense attorney, “Why did you end up switching and telling that Kate had, in fact, killed herself?”
“I was exhausted. I was tired of being there. I wanted the shortest route to get back to Kate. Just let me go see her,” Nguyen responded.
In a videotaped interview at police headquarters, Nguyen told police Laporta got upset in the car as they drove home that night and shot herself in the stomach. But first, he told detectives she grabbed his gun from the console and fired several shots at him. He said the bullets flew through an open window.
He told detectives as he was blinded by the muzzle flash, Laporta turned the gun on herself using both hands.
Instead of calling 911, Nguyen drove to the hospital from their Lorton townhome.
Prosecutors tallied more than 400 lies they say Nguyen told throughout the investigation.
Nguyen is set to be sentenced in February. He faces up to 40 years in prison for the murder charge and three years for the gun charge.
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