October 16th 2023.
Joseph Harrell, the 18-year-old teenager who threw 41-year-old Nhung Troung to the ground during a robbery in Houston's Chinatown district, has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison after accepting a plea deal.
It was a heartbreaking incident for the victim and her family. Troung, a 41-year-old mother, was left paralyzed after the attack.
Kim Ogg, the Harris County District Attorney, credited the City of Houston's organized crime division as a factor in securing the plea deal. She said, "People should feel safe in our community and not have to worry about looking over their shoulders whenever they go to the bank or run errands. Our organized crime division was ready and willing to go to trial, and that is why this defendant decided to plead guilty."
Sean Kozar-King, the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Organized Crime Division and responsible for prosecuting the case, explained to reporters that Troung was going about her daily routine when she was attacked. He stated, “She had taken money out of the bank to go see her family in Vietnam, and that’s when he attacked. He not only stole a significant amount of money, but he paralyzed her, maybe forever. It’s still unclear how long she will be in a wheelchair.”
Troung recently spoke to KHOU through an interpreter. She said that while she understands that "30 years is a long time" to be behind bars, she doesn’t want what happened to her to happen to anyone else. She is also focusing on her recovery and trying to get as much of her life back as possible.
Through her interpreter, Troung said, “This jugging has to end. We all want to have a life. Thirty years is a long time, she agrees, but still, what matters is she wants to walk again. She wants to get back to her routine and a life. We want to send a message to all these juggers out there that, hey, 30 years is a long time, and we don’t want this to happen to anyone, any race, anybody to ruin someone’s life like this.”
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