Ottawa·BreakingThe 13-person jury found Hue and Chau Lam not guilty of first-degree murder Sunday in the killing their mother almost three years ago. Chau and Hue Lam had been charged with 1st-degree murder David Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Aug 03, 2025 6:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes agoChau Lam, left, and Hue Lam, right, were found not guilty of first-degree murder on Sunday in connection with the killing of their 88-year-old mother Kieu in 2022. (Superior Court of Justice/Ottawa police exhibits)A jury has found Hue and Chau Lam not guilty of first-degree murder in the killing their mother almost three years ago. It took the 13 jurors five days to make their finding, which was delivered late Sunday afternoon at the Ottawa Courthouse.Throughout the trial, there was no doubt the sisters killed 88-year-old Kieu Lam in her sleep.In the end, their argument that they acted in self-defence after enduring decades of abuse was accepted by the jury.Crown prosecutors had argued that Chau, 59, and Hue, 62, brutally murdered their aging and frail mother as she lay sleeping in her bed, using a hammer and string to do so. Justice Narissa Somji delivered her instructions to the jury Tuesday night, before sending them to deliberate on a verdict.The trial started at the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa in June. More to come.There was no doubt that Chau and Hue Lam killed their mother, but they had argued that they’d acted in self-defence after enduring decades of abuse. (Laurie Foster-MacLeod)ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid Fraser is an Ottawa-based journalist for CBC News who previously reported in Alberta and Saskatchewan.With files from Arthur White-Crummey and Kristy Nease
Lam sisters acquitted in 2022 killing of their 88-year-old mother
