A Virginia man is accused of murdering his girlfriend and then changing his story about what happened after he brought her to the hospital.

Huy Nguyen, aged 47, faces charges of second-degree murder concerning the death of 38-year-old Alison “Kate” Laporta. Although the trial has only just commenced, the incident dates back to April 17, 2024.

The Fairfax County Police Department was alerted just before midnight that night, arriving at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, where Laporta, suffering from a gunshot wound, had been taken by her boyfriend, Nguyen, as confirmed by police according to the department. Despite initial treatment for a gunshot wound to her upper body, Laporta was moved to another hospital, where she was declared dead.

During discussions with Nguyen, police initially heard his claim that the shooting took place in a parking lot. However, as investigations developed, detectives found evidence contradicting this statement.

Nguyen, whose hands and arm were reportedly stained with blood during his conversation with police, stated that while they were in a parking lot in Annandale, roughly 20 minutes from Fairfax, Laporta was struck by a stray bullet, as reported by prosecutors, according to Washington D.C.’s NBC affiliate WRC. Nevertheless, investigators discovered that the couple had not been in that location at all.

The Fairfax County Police Department concluded that Nguyen shot LaPorta within the vehicle before driving her to the hospital. The firearm was found near Nguyen’s residence in Lorton. Consequently, he was charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

As the trial got underway this week, new allegations came to light, such as that Nguyen has changed his story about what happened.

While Nguyen initially claimed a stray bullet fatally injured his girlfriend, who was a mother of two, his defense now argues she died by suicide and had even fired a shot at him. According to WRC, defense attorneys have also presented extensive medical records from 2022, suggesting Laporta previously faced a mental health crisis, leading to her hospitalization.

Prosecutors, for their part, called men to the witness stand who allegedly were with the couple on the day Laporta was shot. The witnesses reportedly said Nguyen and Laporta had been fighting at a pool hall and that the suspect made threatening statements.

“The only way this argument ends is with a bullet,” one witness reportedly recalled Nguyen as saying.

“I’m going to shoot this girl,” Nguyen allegedly added that day.

Four bullet casings are said to have been recovered from the driver’s side of the SUV in which Laporta was shot, as well as one in Laporta’s purse, and the fatal bullet in the back seat.

An obituary for Laporta remembers her as “a beautiful soul” who “will be dearly missed by many.”

“Kate loved life in general but her greatest joy by far was her children,” it added. “She loved spending time with them and visiting the beaches at her family home in Bethany, DE.”

Closing arguments for Nguyen’s trial were set for Wednesday. If convicted on the second-degree murder charge, he could be imprisoned for up to 40 years, according to Virginia law.