Report: Jury Finds Hang Guilty in Stabbing Death of 12-Year-Old Gaithersburg Girl

After deliberating nearly seven hours, a Montgomery County jury Wednesday found David Rich Hang guilty of murdering his 12-year-old estranged stepdaughter by stabbing her more than 40 times, The Gazette reported.

Hang, 43, of Hyattsville, was accused of stabbing to death Jessica Nguyen, a then- student, at her Gaithersburg home in May 2011.

According to The Gazette, prosecutors said Hang killed the child with a sword to get back at Nguyen's family, which contested his divorce of the girl's mother, Khen Kim Vu, in 2010 — The Nguyen family protest prevented Hang from putting his new wife on his work insurance, costing him thousands in court fees and insurance costs.

"This was an extremely difficult case from the time of the murder up until this very moment," Montgomery County Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Chaikin said after hearing the verdict, according to the report. "We are extremely thankful for the hard work and decision of the jury."

Hang had lived with the Nguyen family in late 2005 and early 2006, . He and Jessica’s mother were married in June 2006, but he moved out in February 2007. While there were no reports of domestic violence, it “was certainly not a good relationship,” Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said.

Hang filed for an uncontested divorce from Nguyen's mother in October 2010. The divorce dragged out for months, culminating in court proceedings in the days before Nguyen's murder. A week after the girl's death, it was determined that the case could not be resolved because of “continuing involvement” with immigration officials, court records show.

Hang is due in court for sentencing on Oct. 29.

Read the full report on The Gazette.

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