On July 22, 2015, Tran Tuyet, a 48-year-old beautician, was found bludgeoned to death at her beauty school, Signature Beauty School, in Houston's Chinatown neighborhood. Her body was discovered by students the morning after the attack. The crime scene appeared to have been staged to look like a robbery; however, cash and credit cards were left untouched, and her vehicle was simply driven around the block and abandoned. The evidence indicated that the attack was not a robbery gone wrong, as the assault was prolonged, as captured by audio surveillance from nearby businesses. The sounds of the beating were inconsistent with a quick robbery, raising immediate suspicions regarding the true motive of the crime.
Tuyet's estranged husband, Itani Losangel Milleni, who had changed his name from Trang Vu shortly after the murder, became a key suspect. The couple had been going through a contentious separation, with Tran seeking both a divorce and a restraining order against him. Just hours before the murder, Milleni had a heated meeting with Child Protective Services (CPS), who had previously removed the couple's children from the home due to incidents of domestic violence. Following Tran's death, Milleni abruptly changed his name and moved out of state.
It took almost four years before Milleni was formally charged. He was eventually arrested in April 2019 while unloading his truck in Bluffton, Indiana. The authorities believed that the murder was motivated by his desire to prevent Tran from taking custody of their children and to collect a $275,000 life insurance policy on her. During the investigation, a pattern of domestic abuse emerged, including previous threats involving an ax, which prosecutors believe may have been the murder weapon, although it was never found. Milleni denied involvement in Tran’s death, but inconsistencies in his statements and the poorly staged crime scene led to his arrest. Ultimately, he was extradited to Houston and charged with her murder. Milleni was found guilty and sentenced to 55 years in prison.
