Calgary gangster who once faced 4X 1st-degree murder charges pleads to manslaughter

A Calgary gangster who once faced four charges of first-degree murder has pleaded guilty to three counts of the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Jimmy Truong, 30, admitted to playing a role in the Sept. 20, 2016 murders of Cuc Leung and Quang Tran, a couple killed in front of their five-year-old son.

Two weeks later, Phu Phan was gunned down as he left his home for work. Truong also admitted to helping the shooters in that murder.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Nick Devlin said he hopes Truong thinks about the five-year-old boy who had his "parents gunned down before his eyes."

"His mother bled out in front of him," said Devlin.

'Savage, premeditated murders'

Devlin called the killings "savage, premeditated murders" but noted Truong was not the one who pulled the triggers.

In the days before each killing, Truong admitted to buying prepaid cell phones under a fake name and then using them to contact people selling used Dodge Caravans on Kijiji.

In both cases, Truong paid in cash and again, hid his identity.

Truong then gave those vans to the shooters knowing they would be used in a targeted attack with the victims "at risk of suffering life threatening injuries."

Truong bought vans for killers

On Sept. 21, 2016, Leung and Tran had just returned home from a family dinner and pulled up to their home in the northeast community of Redstone when the shooters got out of the minivan and showered the victims' vehicle with 26 bullets.

Despite gunshots ripping through the backseat, "[the boy] was not physically harmed," said prosecutor Brian Holtby when reading from an agreed statement of facts (ASF).

Gang connections

Phan was gunned down two weeks later after the gunmen shot at him 19 times. He died in his driveway.

In both cases, the Dodge Caravans used in the attacks were found after they'd been set on fire.

Truong has ties to the FK gang. When he was released on bail, Truong was ordered to stay away from three well-known FK gangsters.

From 2002 to 2009, at least 25 deaths were connected to the gang war in Calgary between the FOB (Fresh Off the Boat or Forever Our Brothers) and FK (FOB Killers) gangs.

• Suspected FOB gang leader Nick Chan shot multiple times in alley

Since then, many of the FOB's higher-ups have been killed or incarcerated.

Most recently, former FOB leader Nick Chan was critically injured after being shot several times.

Chan suffered life-altering injuries in the July 2020 attack.

1st-degree murder charge dropped

Truong also faced a first-degree murder charge in the death of Louie Mojica, 27, who was fatally shot in the front seat of his vehicle a month before Lung and Tran were killed.

At the time of Mojica's death, police said the shooting was a targeted attack and that the victim was known to police. Mojica left behind a young son

In August 2020, the charge related to Mojica was dropped after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to send the case to trial.

At the time charges were laid, investigators said they believed all four homicides were targeted attacks carried out by an organized crime group.

Lifetime gun ban

Truong will get two years credit for the time he spent in custody before being released on bail plus the time he spent on strict release conditions.

That means he has 10 years left to serve.

He will also face a lifetime firearms ban.

"Given the tragic deaths, I think it's appropriate it be for life," said Holtby.

Defence lawyer Derek Jugnauth said his client plans to get his GED in prison after which he'll "embark on self improvement."

The plea deal saves six weeks of trial time during which the Crown would have called 125 witnesses.

"Both sides have compromised substantially to get here today," said Devlin.