A teenage killer who helped murder a schoolboy after he was struck by a car has pleaded with the victim’s mother for forgiveness.
Ethan Hoac, 14, was walking along Furlong Road in St Albans, Melbourne’s west, with two friends at 10.52pm on June 26, 2023, when the group drove a Volkswagen Tiguan towards him and hit him.
Shortly before the attack, the three offenders had been seen entering a juice centre on Clarke Street in Sunshine. CCTV captured one of them using his phone to pay for ice cream.
The killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to murder in May. Another offender was sentenced last year to a maximum of 17 years in prison.
A third offender remains to be sentenced after being found guilty of murder at trial.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old sat in the dock of the Supreme Court of Victoria as his letter of apology was read to Ethan’s mother, Annie Huynh.
The court heard Ms Huynh did not object to the letter being read aloud in open court.
“I’ve been thinking for a long time about what I could possibly say to you and your family,” the killer wrote.
Ethan Hoac’s mother said she would pray for the teenager who killed her son
Ethan Hoac did not know the two people who attacked him
“I know there are no words that can take away the pain you have experienced, and I know there are no words that can undo what has happened.
“But I still wanted to write this letter because I need you to know that I am deeply sorry for the hurt and pain my actions have caused you and your family.”
The court heard the killer played an active role in the fatal attack on Ethan, who was a complete stranger to the offenders.
The assault lasted about 20 seconds before distant sirens prompted the group to flee, leaving Ethan lying in the road.
An autopsy found that Ethan had suffered 30 stab wounds, along with four other injuries to his chest, back, arms, hand and scalp.
Seven of the wounds pierced vital organs, including the pulmonary artery, both lungs, the spleen, both kidneys and the liver. The injuries caused his lungs to collapse and led to severe internal bleeding.
Justice Amanda Fox said both young men sprang into action as soon as the car stopped.
“Given where Ethan fell after being flung through the air and landing on the roadway, (the co-offender) being in the passenger seat was closer, but they both sprinted out of that car towards the victim,” she said.
CCTV captured the young killers before they chased down Ethan
Police at the scene of Ethan’s murder in St Albans in June 2023
The judge rejected any attempt to downplay the youth’s part in the killing.
‘Your client repeatedly kicks Ethan when he’s on the ground,’ she told his lawyer.
‘There’s a possible seven, I think it was, stab wounds that are fatal. It’s not known who, between them, inflicted the fatal wounds.
‘I really don’t think it’s much case of counting.’
The killer claimed he has struggled to even meet Ethan’s mum’s eyes.
‘It has been difficult for me to look at you and face what I caused,’ the letter read.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Presley Gerber, Cindy Crawford’s Son, Reportedly Dies at 27 as Cause of Death Emerges
‘When I see you, I cannot help but think about my own mother. I think about how I would feel knowing that my mum was experiencing the kind of pain you had to live with. That is something that has stayed on my mind heavily.’
The youth claimed he could never understand the way his actions had impacted Ethan’s loved ones.
‘I take responsibility for the actions and choices I made that caused you pain,’ he added.
The youth told the court that prison had forced him to confront what he did.
‘Since being in custody, I’ve had a lot of time by myself to think about my life and the choices I have made and the person I want to become,’ he wrote.
Ethan Hoac and his mother
‘I want to move on. I want to make my family proud. Instead, I’ve made choices that caused a lot of people pain. Since being away, I believe I’ve matured a lot.
‘I used to react with anger, lash out when things don’t go my way. I am learning to control my emotions, think before I act, and understand the consequences of my decisions.’
The youth’s barrister told the court his client’s words were not just empty lines, but part of an emerging, hard won remorse that only truly began after the teen sat and listened to the victim impact statements in July.
During that hearing, Ethan’s mother said she would ‘pray’ for her son’s killer.
The court heard the apology letter had been three years in the making, with prosecutors arguing it should be given limited weight.
While Justice Fox accepted the boy had shown genuine remorse, she condemned him for the brutal slaying.
‘These were children, they were 14 to 15 years old, walking along a road. They presented less than no threat, if that’s possible,’ she said.
At an earlier hearing, Ms Huynh said she was haunted by not knowing her son’s final moments.
‘I want to know the last moment when he died. Does he call my name or call me to help him?’ she said.
Despite her grief, she said she took comfort in her son’s character and his final act of protecting his friends.
‘Before he died, he told his friends, just run, leave him. He didn’t ask them to stay. He kept them safe,’ she said.
Ethan (in white) tried to run for his life before he was hacked down
She described her son as ‘a very sweet boy, always smiling,’ adding that ‘he always said that he was my favourite son.’
Ms Huynh said she did not hate her son’s killers, but wanted them to understand the gravity of what they had done.
‘I want them to learn from their mistake and not make another family grieve, like me and my family have,’ she said.
She described the lasting psychological impact of watching evidence during the trial.
‘Watching the last moments of Ethan’s life on camera, when he was smiling with his friends, I wish that moment could be forever,’ she said.
The youth will be sentenced at a date to be fixed.
READ MORE: The harrowing last moments of a baby-faced kid as he’s chased to his death. Now the savage teen who hacked him down – then wrote a RAP song about it – learns his fate