transcript
Speaker 1:
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Speaker 2:
[00:14] Kamsite Media. In front of me, there's a group of acting students. The youngest ones are in their 20s. The oldest is over 70. And they're intently focused on their teacher. She's a woman with wiry salt and pepper hair, and she's leading them through an exercise. She calls out two conflicting emotions. Let's start with love and fear.
Speaker 3:
[00:48] So let your movements express love and fear combined.
Speaker 2:
[00:53] Suddenly, these actors are circling the room, silently pantomiming feelings of love and fear. They're warming up to rehearse the final act of Othello, a play about jealousy and deception. I'm here in California on assignment for The Washington Post. I'm reporting a piece about Shakespeare as therapy, how these stories about our deepest humanity can help people heal from their trauma. Because Shakespeare's plays, at a core level, they're about what human beings do to each other, what we're capable of, at our best and our worst. I start talking to one of the actors. Trung is friendly and soft-spoken. Literally, I have to lean in close in order to hear him. He's mid-20s, clean shaven, with impeccably pomated hair. He tells me he's a substance abuse counselor, and that tracks. The way he looks at me, I can tell he's really listening. And when I ask him, Trung says there's a lot of reasons he wanted to join this Shakespeare group.
Speaker 4:
[02:08] I had a lot of opportunities to come to showcase myself. And actually, I did a break dancing too.
Speaker 2:
[02:16] He loves to perform, and he likes these plays. How their universal themes of sacrifice, loss and love have helped him access his emotions, to see himself more clearly. He says these plays have allowed him to confront the pain he's caused. I ask him what he means by that, and to my surprise, he doesn't hesitate. He launches into a story that I cannot believe is real. A story that feels like Shakespeare himself could have written it. A story that starts with Trung's identical twin brother. Shakespeare was fascinated by siblings. There's Ophelia and Laertes, Edmund and Edgar, Sebastian and Viola. In both his comedies and his tragedies, he makes them compete for the attention and approval of their parents. He tests the limits of their love for one another, and he pushes them apart, sometimes violently. Shakespeare himself was the father of twins, Judith and Hamnet. And when Hamnet died at the age of 11, Shakespeare began to process this very particular grief in his plays. He writes Twelfth Night about twins separated in a shipwreck. The action of the play is built around mistaken identities, but it's really about the unique bond these siblings share, and what happens when that tie is broken. Trung knows all about this, and it's a tale he's now pouring out to me. Six years earlier, Trung tells me his twin, Anh, got into a fight at a birthday party. By the time it was over, the twins had embarked on a journey that would forever change both of them. Not just who they were as individuals, but who they were to each other. So where's your brother right now? As Trung and I talk, his fellow thespians are rehearsing right there beside us. And I hear a fellow mourn. You must speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well. I can see how Trung and Anh are guilty of having loved each other too well, if not always wisely. Twins, bonded through DNA and also hardship. Brothers, who were best friends, who trusted each other completely, who would have followed each other anywhere. Even if it meant losing absolutely everything. From Wondery and Campside Media, I'm Jen Miller, and this is Blood Will Tell. This is episode one, Shakespeare in San Jose. It's a Saturday evening in January, when 18-year-old Trung knocks on the door of his brother's bedroom. They live in the same home, but they haven't seen each other much lately. Trung's been swamped, juggling a sales job at T-Mobile, a full course load at college, and finishing his Eagle Scout certification. And Trung is missing his best friend. But, there's a party tonight.
Speaker 4:
[06:05] We were adulting pretty much for the first time like that. So, these parties, like, it felt like a drag, but at the same time, like, oh, let's just go have fun. It sounds like a good way to relax.
Speaker 2:
[06:18] Anh looks up from his bed, which is littered with textbooks.
Speaker 5:
[06:21] I didn't want to go. I had homework.
Speaker 2:
[06:24] Trung is surprised. He's the one typically concerned about how today's choice will impact tomorrow's outcome. That's how he's two semesters ahead in college. But more recently, Anh has felt the pressure to keep up with Trung. Anh begs, Let me study. Trung's not having any of it.
Speaker 4:
[06:44] You know what? We deserve this. Let's just go and have fun.
Speaker 2:
[06:48] Maybe this party will be a good way to blow off steam. For both of them. So Anh relents.
Speaker 5:
[06:56] Alright, let's do it. Let's hype up.
Speaker 4:
[06:59] Pick our outfits.
Speaker 2:
[07:01] The party is a 21st birthday, thrown by a friend of Trung's girlfriend. There's a black and white theme. The twins pull on their true religion jeans and long sleeve black shirts. When they were little kids, their parents often dressed them the same. So this, it's like a fun throwback. And tonight, it makes it almost impossible to tell them apart. They're both 5'9, around 160 pounds. They have a few physical differences though. Trung's face is clean-shaven and more narrow, and Anh has a sparse mustache and the shadow of a mole over his lip. These minor physical differences are going to be crucial for what's to come for the both of them. After a final fit check in the mirror, they're ready to head out. Trung drives his brother and their girlfriends, we're calling them Monica and Carly, to a well-appointed, split-level home in the foothills of San Jose, California. It's a short trip and a world away from the affordable housing complex where the twins grew up. They walk past a rock garden and flower beds, following the thump of music. Trung enters the party and takes a quick scan. He's impressed.
Speaker 4:
[08:29] It was like pretty bougie. They had a DJ and everything.
Speaker 2:
[08:35] He goes to pour himself a drink.
Speaker 4:
[08:38] They opened like a cooler and I saw shot glasses made out of ice.
Speaker 2:
[08:43] Trung makes his way through the house. The guests are mostly Vietnamese like him. Some of them are college kids, but he doesn't recognize them. They're at four-year schools, not community college like him and Anh. Trung is relieved. In recent months, he has been trying and largely failing to avoid situations and people he knows are trouble.
Speaker 4:
[09:06] When we would go out with specific individuals, shit would always pop off. I would always feel the need to jump in and participate.
Speaker 2:
[09:16] But the vibes here are good. The booze is flowing, pot brownies are being passed around, and the music is pumping.
Speaker 4:
[09:26] It was Turn Down for What by Lil Jon. Like, that song just came out.
Speaker 2:
[09:34] Trung and Anh make a beeline to the beer pong table, where they proceed to completely bite it.
Speaker 4:
[09:39] We played horribly, because didn't we? We had to sit under the table, man. We trolled, like, we didn't make any shots. It was embarrassing.
Speaker 2:
[09:52] Trong is so happy to have his brother here. It's been so long since they've simply hung out like this, as brothers. Around them, everyone is getting drunk or high or both. Trong is fully in the moment. He's making the rounds, a beer in his hand. For a while, he loses track of his girlfriend, Monica. That is, until she heads toward him, clearly upset. She says a guy at the party was so drunk he fell down. But when she and some other women tried to help him up, he hit them. Trong is furious and starts to feel angry with himself.
Speaker 4:
[10:32] I wanted to do something to confront him for punching Monica. I'm gonna show you, right?
Speaker 2:
[10:39] But before Trong can act, he notices that Anh is even more heated up over the whole thing.
Speaker 4:
[10:45] And I actually went over to my brother. He was super drunk.
Speaker 2:
[10:50] Anh usually has no problem jumping into a fight, and he's had plenty of liquid courage.
Speaker 4:
[10:56] I grabbed a knife from his pocket.
Speaker 2:
[10:58] Trong slips Anh's knife into his own pocket. He doesn't want his brother to do something stupid and dangerous.
Speaker 4:
[11:08] I was like, oh, you know what? You know what? Like, calm down. Let's just go.
Speaker 2:
[11:12] Other people are getting increasingly upset over the guy who is rumored to be hitting girls too. The hosts decide it's time to wrap this up. Everybody out. But not everybody's complying.
Speaker 4:
[11:24] There was at least like 10 guys standing outside waiting for that guy that was beating up girls to come out.
Speaker 2:
[11:34] One of those 10 guys is Anh, and he starts arguing with another guest about the rumors. The argument quickly turns physical. Trung runs over, tries to pull his brother back, but Anh breaks free. Then suddenly Anh is on the ground wrestling with the guy. A bunch more people rush in. At this point, it's unclear how much danger Anh is really in. But in Trung's mind, He was vulnerable.
Speaker 4:
[12:01] He was on the ground. So like, I had to be the protector now.
Speaker 2:
[12:08] That's usually Anh's role. But not this time. Trung runs toward the fight.
Speaker 4:
[12:13] You know, telling people to get out of the way, get out of the way.
Speaker 2:
[12:16] And as he approaches, he makes a devastating decision.
Speaker 4:
[12:21] In that moment, I pulled out the knife.
Speaker 2:
[12:24] He considers wounding the guy who's fighting Anh, maybe somewhere on one of his legs. An action that would immediately stop the fight without causing too much harm. But then, suddenly...
Speaker 4:
[12:40] I was like, oh shit, there's just so much blood.
Speaker 2:
[12:47] You know when you speed up a video, watch it at 3x speed? What happens next is kind of like that. A wild, disorienting blur. Anh extracts himself from the pile of people tussling. Trung calls for him and the girlfriends to get going. As they rush away, someone at the party calls 911. Others are crying. Everyone is in shock. The twins and their girlfriends are silent, as Trung drives them back to Monica's house, where the brothers are currently living. Anh is pretty much passed out in the back seat, and covered in blood, though he doesn't seem to be injured, just a few scratches. Trung doesn't have any serious injuries either, but his mind is spinning. What the did I just do? Trung pulls his Honda Civic into the garage. Everyone climbs out of the car, except for Anh. He can barely stand, so the others help him.
Speaker 4:
[13:51] He was pretty faded. But me, I was wide awake.
Speaker 2:
[13:58] Wide awake, with red stains down his shirt and jeans.
Speaker 4:
[14:04] There's just so much blood on me.
Speaker 2:
[14:07] On both of them. Trung tells the others, I'll take care of this.
Speaker 4:
[14:13] I need to collect everyone's clothes to put in the washer.
Speaker 2:
[14:17] He starts the load and returns to the garage. He's telling himself, you're the responsible one.
Speaker 4:
[14:26] I need to protect myself and all the people who are involved by getting rid of all the evidence.
Speaker 2:
[14:31] The back seat is covered in blood where his brother was passed out. But first, Trung has a more pressing problem. The switchblade, also stained red. He takes it to the sink.
Speaker 4:
[14:45] I just put a lot of soap on there and just really clean the knife. As hot as I can handle the water, I can't have this around me. This is hard evidence and I need to get rid of it right away. And I made the decision to drive.
Speaker 2:
[15:01] Trung borrows his friend's car already parked at the house. He slips the knife into a secret compartment inside the glove box. Then he heads back out into the night.
Speaker 4:
[15:19] I had a little bit of the window open and it was cool. And there was nobody around.
Speaker 2:
[15:25] He drives in silence, trying not to think about the party, the fight, the stabbing.
Speaker 4:
[15:33] Once I got into the woods, it was like really dark.
Speaker 2:
[15:37] He's driving toward an area in the foothills, where the twins and their friends used to goof around in high school. They'd go there during 40s and scare themself shitless over ghost stories. But Trung is no longer a high school kid messing around in these woods. Now, he's the main character in a horror story of his own making. He turns from the main road to a smaller one. He pulls over. He shuts the car door as softly as he can.
Speaker 4:
[16:12] But it was still so loud because there was really no sound.
Speaker 2:
[16:17] Trung enters the silent thicket of trees and starts to walk, the underbrush loud as firecrackers beneath his feet.
Speaker 4:
[16:26] I really didn't know what I was doing. I was just thinking like, oh, this is what people do when they're, you know, watching all those movies, right?
Speaker 2:
[16:36] A quarter mile into the woods, Trung stops. He looks around. There's nothing, just black.
Speaker 4:
[16:45] And I pull the knife out.
Speaker 2:
[16:46] His brother's knife, black handle, black blade.
Speaker 4:
[16:50] I gripped it. I felt the coldness from the knife, the edge of the blade, you know, try to be careful. And I was like, I'm gonna throw it as far as I can.
Speaker 2:
[17:06] Trung holds his breath, lifts the knife over his shoulder.
Speaker 4:
[17:11] It was just like throwing a football. And there's nobody around, so no one will ever see it. No one would even know. That's what I hoped.
Speaker 2:
[17:35] The next morning, Trung wakes up in his and Monica's sky blue bedroom.
Speaker 4:
[17:40] The blinds were really bright, the sun was shining in.
Speaker 2:
[17:44] For a moment, it's calm, like last night never happened. But just for a moment.
Speaker 4:
[17:51] It took me about 30 seconds, I just knew that things would never be the same again.
Speaker 2:
[17:56] He doesn't know what else to do, other than try to act like everything is normal. Maybe if he just keeps putting one foot in front of the other, last night will soon be nothing more than a bad dream. A night where nobody was seriously hurt. He climbs out of bed and walks past the nightstand and the bureau, cluttered with makeup and accessories. He gets ready for work in the living room, so he won't disturb Monica.
Speaker 4:
[18:24] I put on my black T-Mobile shirt, put on some slacks, a pair of dress shoes.
Speaker 2:
[18:30] Trung looks at his Honda. He tried to clean the back seat after returning last night, but the stains linger. So he takes Monica's car and clocks into his sales job at T-Mobile. Back at the house, his brother Anh wakes up with a head-crushing hangover.
Speaker 5:
[18:47] Look over my shoulder, and Carly, she was there.
Speaker 2:
[18:52] There, but truly and exceptionally furious.
Speaker 5:
[18:56] She was just so upset, just that look like of disgust. And I'm like, wait, what's wrong? And then she said, do you know what happened last night? And I was like, no, wait, wait, what happened?
Speaker 2:
[19:12] What happened, she announces, is that Anh got into a fight at last night's birthday party. Anh racks his brain.
Speaker 5:
[19:20] I don't remember fighting. I do remember just going to the party and having a good time.
Speaker 2:
[19:27] And then Carly tells him, Trung stabbed the guy you were fighting.
Speaker 5:
[19:33] I was like, oh.
Speaker 2:
[19:36] Whether it's the shock or the immensity of his hangover, Anh is not processing this news. All he can do is shove it away and try and have a normal Sunday with his girlfriend. First step, food. They're teenagers. They're hungry.
Speaker 5:
[19:56] We went for lunch at this Asian fusion place where we always like to go. I got a text from my friend. He just sent me a link of the Mercury News. And they talked about the party. That person died. That's when all the emotions, that's when reality hit. And I was like, we gotta go.
Speaker 2:
[20:27] Trung is working when Monica calls him.
Speaker 4:
[20:30] She says that the guy went to the hospital, and he died at the hospital. It was like, like my sense of hearing. I hear like certain echoes, but just like, my whole body, the energy changed.
Speaker 2:
[20:49] He tells his boss there's a family emergency, and rushes out of the store and jumps into his car.
Speaker 4:
[20:56] That was when all the emotions hit me.
Speaker 2:
[20:59] Disbelief that a man is dead. Regret for making such a catastrophic decision. And panic.
Speaker 4:
[21:08] My life would change forever now. I would never be in school again. Started working at a really good place for my age, and all of that is over.
Speaker 2:
[21:22] When he gets home, Anh is there, waiting.
Speaker 5:
[21:26] Right when we see each other, we kind of fell to the ground and just kind of bawled out, cried.
Speaker 2:
[21:34] The brothers hold tightly to each other. They're terrified. It's only a matter of time before the police arrive and start asking questions to piece together which twin is guilty of what. Because Trung might be guilty of homicide, but Anh was the one fighting in the first place. They need to make a plan, and there are only two options. Stay and face the authorities or flee.
Speaker 4:
[22:00] Okay, so do I go on the run? Do I book some kind of ticket to go to Vietnam? Try to hide out there?
Speaker 2:
[22:09] The twins haven't been back to their native Vietnam since they immigrated here as fourth graders. Also, could they really run away? If they go, that's it. There's no coming back.
Speaker 4:
[22:22] When you choose to run away, you throw away your whole life.
Speaker 2:
[22:28] More importantly, running doesn't just mean leaving their own lives behind. It means abandoning their parents. They think about how hard their parents work to get here in the first place, and how hard they've worked since, trying to provide for them while making minimum wage, the taekwondo lessons, the Boy Scout gear. They think about how much their parents rely on them for help translating mail, navigating doctor's appointments, and keeping track of benefits. Anh shakes his head.
Speaker 5:
[22:59] When we look at each other, there's no way that we're going to leave our family.
Speaker 2:
[23:11] If they're not going to run, they decide they still need some sort of plan.
Speaker 4:
[23:15] Knowing that, fuck, it's over. But also, giving yourself the best chance possible.
Speaker 2:
[23:22] Trung means the best chance of avoiding prison. So he makes a list.
Speaker 4:
[23:28] First thing we had to do was to get our story straight.
Speaker 2:
[23:32] They decide the best course of action with the police is to say nothing. If questioned about their role in the fight, say they don't know anything and request a lawyer. And no matter what, don't say anything that might incriminate the other. Next on Trung's list, collect any scrap of evidence that connects them to the stabbing. He and Anh gather their clothes from the party along with Trung's college textbooks, which were in the backseat of his car and are now covered in blood. Then he and Anh take everything into the backyard and light up the grill. The clothes ignite quickly, but the textbooks are thick and they are not catching.
Speaker 4:
[24:17] It burned just the cover and some pages, but most of it was still intact. And so I panicked.
Speaker 2:
[24:26] Trung searches for a spot to hide the books and finally throws them up on the roof, hoping the police won't think to look. They hunker down for the night, playing through different scenarios. Will the police show up at their work, at the house? How should they act? And then, when there's nothing left to talk about, they go into their separate rooms. Trung with Monica and Anh with Carly. For a long time, Trung can't sleep. He hugs Monica as she falls asleep, and then he stares at the ceiling.
Speaker 4:
[25:02] Thinking about my girlfriend, thinking about my parents.
Speaker 2:
[25:08] Trung thinks about his current life, which has its fair share of stress and tumult, but is also one he does not want to lose. He and Anh have found a home at Monica's. Sure, it's got a patchy front yard nobody has time to care for, and a patio scattered with cigarette butts. But out back is this orange tree with fruit so blindingly bright it seems to glow. And within is a congregation of family and friends, significant others constantly passing through. It's a loving if chaotic place, one that Trung cannot imagine leaving. Trung eventually drifts off, and the ranch house with its orange tree, an unkempt yard and gaggle of chosen family is quiet. Until it isn't. From the moment the twins left the birthday party, the police have been busy assembling their own narrative of the killing, a narrative supplemented by interviews with dozens of eyewitnesses.
Speaker 6:
[26:15] So why don't you just go and tell me what you know about what happened on late Saturday night, early Sunday morning, okay?
Speaker 2:
[26:23] Slowly, a picture has begun to emerge of a pretty ordinary house party, a birthday party, a party where the birthday girl's parents were there the whole time, and a party that had unexpectedly exploded into violence.
Speaker 7:
[26:39] I just hear someone inside the house yell out like someone got stabbed, and I freaked out.
Speaker 3:
[26:45] It's completely dark. Like, I don't remember seeing anything, but I guess someone stabbed him, but I wasn't looking. I didn't see who stabbed him.
Speaker 7:
[26:52] Well, I didn't see like him, like, very stabbed, but I saw him swaying with the knife.
Speaker 2:
[26:57] Detectives are dealing with a group of guests in their teens and early 20s. Most were intoxicated. Nobody had a clear idea about what happened. Still, witnesses do keep referring to two people in particular.
Speaker 8:
[27:12] I didn't see who attacked who or anything like that.
Speaker 7:
[27:15] It was, yeah, one guy.
Speaker 9:
[27:17] He seemed like a twin of one of the brothers.
Speaker 8:
[27:20] Everyone's been saying that they saw the twins with the knife.
Speaker 7:
[27:25] I heard people talking about, they mentioned, oh, it's one of the twins. And they said some guy named Trung, I believe it's Trung.
Speaker 10:
[27:32] So did anybody say who stabbed him?
Speaker 8:
[27:34] No, but everyone's just saying that it's one of the twins because he was the one.
Speaker 10:
[27:39] One of the twins? Yeah.
Speaker 8:
[27:40] So the name's like Anh.
Speaker 9:
[27:42] You just want to tell them apart just by looking at him?
Speaker 3:
[27:44] No, they're identical. They even have the same hair. I hear girls saying, Anh, get off of him.
Speaker 2:
[27:49] Detectives emerge from the interviews certain of one thing. One of these brothers was responsible for the stabbing. Now, all they have to do is figure out which one. Back at Monica's house, it's just past midnight. Trung is jolted awake.
Speaker 9:
[28:21] Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Speaker 4:
[28:23] Right after that, I just heard a loud, bam!
Speaker 2:
[28:28] The family dogs are barking, and they're shouting. Trung jumps out of bed, then turns to Monica.
Speaker 4:
[28:35] I said, they were here. And I just hugged her, and kissed her. I opened the door, and I turned around, put my hands on the back of my head, and the whole time, I just was looking at Monica.
Speaker 2:
[28:53] Trung is handcuffed and walked outside as police make their way to Anh's room.
Speaker 5:
[28:58] I just woke up with like, I don't know, four or five guns pointing at me.
Speaker 10:
[29:01] I was like, oh shit.
Speaker 2:
[29:03] He's handcuffed too.
Speaker 5:
[29:04] I'm dragging my ass out to the front door.
Speaker 2:
[29:14] The police take the brothers downtown. A detective walks Anh into a sterile interrogation room, removes his handcuffs, and directs him to sit. The available chair is crammed between the wall and a table that's too big for the space. Anh is literally trapped. And then, that's where the interrogation started.
Speaker 6:
[29:36] Who had the knife out there? I don't know.
Speaker 11:
[29:43] This is so stupid shit, dude.
Speaker 6:
[29:47] Why would clothes get burned out at your house?
Speaker 7:
[29:51] What are you talking about?
Speaker 2:
[29:53] Anh sticks to the plan he made with Trung. Say nothing. But he is starting to spiral.
Speaker 5:
[29:59] I'm just like sitting there feeling like life is over.
Speaker 2:
[30:03] The detectives tell Anh they know he's lying.
Speaker 6:
[30:06] Sometimes the truth works. We understand that, okay? You understand what I'm saying? I know you don't want to get certain people in trouble.
Speaker 2:
[30:15] Anh knows they mean his brother. They're trying to get him to incriminate Trung, but he sticks to the script.
Speaker 5:
[30:21] What are you talking about?
Speaker 2:
[30:23] The detectives stand up from the table, hand on some water, and tell him they'll get him food.
Speaker 6:
[30:29] All right, we'll be back.
Speaker 1:
[30:31] The same time, okay?
Speaker 6:
[30:32] We'll work back.
Speaker 3:
[30:34] What's going to happen now?
Speaker 6:
[30:36] We'll come back and talk to you about it, okay?
Speaker 7:
[30:37] Can you just tell me now?
Speaker 6:
[30:39] No, I'll tell you right now, because we're not done with anything yet, okay?
Speaker 2:
[30:43] They can't tell him because they're questioning Trung in another room. Down the hall, Trung gives the minimum— where he works and the kind of car he drives. And then they ask about the party.
Speaker 9:
[30:57] What would you do yesterday? You want to talk to a lawyer?
Speaker 2:
[31:07] Yes. Trung definitely wants a lawyer.
Speaker 4:
[31:11] Anything I say will be used against me.
Speaker 9:
[31:13] So you're saying that you don't want to talk to us until you have a lawyer here?
Speaker 1:
[31:18] All right.
Speaker 9:
[31:19] Okay. So just so you know, what we're going to do right now is we're going to have somebody's there. We're going to take some pictures of you and stuff like that. And then we're going to go ahead and you need to get booked into jail.
Speaker 5:
[31:30] Is it juvenile?
Speaker 2:
[31:32] Is it juvenile, Trung asks?
Speaker 9:
[31:34] No, county jail. Men's jail.
Speaker 2:
[31:38] Everybody knows that county is nothing like juvie. And this answer is definitely not what 18-year-old Trung wants to hear. But the detective isn't finished.
Speaker 9:
[31:48] Are you curious of what you're going to get booked for?
Speaker 3:
[31:53] Or do you even care? What is it for? Murder.
Speaker 9:
[32:00] Okay.
Speaker 4:
[32:06] I remember telling myself, like, although you may be feeling a lot of emotions right now, just don't show it to them. When I heard him say, do you even care what you're being charged for? Of course, I cared.
Speaker 2:
[32:29] A few rooms over, Anh experiences the same series of events. He's also told he's getting booked into county jail on suspicion of murder. Then detectives reunite the brothers in an interrogation room. When they see each other, their relief is palpable. But they also understand what's going on. The detectives are leaving them alone together, hoping they'll incriminate themselves. The video recording of their time together in this room is hard to hear, but their actions are very clear. After detectives shut the door, Anh doubles over, his head against Trung's leg, his body heaving. Trung squeezes his shoulder.
Speaker 4:
[33:31] Let them know, like, I'm going to be strong here, like, trying to ensure, like, things are going to be okay.
Speaker 2:
[33:38] They take turns gasping, short bursts of emotion, which they quickly pull back, trying to be stoic, like their dad has taught them. Anh has always been good at suppressing his emotions. But in this moment, he's struggling. He tells Trung he's cold, and Trung takes off his long-sleeve shirt and gives it to him. Then Trung takes each of Anh's hands in his own.
Speaker 4:
[34:04] I was trying very hard to be the comforter, trying to be the caretaker. I saw a lot of vulnerability in him, and I just wanted all that to be gone.
Speaker 2:
[34:15] And then Trung starts crying, too, his whole body shaking. It's hard to make out, but through his tears, he says something about what's going to happen to their parents. Through all of this, he doesn't let go of his brother's hands. Their time together doesn't last long. They're cuffed again and taken downstairs to be booked into the county jail, where they'll wait to hear what the police will do next. They change from their t-shirts and pajamas into red tunics and pants. Double red, the color given to the most serious offenders. They ask if they can stay together in county jail, ideally in the same cell. But the officers take each of them away. Neither knowing when they may see the other again. A couple days later, the brothers' attorneys relay their official charges. They've determined that Trung will be charged with murder. Anh will be charged as an accessory because the police say he helped dispose of evidence after the fact. Anh is now eligible for bail. An officer walks him over to Juvenile Hall and hands him a juvie uniform. But then, something very strange happens. After a couple of nights in juvie, Anh is shuttled back to the main jail, into a holding tank full of Asian guys in red.
Speaker 5:
[36:05] I walked up looking like a little kid.
Speaker 2:
[36:08] For a moment, Anh feels both embarrassed and vulnerable. But then he sees Trung is there too. An officer motions for Anh and hands him the same double red uniform. Detectives are also talking to an eyewitness who claims to have actually seen the stabbing happen. An eyewitness who initially didn't want to talk, but has since changed his mind under pressure from the authorities.
Speaker 11:
[36:37] I want you to understand all these instructions.
Speaker 5:
[36:39] I am going to show you multiple subjects.
Speaker 6:
[36:43] Individuals may or may not appear exactly as they did.
Speaker 5:
[36:46] Appearances are subject to change. The person or persons involved in this investigation may or may not be shown.
Speaker 2:
[36:52] An officer starts to give instructions to Anh, Trung and the five other Asian guys in double reds. That's when the realization hits the twins. Oh shit, we're here for a lineup.
Speaker 3:
[37:05] They're coming in one through seven.
Speaker 1:
[37:06] I think that'll work. Okay.
Speaker 3:
[37:07] One through seven.
Speaker 5:
[37:10] The aberrant is in the first one.
Speaker 2:
[37:13] The eyewitness sits behind a one-way mirror, looking into the room. One at a time, the men walk through the door. And thus begins a kind of audition. An officer guides each inmate in a slow circle, allowing the audience behind the mirror to assess the performer from multiple angles.
Speaker 7:
[37:32] Good. Next one.
Speaker 2:
[37:34] The witness dismisses number one and number two. In walks number three, Trung. He looks exhausted, his head down. The officer tells him to raise his chin. Just as he turns away from the mirror, the eyewitness speaks up for the first time.
Speaker 3:
[37:53] We're done.
Speaker 2:
[37:55] We're done, he says. As in, it's him, Trung.
Speaker 1:
[38:01] I just need you to look through it, everyone, okay?
Speaker 2:
[38:04] The line up isn't over. Fast forward through two more auditions.
Speaker 7:
[38:08] No.
Speaker 9:
[38:09] Next one.
Speaker 2:
[38:11] When he sees Anh, the eyewitness speaks up immediately. Wow, that's funny. I picked the wrong one. He picked the wrong one? How do I even talk about the insanity of this moment? Or really, of this whole situation? To put two identical twins in a lineup? Really? Every time I think about this, I just want to shake the detectives, or the deputy district attorney, or whoever had this bright idea. But so it goes. Now that the eyewitness has seen Anh, he no longer believes Trung is the guilty brother. When the detectives ask him if he wants to see the lineup again, just to make sure, he agrees.
Speaker 3:
[39:10] Which one of those subjects did you recognize in the incident?
Speaker 2:
[39:13] For a second time, the eyewitness chooses Anh, not Trung.
Speaker 7:
[39:17] Because I seen his fucking beauty mark.
Speaker 2:
[39:19] The little mole above Anh's mustache.
Speaker 7:
[39:21] I was close enough to his face when everything happened.
Speaker 11:
[39:24] And what was that person's role in the incident?
Speaker 4:
[39:29] You're asking me to explain to you what he did?
Speaker 7:
[39:31] Yes. He stabbed someone.
Speaker 1:
[39:32] Okay.
Speaker 2:
[39:34] Anh did it, the witness says. He saw it with his own eyes. Anything further?
Speaker 3:
[39:39] No, we need to go up there. I think we're up there.
Speaker 2:
[39:43] The detectives ask the eyewitness to sign a piece of paper confirming his testimony. Then they turn off the video. The brothers are told nothing. They say goodbye to each other once again.
Speaker 5:
[39:57] We hugged, said my goodbyes, and had me go back to Juvi.
Speaker 2:
[40:07] Over the next few days, Trung is moved twice. He's first downgraded from maximum security to the general population cells. Then he's taken to a minimum security facility. He is confused. Hasn't he been charged with murder?
Speaker 4:
[40:23] And that's when I realized, like, what the hell is going on?
Speaker 2:
[40:27] Back in Juvi, Anh is about to get the answer. A corrections officer leads him into an interrogation room where two detectives are waiting, the same guys who interrogated him a week ago.
Speaker 5:
[40:39] Those officers just asked me, like, okay, so now do you have anything to tell us, you know?
Speaker 2:
[40:44] Anh says no, and that's when they confirm. They are switching the charges. Trung is getting the accessory, and Anh is being charged with murder.
Speaker 5:
[40:56] When they announced that they're switching charges and they're charging me with it, they asked, how do you feel? I was like, oh.
Speaker 2:
[41:04] Anh is in shock. He didn't do this.
Speaker 5:
[41:07] So I just told him straight up, like, you guys got the wrong person, you got the wrong person.
Speaker 2:
[41:12] The detectives ignore this because that's what everyone says. And Anh doesn't say anymore. He cannot and will not tell them who the right person is. Because it's his brother.
Speaker 5:
[41:26] What could I do?
Speaker 2:
[41:30] He doesn't resist as he's cuffed and led out of juvie and back across the law enforcement complex to county jail, where he will wait to be formally indicted for murder. A murder that he did not commit. Trung receives the news that the charges are being reversed.
Speaker 4:
[41:53] He's going home. I was shocked. I just couldn't believe it.
Speaker 2:
[41:59] He moves out of county jail quickly, and his girlfriend takes him home to a strange new reality. Truong has heard this song before, lots of times. But now, he starts to really listen to these lyrics about unconditional love, about the unbreakable bond that two people share.
Speaker 4:
[42:29] That's when I dropped down to my knees. I was wailing, what the fuck, my brother is still in there, and I'm in here, like, how did this happen? I just felt so guilty, and I felt so cowardly yet as well, because I was very glad to be free, and it was at the cost of my brother's freedom.
Speaker 2:
[42:56] I started this episode with Shakespeare. Shakespeare being, in a way, the reason I learned about this story in the first place. And when I think about Trung on the floor of his room, free at his brother's expense, spinning between guilt and relief, I picture Hamlet, Othello or Macbeth, someone facing a crisis of the soul, a person locked in a battle between desire and loyalty, between selfishness and sacrifice, between free will and fate. That battle with its Shakespearean proportions is what first pulled me into this story. How could Trung abandon his brother, his twin, the person he loves so deeply? And why would Anh just let it happen and take the blame? I've been talking to the twins for five years now, trying to answer these questions. And I've come to understand how the path leading to that fateful party started long before Trung knocked on Anh's door that evening. Even before they arrived in America as little kids. That path is rooted in the very essence of their twinness. Two brothers who shared a womb, who were each other's closest childhood companions, who were raised to dress and act as one, but were constantly pulled between competing forces, and who could never escape their twin-ness, and the egregious mishaps caused by their nearly identical faces. It all leads me to one question that I and the twins are still trying to find the answer to. A question that we all must contend with at some point in our lives. How much of who we are is truly our own, and how much is determined by those closest to us.
Speaker 11:
[45:01] He's the only murder client I've had in my career who was an Eagle Scout.
Speaker 5:
[45:06] He's tired being told that he's scared to fight or scared to react, you know. That definitely builds up.
Speaker 10:
[45:12] If Trung really cared about you the way you cared about him, he would have stepped up already.
Speaker 9:
[45:18] I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of him.
Speaker 4:
[45:20] If you want to start enjoying the benefits, you gotta put your balls on the line.
Speaker 5:
[45:25] After that, I was like, no, I'm going to join a gang. This is not going to happen anymore.
Speaker 4:
[45:30] They have been ordered to attack. Oftentimes, that means with very severe violence. I could just be executed right there.
Speaker 2:
[45:40] That's all coming up this season on Blood Will Tell.
Speaker 1:
[45:46] Audible subscribers can listen to over 200 podcasts ad free, including hit shows like Dr. Death, Business Wars, and Over My Dead Body. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
Speaker 2:
[46:09] Blood Will Tell is a production of Wondery and Campside Media. This series is reported, written, and hosted by me, Jen Miller. For Campside Media, our senior producers are Lindsay Kilbride and Ashley Ann Craigbaum. Our producer is Annie Nguyen. Our story editor is Ashley Ann Craigbaum. Sound design and mix by Yuen Lai Tramuen and Mark McAdam. Fact checking by Tracy Lee. Consulting by Thomas Lu. Translation by Tran Vu. For Wondery, managing producer is Sarah Mathis. Leta Pindia is senior managing producer. Senior development editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Executive producers are Josh Dean, Vanessa Grigoriadis, Adam Hoff, and Matt Schaer for Campside Media. Executive producers are Nigery Eaton, Julia Lowry-Henderson, Marshall Louie, and Jen Sargent for Wondery.