[PHOTO CREDIT: Mount Dora Police Department]
[Original Publish Date: 01/30/21]
MOUNT DORA, Florida — Saturday marks two months since a beloved couple were gunned down in the store they owned, and their murderer still has not been identified despite three agencies actively investigating the case.
Minh “Tina” Nguyen, 47, and Khiem “Ken” Ba Trinh, 56, were shot around 9 p.m. Nov. 30, at their popular store, T & N Market, 1345 North Grandview Street, just a few blocks from Mount Dora Police Department.
Video surveillance from outside the store showed an unidentified individual accosting Trinh at his grey Honda minivan in the parking lot and forcing him back into the store at gunpoint. Additional surveillance from inside the store shows the suspect arguing with the couple and fleeing the store. The actual shooting was not released to the public. The couple were found behind the counter suffering multiple gunshot wounds; Nguyen was pronounced dead on the scene and Trinh was airlifted to Central Regional Medical Center in Sanford, where he later died.
Leads and tips have continued to come in since the murders, City of Mount Dora Spokeswoman Lisa McDonald said in an email to Lake Legal News earlier this week. MDPD, the 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are “vigorously investigating the case and continue to make progress,” the email said.
In a press conference the day after the murders, MDPD Interim Chief Brett Meade said, “This is a dagger in all of our hearts,” and that sentiment was echoed through numerous social media posts by locals who knew the well-known couple.
MDPD did make one arrest related to the case in December. Undrea Lashaye Dixon, 42, of Mount Dora was arrested on Dec. 4 for perjury in an official proceeding, a felony. Police say Dixon went into the store around a minute after the shooting and though she saw the couple suffering and moaning behind the counter, she failed to render aid and did not call for help. She was captured on surveillance entering the store and returned to the scene several hours later where a MDPD officer recognized her. She told police she “saw nothing.”
According to Lake County Clerk online records, the perjury charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor charge of false information to a law enforcement officer. Dixon is still in the Lake County Jail serving a sentence for an unrelated criminal traffic violation. The details of that case were unavailable at press time.
“The Mount Dora Police Department and our law enforcement partners continue to meticulously investigate and follow-up every aspect of this terrible crime. We are relentless in our efforts and bringing the perpetrator(s) to justice is our top priority. Eventually, those responsible will be held accountable for their actions, it’s only a matter of time,” Meade told LLN in an email.
If you have information on the murders, call MDPD at 352-735-7130 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers may be eligible for a reward.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
