Murder trial begins for man accused in 2022 Chinatown killings

The man accused of fatally beating two strangers in Edmonton’s Chinatown stood in court Monday and quietly responded, “not guilty” to two counts of second-degree murder.

It’s been nearly four years since Justin Bone, 40, was arrested in the deaths of 61-year-old Ban Phuc Hoang and 64-year-old Hung Trang.

Both men were at work less than a block apart — Hoang at an electronics store and Trang at an autobody shop on 98th Street — when they were attacked on May 18, 2022.

Bone’s trial was delayed for more than a year as he cycled through multiple lawyers, including current defence lawyer David Wolsey, who has represented Bone at several points since he was charged.

In a statement Monday, Hung Trang’s daughter, Christina Trang, said the long wait has been “disappointing and heartbreaking.”

“As the trial begins, I want to centre the people who have carried the deepest loss — the victims and their families. This process is about honouring their lives, their dignity, and their right to truth and accountability,” she said.

“As proceedings unfold, I urge everyone to keep the focus where it belongs: on the harm that was done, the lives that were taken, and the responsibility our systems have to protect people.”

Crown prosecutor Anders Quist said Bone “viciously beat” Hoang and Trang to death, first allegedly confronting Hoang while he was alone in the store, striking him in the head with a DVD player and repeatedly stomping on him on the floor.

According to the Crown’s case, Bone emerged from the business about 40 minutes later with blood smeared on his cheek and carrying a bag of bottles. He tried to open car doors as he walked up the street.

Surveillance footage shows him in the service bay of Albert’s Autobody shortly after 4 p.m., where Trang appears to briefly speak to him, then go into a staff bathroom.

Prosecutors said that’s where Bone attacked him.

“Mr. Bone knew Mr. Trang was alone in the washroom. He was aware his earlier assault on Mr. Hoang had left him wounded, incapacitated and perhaps dead,” Quist said.

“Mr. Bone threw or knocked Mr. Trang … hard enough to break the [toilet] tank against the wall.”

Trang was taken to hospital, where he died from his injuries the following day.