MINNEAPOLIS — More than a month after his arrest caught on body camera in Oklahoma, Aaron Le was back in a Minneapolis courtroom. But his murder case was unable to proceed because Le still doesn’t have an attorney.
Le is charged with killing Tu Phan inside Co Tu Oriental Cuisine in Bloomington in November.
Police say he was wearing a Halloween mask and targeted Phan because Le was jealous of Phan’s interactions with Le’s ex-wife. Police say she was not romantically involved with Phan.
The woman also told police Le “is crazy and assaulted her as far back as 2018,” according to court papers.
Court papers also reveal the FBI was onto Le last summer after a report of an alleged “contract to kill” involving Phan and Le’s ex-wife.
Phan was a regular at Co Tu and ate there at the same time every Wednesday. The same time he was shot to death.
Court records reveal Le narrowly escaped police at the scene of the crime, but then detectives were able to trace cell phone pings as he traveled through Wichita, Kansas then into Oklahoma where he was arrested.
A search warrant reveals that inside the white Sprinter van Le was driving, police found a loaded gun with silencer and ammo, Le’s passport, and $4600 cash.
Now Le is facing second-degree murder charges and if indicted for first-degree murder as expected, could be looking at a life sentence.
The judge in Tuesday’s hearing said a public defender will be appointed to represent Le. He is scheduled to be back in court twice in January.