Suspect arraigned on murder, battery charges
‘Demons’ told him to kill ex, court documents say
Kevin Van Nguyen, a 26-year-old San Jose man arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fatally stabbing Milpitas resident Danica Bascos, was arraigned Wednesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court on charges of murder and battery.
Nguyen, who is being held without bail, was arraigned on one charge of murder with a deadly weapon, and intentionally lying in wait; one charge of battery against a person with whom the defendant has, or previously had a dating or engagement relationship; and one count of battery against Bascos’ boyfriend John Souza, according to police reports.
On Monday police received a phone call reporting an unresponsive adult inside the residence at 598 Manzano St., near Milpitas High School. Officers found Bascos, 20, dead from multiple stab wounds, police said. Detectives were called in to begin a homicide investigation.
According to police, the victim’s father, Daniel Bascos, returned home from work and found his daughter lying in her bed. He asked his sister, who was also home, to call police.
“He rolled the victim onto her side and pulled her shirt up. He noticed she had several stab wounds to her back,” Milpitas police Sgt. Abbie Serrano said in the report.
A neighbor had outside video surveillance of her residence in which a person can be seen walking on the street in front of her house. She identified Nguyen as being similar to the person she saw from a photo lineup, according to police reports.
“Nguyen’s residence was searched on Tuesday as part of the murder investigation, where a bloody sweatshirt, two knives, the gloves, the victim’s cellphone with blood on it, and other items were found,” the report states.
When asked why he had killed Bascos, Nguyen said “demon” voices told him to do it, police reports state He also indicated he was “mad” that she lied to him about cheating on him, according to reports. Although stating his “demons” told him to kill the victim, he admitted the “demons” did not tell him to purchase the knife or the gloves three weeks prior when he decided to kill the victim, the report states.