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Man sets wife on fire, himself in northwest Harris County

HOUSTON – Authorities in northwest Harris County are piecing together what led up to a bizarre murder-suicide, where a man set his wife (and himself) on fire.

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It happened just before 2 a.m., the Harris Co. Sheriff’s Office said, when emergency officials were called to a home on Desert Rose by Antoine and Hwy 249.

That’s where responding deputies found the house in flames and firefighters found the couple’s bodies. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that two adult children were found unharmed but treated at the scene by EMS officials.

Preliminarily, officers are treating the incident as a murder-suicide that stemmed from “domestic violence.”

Deputies tell KPRC 2′s Cathy Hernandez it all started in the garage when Tien Trinh, 62, was “agitated” and turned off the power before getting into an argument with his wife, Tuybach Ho, 58.

The two sons, 21 and 28, respectively, later woke up to hear their mother screaming and found her covered in flames inside the garage. They tried putting out the flames, deputies tell Cathy but were unsuccessful and ran outside as the flames started to spread to the rest of the garage.

SEE ALSO: Do you or a loved one need help? Free domestic violence resources in the Houston area

Moments later, authorities said the sons heard their father, still inside the garage, screaming.

We’re told investigators have been called out to the home before for prior domestic violence incidents - most recently in December and January. However, it’s unclear what exactly led up to Monday morning’s incident.

Deputies say the sons are cooperating with the investigation and a lighter was found nearby the father.

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About the Authors
Ahmed Humble headshot

Historian, educator, writer, expert on "The Simpsons," amateur photographer, essayist, film & tv reviewer and race/religious identity scholar. Joined KPRC 2 in Spring 2024 but has been featured in various online newspapers and in the Journal of South Texas' Fall 2019 issue.

Cathy Hernandez headshot

Reporter, family-oriented, sports fanatic, proud Houstonian.

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