'She hit me': Lam sister claimed abuse by mom, murder trial hears
One Lam sister told police officers she was physically abused by her mother in the days leading up to the mother's death, court heard on Wednesday afternoon.
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Sisters Chau Kanh Lam and Hue Ai Lam face first-degree murder charges in relation to the death of their mother, Kieu Lam, in Ottawa on Oct. 31, 2022. They have pleaded not guilty.
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Police officers and paramedics who testified on Wednesday said they found Kieu Lam in a bedroom on the second floor of the townhome she shared with her daughters shortly after 12:20 a.m. She was unconscious with a traumatic injury on her forehead and a piece of string around her neck, court heard.
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The jury also heard that the string was tied to the base of a hammer found under Kieu's pillow.
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Oniste Laurore of the Ottawa Paramedic Service told the court Wednesday that 'it was obvious she was not alive' when Laurore and her former partner initially found Kieu.
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Laurore said the two moved Kieu off the bed and into a hallway just outside the bedroom to attempt resuscitation because the bedroom was too small.
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'She was still warm,' Laurore said on the witness stand.
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Bradley Ross, who was an advanced-care paramedic with the Ottawa Paramedic Service at the time of Kieu's death, said she was not breathing and did not have a pulse when he arrived at the Lam residence.
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Ross said he delegated Laurore and other emergency responders to perform CPR and other life-saving measures shortly after Kieu was moved to the hallway. He also told the court he was consulting with a physician by telephone at the same time.
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Despite their efforts, however, Kieu was pronounced deceased shortly after 1 a.m.
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Ottawa Police Service Const. Timothy Tang arrived at the home on Bowmount Street in response to a request from colleagues for additional officers because the incident was deemed a homicide. When he reached the Lam residence, Tang was directed by a staff sergeant to stay in the kitchen with two women he later identified as Hue and Chau.
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'I don't know if emotionless was the right word. Maybe a little spaced-out, but very blank,' Tang testified.
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Tang said he requested a Vietnamese interpreter over the phone, but was told he would get a callback when one became available. In the meantime, he tried to extract information from Hue, who could understand basic Cantonese.
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Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
'She hit me': Lam sister claimed abuse by mom, murder trial hears
One Lam sister told police officers she was physically abused by her mother in the days leading up to the mother's death, court heard on Wednesday afternoon. Article content Sisters Chau Kanh Lam and Hue Ai Lam face first-degree murder charges in relation to the death of their mother, Kieu Lam, in Ottawa on Oct. 31, 2022. They have pleaded not guilty. Article content Article content Police officers and paramedics who testified on Wednesday said they found Kieu Lam in a bedroom on the second floor of the townhome she shared with her daughters shortly after 12:20 a.m. She was unconscious with a traumatic injury on her forehead and a piece of string around her neck, court heard. Article content Article content The jury also heard that the string was tied to the base of a hammer found under Kieu's pillow. Article content Article content Oniste Laurore of the Ottawa Paramedic Service told the court Wednesday that 'it was obvious she was not alive' when Laurore and her former partner initially found Kieu. Article content Laurore said the two moved Kieu off the bed and into a hallway just outside the bedroom to attempt resuscitation because the bedroom was too small. Article content 'She was still warm,' Laurore said on the witness stand. Article content Bradley Ross, who was an advanced-care paramedic with the Ottawa Paramedic Service at the time of Kieu's death, said she was not breathing and did not have a pulse when he arrived at the Lam residence. Article content Ross said he delegated Laurore and other emergency responders to perform CPR and other life-saving measures shortly after Kieu was moved to the hallway. He also told the court he was consulting with a physician by telephone at the same time. Article content Article content Despite their efforts, however, Kieu was pronounced deceased shortly after 1 a.m. Article content Article content Ottawa Police Service Const. Timothy Tang arrived at the home on Bowmount Street in response to a request from colleagues for additional officers because the incident was deemed a homicide. When he reached the Lam residence, Tang was directed by a staff sergeant to stay in the kitchen with two women he later identified as Hue and Chau. Article content 'I don't know if emotionless was the right word. Maybe a little spaced-out, but very blank,' Tang testified. Article content Tang said he requested a Vietnamese interpreter over the phone, but was told he would get a callback when one became available. In the meantime, he tried to extract information from Hue, who could understand basic Cantonese.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Lam sisters confessed to killing mom, murder trial jury hears
Two Ottawa sisters confessed to killing their elderly mom in her sleep while being investigated by police, jurors were told Tuesday afternoon as a murder trial got underway at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Article content Chau Kanh Lam and Hue Ai Lam are charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of their mother, Kieu Lam, on Oct. 31, 2022. Article content Article content In their opening address, Crown prosecutors outlined the case, telling the jury both sisters gave detailed statements to the police that they killed their mother. The Crown alleged that they struck Kieu in the head with a hammer, rendering her unconscious, before strangling her to death. Article content Article content The Crown said the two sisters attacked their mother when she was 'sleeping and lifeless,' unable to defend herself or to call for help. Article content Article content 'She gave them life, and they took her life,' prosecutors said. Article content The Crown said Chau then called 911, telling the dispatcher through a Vietnamese interpreter that she and Hue had killed their mother. At one point, Chau even spelled out the word 'kill,' they alleged. Article content The Crown then accused the sisters of planning to kill their mother in the days leading up to the attack because they were mad and angry at her for how they said she treated them. Article content Both Chau and Hue pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday morning. The trial is scheduled to last five weeks. Article content Crown calls first witness Article content After the opening statement, the Crown called its first witness, Marlo Carlo Villalobos, who was then an ambulance communications officer for the Ottawa Paramedic Service. Article content Article content Villalobos said he primarily took 911 calls and gathered as much information as possible before sending an ambulance to each location when he worked in Ottawa between January 2021 to March 2024. He now lives in Montreal. Article content Article content Jurors then heard an audio recording of the 911 call between Villalobos and Chau. They were also provided a transcript of that call, including a certified translation of the Vietnamese portions. Article content Throughout the call, Villalobos tried to extract information from Chau, but had difficulty understanding her due to the language barrier. He then called the Ottawa Police Service and told the police dispatcher that 'somebody killed their mom.' Article content He then requested a Vietnamese interpreter through LanguageLine Solutions, a service used by the Ottawa Paramedic Service to obtain translation over the phone.
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
National Holocaust Monument vandalism investigated as potential hate crime
The defacement of the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa overnight Sunday is now being investigated as a potential hate crime. In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service said the hate and bias crime unit 'is actively leading the investigation,' after the monument, located close to Parliament Hill at 1918 Chaudière Crossing, was defaced with red paint, including lettering appearing to spell out 'feed me.' 'The desecration of Canada's Holocaust Memorial was fuelled by a climate where incendiary rhetoric and false narratives about Israel are increasingly used to target Jews in Canada and around the world,' says interim president Noah Shack at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. 'All levels of government across party lines spoke out against this hate crime and rallied around the principle that deliberately targeting victims of the Holocaust is not an act of protest. What's urgently needed is for our leaders to tackle the sources of hate driving vile acts of antisemitism.' Story continues below advertisement Responses from political leaders echo others in describing the impacts this has had on local communities and across Canada as instances of antisemitism have been on the rise following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people in Israel and the Israeli military response. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to data from Statistics Canada, there were 900 incidents of hate crimes against the Jewish community in 2023, an increase from the 527 incidents reported in 2022. In 2024, the number remained high at 816. View image in full screen The words 'FEED ME' are seen painted in red on the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa on Monday, June 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X on Monday that he is 'appalled by the National Holocaust Memorial being vandalized by graffiti overnight. This is a monument that commemorates the six million Jewish lives murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of Nazi Germany. It is a space for mourning and remembrance, and its defacing is reprehensible.' Story continues below advertisement The CEO and president of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Adam Silver, wrote in a statement that the incident was 'not merely vandalism … (but a) brazen act of desecration against the memory of six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims of the Holocaust.' 'It is a stark reminder that remembrance is not enough; we must also stand firmly against the resurgence of hatred in all its forms.' Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also posted on X, saying, '6 million Jewish people died at the hands of the murderous and genocidal Nazi ideology. The antisemitic thugs who vandalized the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa should be caught and locked up for this crime. We must empower authorities to stop antisemitic lawbreakers and make Canada safe for all.' This is also not the first time such incidents have occurred at the monument site. The Ottawa Police Service has not said yet if anyone is in custody or if there are any suspects in the investigation, but is urging anyone with information to contact its tip line.
