Two Men Plead No Contest for Their Roles in 2003 Murder of Richmond Teen

Two men pleaded no contest Wednesday in a Martinez courtroom for their roles in the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in Richmond more than a decade ago that sent shockwaves through the community.

Deng Phethvilay, a 34-year-old Cordelia resident, and Keooudone Somphonphakdy, a 33-year-old San Pablo man, both agreed to plead no contest to manslaughter in lieu of a trial on first-degree murder charges.

Somphonphakdy also pleaded no contest to a firearm charge. Judge Terri Mockler sentenced Phethvilay and Somphonphakdy to six and nine years, respectively, in San Quentin State Prison.

Chan Boonkeut never saw her assailants. It was just before midnight on Oct. 14, 2003 when she heard a knock on her front door. She went to open it but was instead met with a hail of gunfire that ripped through the door. Prosecutor Melissa Smith said Phethvilay, Somphonphakdy and two other assailants, all members of the Sons of Death gang, were mad at their rivals, the Color of Blood, for a shooting that happened earlier in the evening.

They believed a Color of Blood member lived at the Boonkeut residence and Smith said they had planned on knocking on the door and then waiting for someone to answer before opening fire.

“Chan was the person who was walking to the door,” Smith said. At the time, neighbors described an entryway riddled with dozens of bullet holes and said officers recovered roughly 20 shell casings from the scene. Chan’s brother, Tom Boonkeut, said he was sleeping when he was awoken by the sound of gunshots.

“I remember the gunshots and I remember seeing my sister lying on the ground with blood coming from her head,” Boonkeut said. “I knew my sister was dead.”

Chan’s father, Gwai Boonkeut, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. He appeared in court today but allowed a family member to read a statement on his behalf. He said he wasn’t happy with the plea agreement and thought the defendants should have received a longer sentence.

“That’s not manslaughter,” Gwai Boonkeut said. “They came and knocked on the door and shot people inside and they’re calling that manslaughter?”

Police ultimately arrested Cuong Chi Dang, an El Cerrito resident who was 19 at the time of the shooting, and Seutitia Liua Fiu, a San Pablo resident who was 24, in connection with the shooting. Both received sentences of 21 years in prison, Smith said. Although all of the defendants were arrested within a month of the shooting, Smith said it took much longer to gather the evidence necessary to secure convictions in the case.

The district attorney’s office didn’t charge Phethvilay and Somphonphakdy until June 2012, she said.

“It required years of effort from inspectors, police agencies and multiple prosecutions in order to have a case to prosecute these final two individuals,” Smith said. “Often the persons responsible are known, yet it takes years for relevant, admissible evidence to be available for them to receive their day in court for justice.” The sentence did little to provide solace for the Boonkeut family, said Molly Silatasey, who read a statement during the hearing on Gwai Boonkeut’s behalf. She said the Boonkeut family was “devastated and destroyed” by Chan’s death and that Chan’s mother even tried to commit suicide two years after the shooting because she was under so much stress and anxiety.

Chan’s mother was eventually admitted to a mental health facility and although she has since been released, Silatasey said she is still under the watchful care of her physicians. Gwai Boonkeut suffered two heart attacks in 2006 and 2009 as a result of the grief and stress he faced following Chan’s death, Silatasey said.

Even though it has been more than a decade since the shooting, Silatasey said the family has not celebrated any major holidays.

“We no longer have peace, happiness or love in our family anymore,” she said, reading from a statement on behalf of Gwai Boonkeut. “The murder of our daughter has ripped our hearts and souls and ruined our lives forever.”

Chan was a high school student and was also taking classes at a community college, Silatasey said. She had volunteered with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network since she was 12 and was active in the Laotian community in Richmond.

By Bay City News

Photo via Shutterstock