FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 2, 2025

Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Sexual Assault Kit Unit Secures 32-year Sentence in Sexual Assault of Tulane Student

NEW ORLEANS, LA — District Attorney Jason Williams announced today that his SAKI Unit secured a conviction in the case of Minh R. Nguyen, who pled guilty in Criminal District Court to the 2022 sexual assault of a Tulane University student who was attacked while walking home from classes.

Nguyen appeared in Section L before Judge Angel Harris on Monday, September 29, 2025, plead to two counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree kidnapping, ensuring accountability without requiring the survivor to relive the trauma through trial testimony.

The survivor’s fiancé gave a powerful victim impact statement  in court, focusing on the attack and  the enduring harm the defendant has caused:

“This crime permanently devastated our family. The damage is not something we will ever recover from; it is something we will live with for the rest of our lives. Three years later, the consequences remain daily and relentless.”

This case was solved in real time thanks to the collaboration between NOPD Sgt. Tyra Pruitt, Sex Crimes Detective Lamar Lewis, Tulane University Police Department Sgt. Terry Pritchett, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brandon Savage. Their swift coordination, combined with the vigilance and clarity of the survivor, led to the immediate identification and apprehension of the perpetrator.

The Louisiana State Police  Crime Lab scientists further cemented the case by matching Nguyen’s DNA to evidence recovered from the survivor’s body.

“It is abhorrent and shameful for a predator to prey upon a student walking home from class. I am grateful that this plea relieves our survivor of the burden of a trial,” said SAKI Chief Mary Glass, “I commend the survivor for her courage, both the immediate aftermath and throughout the justice process.”

Assistant District Attorney Penny Kissinger, who prosecuted the case with Chief Glass, added:

“The swift and thoughtful policework here made a huge difference in how quickly this case was solved and the defendant was apprehended. That kind of interagency cooperation is what every survivor deserves.”

District Attorney Jason Williams underscored the courage of the survivor and the office’s commitment to holding sexual predators accountable.

“This guilty plea is more than a conviction, it is a statement to every student and every family that we will not tolerate predators who believe they can stalk our children, our neighbors, or our classmates,” said DA Williams. “The courage of this survivor, the tireless work of our prosecutors, and the immediate action by Tulane Police, NOPD, JPSO, and State Police brought us here. Justice has been served, and the threat to our community that this dangerous predator posed, has been removed. ”

Williams also highlighted the office’s ongoing investment in trauma-informed practices: “Every case we prosecute is about more than the defendant, it is about standing with survivors and ensuring they are heard, supported, and believed.”

The SAKI Division is a team within the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office who work on sexual assault cases where there is DNA evidence collected in conjunction with a sexual assault kit.

Tel: 504.822.2414

Email: communications@orleansda.com