| For Immediate Release Case # TBA
February 23, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF FATHER, MOTHER, AND BROTHERS
OF EX-GIRLFRIEND IN IRVINE
*Defendant also accused of causing standoff with police for several hours
NEWPORT BEACH – Charges were filed today against a man for shooting three members of his ex-girlfriend’s family, including her parents and one brother, and assaulting a second brother before causing a standoff with police for several hours. Alwyn Gibson, 24, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder during the commission of a robbery, two felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of aggravated assault, and a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury. Gibson is being held without bail and faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. The Department is to be determined.
On the evening of Feb. 20, 2009, Gibson is accused of going to the Irvine home of his former girlfriend, who no longer lived in the home and was not present at the time. The ex-girlfriend’s family was home having dinner, including her father, 60-year-old De Ngoc Le, mother, 47-year-old Ly Le, and two brothers, 22-year-old Michael Le and 24-year-old David Le. The defendant is accused of entering the home carrying a firearm and placing a large citrus fruit over the barrel to muffle the sound of shots being fired.
Gibson is accused of demanding money from the family and searching through Ly Le’s purse. He is accused of shooting Ly Le one time in the arm and hitting David Le over the head with the firearm. Gibson is accused of forcing De Ngoc Le and Michael Le to kneel in an upstairs bedroom and shooting De Ngoc Le in the back of the head, murdering him. He is accused of shooting Michael Le in the back of the neck. Michael Le was in serious condition in the hospital for several days but is expected to survive.
David Le was able to escape and ran to a neighbor’s house to call 9-1-1. Irvine Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team arrived at the scene, where Gibson is accused of engaging the officers in standoff for several hours before finally surrendering in the early morning hours of Feb. 21, 2009.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
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