“FBI Offers $30,000 Reward for Capture of Hung Tien Pham, Third and Final Killer in Boston’s Chinatown Massacre”

Accident – death – Obituary News : FBI Offers $30,000 Reward for Capture of Final Suspect in Boston’s Chinatown Massacre

More than three decades have passed since the notorious Chinatown Massacre in Boston, and the FBI is determined to bring the third and final killer to justice. In the early hours of January 12, 1991, a horrifying incident unfolded in a cramped apartment at 85 Tyler St. in Boston’s Chinatown. Five men were brutally shot in the head, execution-style, while gathered around a card table. Another man miraculously survived despite critical injuries.

The victims, identified as local residents Chung Wah Son, Cuong Khang Luu, Man Cheung, David Quang Lam, and Van Tran, were found lifeless in the underground gaming hall operated by the Ping On gang. Surprisingly, the motive behind the massacre appeared to be a power struggle between rival gangs, as no robbery took place at the scene. The authorities swiftly identified three local thugs, Siny “Toothless Wah” Van Tram, Nam “Johnny” The Tram, and Hung Tien Pham, as the prime suspects. Warrants were issued for their arrest six days after the killings.

Despite a nationwide search and a feature on “America’s Most Wanted” in May 1991, it took more than a decade for justice to catch up with Siny Van Tram and Nam The Tram. They were eventually apprehended in China and convicted of murder in 2005, each receiving five consecutive life sentences. However, their accomplice, Hung Tien Pham, remains at large. The FBI is now offering a generous reward of $30,000 for any information leading to his capture and conviction.

Hung Tien Pham, who was 31 years old at the time of the massacre, is currently described by the FBI as a 63-year-old individual born in North Vietnam. Standing at a height of 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-4 and weighing between 115 to 135 pounds, he possesses the ability to speak Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. Throughout his life, he has held various occupations, including cook, waiter, bicycle repairman, and floor sander.

Following the massacre, the FBI believes that Hung Tien Pham fled from Boston to New York City before boarding a flight to Hong Kong on February 1, 1991. On February 15, 1991, a federal court in Boston issued an arrest warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The FBI urges anyone with information about Hung Tien Pham’s whereabouts to contact their nearest FBI field office or embassy, consulate, or call the toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

In the 1980s, the Ping On gang held a tight grip on the criminal activities within Chinatown, as reported by the Herald. However, the departure of their leader, Stephen Tse, to Hong Kong, and the subsequent murder of his right-hand man, Michael Kwong, in August 1989, led to a power vacuum. The influx of new gangs vying for control resulted in a tragic turn of events on that fateful day in January 1991.

William Moy, the then-moderator of the Chinatown neighborhood council, expressed his disbelief following the massacre. He had hoped that the Ping On gang’s influence would diminish after Michael Kwong’s death, stating, “I thought the Ping On, with Michael Kwong’s death, that those days were behind us.”

Law enforcement officials, at the time, revealed that they had received intelligence suggesting the emergence of new, more violent and well-armed gangs in Chinatown. These groups consisted of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam who showed little regard for the rules that governed their predecessors. As one source disclosed to the Herald, “The old gangs got eliminated, and they couldn’t control the young blood coming in.”

The Chinatown Massacre remains an unresolved chapter in Boston’s history, leaving families and the community affected by this tragedy seeking closure. The FBI’s ongoing efforts to capture the final suspect, Hung Tien Pham, bring hope that justice will prevail. With the $30,000 reward offered, there is renewed motivation for individuals to come forward with crucial information.

As time passes, the search for answers continues, and the FBI remains committed to solving this chilling case that forever transformed Boston’s Chinatown..