Life Terms Plus 25 Years for Blind Beach Murderers

"It's all I know. You say it's bad but it's my life. You don't understand. Gang life is not a choice or decision. It's part of you," convicted murderer Quentin Russell told the court, and his victim's family, in court on Friday when sentencing came down for the murder four years ago of Vutha Au.

Preston Khaoone (26 years old), Quentin Russell (29 years old), David Prak (23 years old) and Sarith Prak (26 years old), all of Santa Rosa, were sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 25 years to life for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of Vutha Au on March 2, 2008, at Blind Beach, near Jenner.

The announcement of the sentence was made through the office of District Attorney Jill Ravitch.

This sentencing occurred after a four-month long jury trial that concluded with guilty verdicts by two separate juries for all four defendants on June 28, 2012.

The victim, Vutha Au, was the brother of Terry Au, who had testified against Asian Boyz gang members in October 2007. As a result, the Au family had been relocated out of Sonoma County for their safety.

On March 1, 2008, Vutha Au returned to Sonoma County to visit some friends. Planning to go “clubbing”, he got into a car with a friend and an Asian Boyz gang affiliate Tyrone Tay.

During the evening, Asian Boyz gang members learned Vutha Au was in town. An Asian Boyz gang member, Boonlack Chanpheng, ultimately exchanged text messages with Tyrone Tay, and then communicated with Preston Khaoone and David Prak. Ultimately, Vutha Au was delivered to downtown Santa Rosa, where he was forcibly kidnapped by Preston Khaoone, Quentin Russell, David Prak and Sarith Prak, all Asian Boyz gang members.

Vutha Au was then driven out to Blind Beach on the Sonoma Coast, where he was executed. He was shot nine times, with four shots to the back of his head.

Just moments after Vutha Au was shot, an alert park ranger, Jeremy Stinson, passed a dark sedan leaving the scene. Ranger Stinson then came upon Vutha Au’s lifeless body and he broadcast a general description of the car he had passed. Within ten miles of the crime scene, Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Russell saw a navy blue Honda driving fast and erratically with the timing and path consistent of fleeing the murder scene.

Russell conducted a traffic stop of the car and ultimately arrested the driver, Preston Khaoone, and passengers Quentin Russell, David Prak and Sarith Prak. The murder weapon, Vutha Au’s car keys, and a shirt with Quentin Russell’s DNA covering a pair of black leather gloves were all found strewn in various locations along Highway 1 and 116, between the murder scene and the traffic stop.

In April 2011, Tyrone Tay and Boonlack Chanpheng were convicted of kidnapping with gang allegations and are currently serving 18 and 15 year prison sentences.

The verdicts this week and this ultimate sentence brought much needed closure and some sense of justice for Vutha Au’s family, who all spoke at the sentencing hearing about this violent and senseless murder.

During the emotional hour-long sentencing in Sonoma County Superior Court, Rudy Kham and Lean Sin, Vutha's and Terry's divorced father and mother, told Judge Ken Gnoss how the nightmare of losing one son to witness protection and another to murder affected their family.

Kham said his family escaped the "killing fields" in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979 and moved to Thailand, then to America, only to have another horror find them. "I brought my family here for a better life and future. I feel my life is over. I gave up everything in my dream," he said. Kham said he hoped the sentencing of his son's killers would bring some peace to the family.

Lean Sin recalled Vutha as a generous son and a hard worker who used his first paycheck to buy gifts for his family. "I don't understand why an innocent person like Vutha had to be killed," she said. She said she and Kham lost every dream they ever had. With one son dead and the other living far from her, Sin said she has no family or friends to talk to. "My life is full of pain. I am alone," she said. "I miss Vutha and worry about Terry. He is very scared. I tell him every day on the phone to look behind him and be safe," she said.

Terry Au told Judge Gnoss Vutha was "the best big brother I could ask for." He said he lives every day in fear of being killed. "I have closed myself off from the world since Vutha died," he said. "You are the beat of my heart and the soul of my body. I will always love you," he said of his brother.

Carrillo told the court she hoped the sentencing would bring some sense of peace to Au's family and dissuade others from the gang life. David Prak addressed Au's family in their native tongue, and Russell apologized to his mother and to the Au family, but he also took the opportunity to defended gang life.

"It's all I know. You say it's bad but it's my life. You don't understand. Gang life is not a choice or decision. It's part of you," Russell said.

Bay City News and Sonoma County Office of the Attorney General contributed to this report.