Cal State Fullerton man charged with murder in fatal stabbing could face death penalty
The Cal State Fullerton employee accused of stabbing his co-worker to death on campus this week was charged with murder on Friday morning, Aug. 23.
He did not enter a plea; his arraignment was continued to Oct. 4.
Chuyen Vo, 51, was charged with murder, including enhancements of personal use of a weapon and special circumstance allegation of murder by lying in wait. He was being held without bail.
If convicted, Vo faces a minimum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
If Vo is convicted of the murder with the lying in wait enhancement – which means the defendant intentionally hid and waited to attack the victim – he could be eligible for the death penalty. But it’s unclear whether that decision has been made.
Chuyen Van Vo, 51, charged with murder, and enhancements of personal use of a weapon and murder by lying in wait. Victim was retired Cal State Fullerton employee
— OCDA Todd Spitzer (@OCDAToddSpitzer) August 23, 2019
Vo was arrested on Wednesday at his Huntington Beach home.
Fullerton police say he killed 57-year-old Steven Shek Keung Chan, a retired administrator who still worked with the university, who they found with multiple stab wounds in a campus parking lot on Monday morning.
The slaying led to a multi-day search for the suspect, who was initially described as an Asian man in his mid-20s, and was captured on surveillance footage fleeing after the stabbing.
Police say they recovered a backpack that Vo left behind under the victim’s car, with weapons and items that could potentially be used in a kidnapping attempt, including zip ties, a knife and disguises.
Vo has no criminal record in Orange County, according to court records.
Law enforcement officials at a Thursday press conference on Vo’s arrest did not disclose how they found Vo or a potential motive. And a Cal State Fullerton representative did not say how long Vo’s worked for the university or his employment status.
Neighbors in the quiet Huntington Beach cul-de-sac, where Vo and his family lived, said they were shocked upon hearing the news of his arrest. Several people who lived near Vo described him as a friendly man they would never suspect would be capable of murder.