Upper Darby man slain, wife beaten in home invasion

Son Pham sat on a stone wall a few doors down from the Upper Darby rowhouse where his father was killed and his mother severely beaten Monday night in what police believe started as a burglary.

"It is weird knowing he will not be around anymore," Pham, 22, said yesterday. "It is not going to be the same for my mom or my family."

Police found Hoa Pham, 60, a decorated veteran of the South Vietnamese military, beaten and stabbed to death in his living room in the 100 block of Copley Road just before 9:30 p.m.

His wife, Thai Nguyen, 58, who was assaulted, was in serious but stable condition at Delaware County Memorial Hospital with fractures in her face, hands, arms and head and stab wounds, according to police.

"She doesn't know the news yet," said Son Pham, one of the couple's six children. "We're keeping it from her until she is ready."

Most of his siblings were at their mother's bedside. A sister living in Vietnam had been told of the attack and was gathering with other relatives, he said.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood described the scene inside as a "house of horrors."

The couple had gone to bed around 8:15 p.m. when they heard a noise as the intruder broke a front window and opened the door, Chitwood said. The robber ran upstairs to their bedroom and "in a blitz assault" started to beat them in bed.

Police described the intruder as a 6-foot-tall, muscular man in his late 20s or early 30s whose face was obscured by a black hoodie.

The man dragged the couple downstairs to the living room, bound them with lamp cords, beat them again, and demanded money. Nguyen gave the robber money and went upstairs to get more. At that point, she tried to use a cell phone to call 911, and the man went upstairs and beat her again.

The intruder tied Nguyen up and left. She was able to get free and flee to the home of a nearby relative, who called police.

Police think that the robbery was random, and that the house may have been chosen because it appeared no one was home, Chitwood said.

Son Pham, a student at Temple University, was studying when he got the call from a sister, he said. He described his father as a hard worker very active in St. Alice Roman Catholic Church, across the street from their home.

Hoa Pham spent seven years in a North Vietnamese reeducation camp with one of his sons before moving to the United States 17 years ago, Son Pham said.

Hoa Pham worked as a subassembly technician for Alloy Surfaces, a subcontractor for the Department of Defense, in Chester Township.

"He is definitely going to be missed here," said Gerri Ginett, vice president of human resources. "We are definitely stunned right now."

His death leaves a huge hole at St. Alice. Pham was vice chairman of the Vietnamese Catholic Community, according to the Rev. Peter Quinn, pastor. The couple were regulars at the Sunday Vietnamese Mass, which Pham helped organize.

"His death will be a big loss for us," Quinn said. "He was a good man, a good father, a good husband, and a good neighbor."

There will be Masses at 7 p.m. today, tomorrow and Friday, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and a candlelight service Sunday in front of the Pham home, he said.

"We will invite as many parishioners to say a rosary and pray for peace in the neighborhood, forgiveness and for condolences to the family," Quinn said.

Police ask anyone with information to call Upper Darby detectives at 610-734-7677. There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the intruder.