Father in family of 4 found dead in Prince Rupert was gang member, feared for his life: coroner’s inquest

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A father, who died alongside his wife and two kids in 2023, believed someone had put a “hit” out on him, according to police testimony heard Monday in Prince Rupert at a coroner’s inquest.

Prince Rupert RCMP Cst. Jason Kettle said he spoke with Christopher Duong in the days before he died, and said Duong feared for his life.

Kettle was one of four witnesses to take the stand on day one of the inquest over the deaths of Duong, Janet Nguyen and their sons, Alexander, 4 , and Harlan, 2.

The family of four was found dead in their home on June 13, 2023.

A notice of civil claim filed by B.C.’s director of civil forfeiture in 2015 describes Duong as a “violent gang member and drug trafficker,” known to police, with a history of weapons offences.

However, Joanne Nguyen, the sister of Janet Nguyen, described another side of the family.

She testified Monday that the couple loved their children deeply and Duong was a committed father. She recalled how her sister and the kids would wait on the docks to greet their dad when he returned home from working at sea.

Abandoned SUV

Kettle said he responded to a call of an abandoned vehicle obstructing traffic in Prince Rupert in the early morning hours of June 10, 2023, three days before the family was found dead. 

The officer said he found an unoccupied Mercedes-Benz SUV, with a significant amount of U.S. and Canadian cash inside. The vehicle, which he learned had been leased to Nguyen, also contained eight to ten pieces of travel luggage and bear banger rounds. 

Kettle told the room that it appeared someone had left the vehicle in a hurry, as the rear passenger door had been left open.

The officer said he wasn’t able to reach the couple by phone, but soon after he arrived — in the middle of the night — Nguyen and Duong drove up in a pickup truck to retrieve belongings from the car.

Their two children were in the back seat.

Nguyen said she was “fearful” because she believed multiple vehicles were following her, but did not provide any more information, the officer testified.

She appeared stressed, as though she believed she and her family were in danger, he added. 

Kettle also spoke with Duong, who he said appeared calmer than his wife. Duong wouldn’t say much, but eventually revealed that he believed a “hit” had been put out on him and that his family may be targeted. 

They had been driving around town that night to stay mobile and “not be tracked down,” Kettle said.

Kettle said he interpreted Duong’s claim that he was the target of a “hit” to mean that someone had been offered money to kill him.

Shortly after the interaction at the abandoned vehicle, RCMP pulled Duong over for a traffic stop and found multiple sharp-edged items inside, including a box cutter and kitchen knife, as well as a bear bangers. Duong was apprehended under the Mental Health Act, and Kettle said he escorted Nguyen and the children back to the family residence on Silversides Drive.

Duong recovering from traumatic brain injury

The inquest also heard that Duong was in a high speed car crash just over a year prior to the deaths, and suffered a traumatic brain injury along with some fractured vertebrae. He spent several weeks recovering in hospital in Vancouver.

Dr. Jennifer Yao, who also testified Monday, specializes in brain injury and stroke rehabilitation and was one of the doctors helping in Duong’s recovery. She noted that his injuries were severe, but he was able to regain enough function to participate in therapy without showing signs of agitation or inappropriate behaviour.

In 2023, shortly after the Duong-Nguyen family was found dead in their home, police said they did not believe there were any outstanding suspects or risk to the public.

Coroners’ inquests do not assign blame but are public inquiries that aim to determine the circumstances surrounding a death.

At the end of the hearing, the coroner’s jury will make non-binding recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The inquest is scheduled to last through to Feb. 20.