Court denies new trial for man who murdered five people

SAN FRANCISCO >> A California appeals court upheld murder convictions against a Bay Area man who was convicted of murdering five members of the same family in a 2012 home invasion robbery here.

Binh Thai Luc, 44, argued in vain that jurors in his 2017 trial heard improper instructions when they were told that if Luc had been an aider and abettor, rather than the main perpetrator, he was “equally guilty.” The court also rejected arguments that there was insufficient evidence to justify the murder verdicts.

“There is no evidence suggesting that defendant’s mental state was any different, let alone less culpable, than that of any of his unidentified accomplices,” Presiding Justice Stuart Pollak wrote in the court’s 22page decision, issued Friday. “To the contrary, the evidence that defendant actively lured Lei back to the house supports a reasonable inference that he was more culpable than his unidentified accomplices.”

The court did rule that there was insufficient evidence on three attempted robbery convictions, but the ruling is unlikely to improve Luc’s chances of getting out of prison; he was given five life terms in 2018.

Luc — a plumber who was facing financial ruin at the time of the killing — was convicted of murdering Hua Shun Lei, 65, and Wan Yi Xi, 62; his sister Ying Xue Lei, 37; and his girlfriend Chia Huei Chu, 30. Jurors also found him guilty of murder and lying in wait in the death of 32-year-old Yuan Ji “Vincent” Lei, making Luc eligible for life without the possibility of parole.

The five family members were found beaten to death inside their Howth Street home in San Francisco, a horrific crime scene that was briefly investigated as a murder-suicide. During trial, prosecutors argued Luc lured Yuan Ji “Vincent”

Lei to the home and then slaughtered the entire family, pointing to DNA at the scene that was matched to Luc. The defense contended the victims were killed by loan sharks angry over a debt owed by Lei.

Luc is serving a life without parole sentence at Corcoran State Prison, records show.