A New Orleans man has pled guilty to the 2022 sexual assault and kidnapping of a Tulane University student, a case solved through swift police collaboration and decisive forensic breakthroughs.
On Monday, September 29, 2025, Minh R. Nguyen appeared in Section L of Criminal District Court before Judge Angel Harris and pled guilty to two counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree kidnapping. The plea spared the survivor the ordeal of testifying in court, while ensuring Nguyen faces significant accountability for his crimes.
Investigators credited teamwork between multiple agencies for Nguyen’s rapid identification and arrest. NOPD Sgt. Tyra Pruitt, Sex Crimes Detective Lamar Lewis, Tulane University Police Sgt. Terry Pritchett, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brandon Savage worked in concert after the attack. Their combined efforts, alongside the survivor’s clarity in recounting events, allowed authorities to apprehend Nguyen in real time.
Assistant District Attorney Penny Kissinger, who prosecuted the case with SAKI Chief Mary Glass, noted how pivotal the coordination was. “The swift and thoughtful policework here made a huge difference in how quickly this case was solved and the defendant was apprehended,” she said. “That kind of interagency cooperation is what every survivor deserves.”
The decisive evidence came from the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, which matched Nguyen’s DNA to samples recovered from the survivor’s body. That scientific confirmation cemented the case against him, removing any doubt and making a trial unnecessary. Chief Glass emphasized the impact of forensic precision combined with survivor bravery: “It is abhorrent and shameful for a predator to prey upon a student walking home from class. I am grateful that this plea relieves our survivor of the burden of a trial.”
In a powerful impact statement, the survivor’s fiancé described the unrelenting harm caused by the attack. “This crime permanently devastated our family,” he said. “The damage is not something we will ever recover from; it is something we will live with for the rest of our lives. Three years later, the consequences remain daily and relentless.”
District Attorney Jason Williams praised the survivor’s courage and the unified work of law enforcement that led to Nguyen’s conviction. He emphasized that the guilty plea sends a message that sexual predators will be pursued and removed from the community.
The case was prosecuted by the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) unit of the DA’s office, which specializes in cases where DNA evidence plays a critical role in identifying and convicting offenders.
