My name is Hung Nguyen and I am serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole. I have been incarcerated for 19 years. I am a citizen of Vietnam, born in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on September 5, 1978. My father was an alcoholic who abused my mother. My mother tried repeatedly to escape Vietnam with me but never succeeded. She eventually was able to flee Vietnam alone when I was 8 years old. Me and my younger brother stayed with a Great Aunt in Vietnam, while my mother worked and settled in San Jose California with an attempt to make a better life for us all. At the age of 14 I was brought to the United States by my mother. We lived in Alameda County, and in 1994 we relocated to Orange County. Being that I came to this country as a teen I did not speak very good English, nor did I have any American friends that could help me improve my language until I came to prison. On August 25, 1998 me and a couple of my friends were hanging out shooting pool, one of my friends spotted his ex-girlfriend hanging out with a group of guys. This made him jealous; he said he felt he was being disrespected. He got into an argument with her and her friends, which only angered him more. Afterwards he asked us to “back him up”; stupidly we agreed. We followed her and her friends after they left, they got on to the freeway at that time we fired 3 shots at her and her friends in an attempt to scare them. I never thought shooting at a vehicle going 70 MPH we would actually hit anyone. Unfortunately, we did, and she died. I cannot believe that I was so naïve to allow myself to be involved in something like this, this I will live with for the rest of my life. In 2004 my mother was killed by a drunk driver. The pain I felt after losing my mother was almost unbearable. My pain I’m sure was nothing compared to what we put my victims’ family through, no parent should have to bury a child. I was able to put myself in their shoes and imagine the pain I caused them. I have been incarcerated since the age of 19 years old. This was the first time I had ever been arrested. Even though I have a LWOP sentence I set out to become a better person when I arrived. I have taken several self-help groups such as AA/NA, Anger Management, Alternatives to Violence, Creating a Healing Society, Gang Awareness, I am currently enrolled in college for my AA Degree. I have learned so much from each and every one of the self-help groups I have participated in as well as I was able to take away tools that will help me be successful and give back to the community. I would love to work with the youth today, share with them my story, because I too was a youth (when I was sentenced to LWOP). Let them know that it only takes one time and one mistake, and this could be their life. This is how I want to make my amends to my victim and her family, a living amends that I will practice every day and continue to strive to be a better person. Hung Nguyen