Vietnamese boyfriend behind death of Australian in HCM City

Quach Phuoc Ho Tay, 22, an undergraduate from Dong Nai Province who is attending university in Ho Chi Minh City, was on October 4 detained by the municipal police on charges of murder and appropriation of properties.

Tay was found responsible for the murder of Chinese-born Australian national Alex Lee, who was in July found dead at his private residence in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.

Lee, 51, was director at a tourism and educational service company based in the southern Vietnamese city.

Quach Phuoc Ho Tay

According to Tay’s testimonies at the police station, he and Lee were involved in a romantic relationship after they met each other on a dating site in May.

On the evening of July 15, the two met at Lee’s private house on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in District 10 for some intimacy.

Out of pain and anger from being treated violently by the director during the act, Tay reportedly hit and strangled Lee to death.

The undergraduate ran off with Lee’s wallet, phone, and motorbike, and later used the Australian man’s bank account to shop for a phone.

Tay also used a fake license plate to avoid police.

The next day, a group of Lee’s employees came to search for the director at his house after multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact him by phone.

Police was later called to the scene after the employees rang the doorbell multiple times to no avail.

Breaking into the residence, police found Lee already dead, lying naked on his bed on the first floor of the house with his mouth and nose splattered with blood.

After two months of following traces and leads, Ho Chi Minh City Police was able to narrow Tay down as the top suspect, and an intensive search operation was carried out to apprehend the man.

Further investigation is underway, the city’s police said.