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Samoans in Vietnam charged for murder
Steve Tofa and Joseph Vaa in Vietnamese custody.
(Photo: Supplied)
By Shalveen Chand
•
29 May 2026, 2:40PM
Samoan nationals Joseph Vaa and Steve Tofa have been charged with murder by the Vietnamese police, according to media reports from the Southeast Asian country.
Authorities confirmed that the two primary suspects, Samoan nationals, are in custody on murder charges in connection with the killing of Coconut Cartel leader Lorenzo Lemalu.
At a high-level press briefing last night in Vietnam, Lieutenant General Mai Hoang, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police, said the investigation has rapidly expanded beyond the shooters themselves as authorities worked to uncover how the suspects fled the scene.
Vaa and Tofa travelled to Vietnam on fake Australian passports. They confessed to being hired to kill Lemalu.
More to come.
