Just weeks after making his Broadway debut, rising actor Quentin Nguyen-Duy is mourning the deaths of his father and stepmother while his non-binary sibling faces murder charges in connection with the killings.
The 28-year-old actor had been appearing nightly alongside The Hunger Games star Tom Blyth in previews of Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City.
But on Wednesday, one day before the play’s official opening, Quentin’s father, Pipo Nguyen-Duy, a 64-year-old professor at Oberlin College, and his stepmother, Thi Tran Phong, 56, were found dead from gunshot wounds inside their Ohio home.
His sibling, Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, who is from Oregon and identifies as non-binary, was arrested in connection with the deaths.
Asia was carried into an Ohio courtroom by four officers on Friday after reportedly refusing to walk. Their jail-issued pants had slipped around their legs, exposing their underwear, as they were brought before a judge.
Quentin, whose credits include Law & Order: SVU and The Rookie, has not publicly commented on his father’s death. Our News Outlet has contacted him for comment.
Despite the tragedy, he appeared on the Lincoln Center stage Thursday for the limited-run play’s opening night.
Quentin’s mother, Élan Chardin Gombart, 57, told Our News Outlet in a statement: “All families involved are deeply grieving this tragedy and ask for privacy during this time.”
Pipo Nguyen-Duy (middle) was found dead in their Ohio home on Wednesday. His son, Asia (left) has been arrested for the murders. His other son, Quentin (right) is a Broadway star
Quentin has not publicly commented on his father’s death. The murder occurred the day before the opening night of the play he’s making his Broadway debut in
His stepmother Thi Tran Phong, 56, were also found dead from gunshot wounds
Asia, 31, was seen being carried into court with his jail-issued pants around his legs on Friday
‘We hope going forward that all news is treated with compassion and discretion for all involved.’
Quentin appeared to be close with his late father, who had a large inner-forearm tattoo of his name.
‘So grateful and proud to be a part of your unfolding story,’ Pipo wrote in a Facebook post where he wished his younger son a happy birthday in February 2024. ‘To the hardest working, smart, and kind man.’
Quentin and Asia, who previously went by Daniel Jones, appeared several times on their father’s social media pages.
In 2025, Pipo and Quentin traveled together, and the younger son supported his father’s NYC photography art show.
In 2024, Quentin shared a video online of himself cooking a Vietnamese meal with his stepmother. The pair appeared happy and joyful as Quentin practiced his Vietnamese and cooking skills.
Pipo also posted several photos of the boys growing up on his social media pages.
Police discovered Pipo and his wife after they were alerted to a vehicle fire at the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot shortly before 9am on Wednesday.
Quentin has spent weeks performing previews of A Few Good Men on Broadway
Quentin (front row, third from left) stars in the Aaron Sorkin’s play alongside Hunger Games star Tom Blyth (behind Quentin)
Despite the tragedy, Quentin (back left) was seen performing on opening night, alongside Blyth (front right)
The silver Toyota hatchback was found with boarded-up windows, a wood stove in the backseat, and a makeshift chimney through the roof. A wallet, passport, suitcase, keys, loose ammunition, and packaging for a Glock were also found in the car.
The gun has yet to be recovered by police.
The car belonged to Asia, police said. Roughly an hour and 20 minutes later, the suspect was found near the 200 block of Shipherd Circle and later booked into the Lorain County Jail in Ohio.
Around 10.30am, Oberlin Police forced themselves into Pipo’s home, where they found the couple dead, both with multiple gunshot wounds.
Greg Porson, a neighbor of the late couple, was walking his dog when he said a person he believes to be Asia jumped out of a car looking ‘really disheveled,’ ‘wet,’ and ‘uneasy,’ he told News 5 Cleveland.
The suspect allegedly asked Porson for a ride to the library so he could ‘escape this cult.’ Asia also allegedly asked Porson to take a video of him.
‘I said: “You know, I never get into anything like that, so I’m out of here,”‘ he told the outlet.
Prosecutors told the judge on Friday that a video does exist of Asia allegedly confessing to the killings.
Asia was charged with six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence
The boys appeared several times on their father’s social media pages
In 2024, Quentin shared a video online of himself cooking a Vietnamese meal with his stepmother
Pipo had a large tattoo on his forearm that spelled Quentin’s name
Pipo and his wife were found with multiple gunshot wounds inside their home in Oberlin, Ohio
Quentin has appeared in Law & Order: SVU and The Rookie, among other shows before making his Broadway debut
‘He says he’s escaping a cult. He also says everything I did was on my own accord, and I take full responsibility,’ the prosecutor said, according to Cleveland 19.
When he was found by police, Asia was allegedly covered in blood and scratches, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also said Chardin Gombart, who lives in Oregon, said the suspect was psychotic and needed medication, Cleveland 19 reported.
Asia’s alleged motive is not immediately known.
Pipo had been teaching at Oberlin College, which is near Cleveland, since 1998. He taught visual art.
The school honored the professor, saying in a social media statement: ‘Pipo was a cherished teacher, artist, and colleague whose work and mentorship touched many lives at Oberlin. In the conversations, experiences, and memories shared during these past couple of days, one sentiment echoes throughout: he was beloved.’
The school will be hosting a gathering to honor the couple.
Pipo immigrated to the US at the age of 13 from Vietnam as a political refugee, his Oberlin College biography said.
Quentin has not publicly commented on the death of his father. Quentin and Asia’s mother, Élan Chardin Gombart, 57, told Our News Outlet in a statement: ‘All families involved are deeply grieving this tragedy and ask for privacy during this time’
Pipo immigrated to the US at the age of 13 from Vietnam as a political refugee. He is pictured with his children
Pipo posted several childhood photos of the boys growing up on his social media pages
Pipo used to compete in national table tennis tournaments while living in the Asian country. He also briefly practiced as a Buddhist monk in India before returning to the US to attend Carleton College in Minnesota.
Pipo also lived in New York City, where he worked as a bartender and nightclub manager, before getting a Masters of Fine Art from the University of New Mexico, his biography said.
He also received a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for photography in 2011. The Guggenheim Foundation mourned the photographer, it said in a social media statement.
Asia’s lawyer, Jenifer Berki Merrill, said the suspect now goes by his birth name.
Asia was charged with six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence.
His bond was set at $3 million, and he remains in custody.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Asia’s lawyer for comment.
