The man was a University of Sydney (pictured) dropout. Photo / Getty Images
A Sydney man has been sentenced after he stabbed his family on the eve of his supposed graduation because he was ashamed to tell them he had dropped out of university.
Jackyy Dang, 24, was sentenced this week to nearly six years in prison for the attack on his brother and mother in their Marrickville home, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Dang dropped out of an advanced computing degree at the University of Sydney in 2023 after failing one paper, but struggled to tell his family of his decision.
Maintaining the deception for many months, he told his family he had completed the course and was eligible to graduate on May 24, 2024.
However, the evening before the supposed ceremony, Dang launched an attack on his brother Jackys, who had been playing video games in their shared bedroom.
A document filed with the New South Wales District Court said the older brother “suddenly felt a hot sensation in the back of his neck”.
“He turned and saw the offender holding a knife by the handle in one of his hands. It was a small fruit knife,” the document said.
Jackys asked him: “What are you doing? Is this about the graduation thing?
“I turned out fine, you can stop this.”
The Canberra Times reported Jackys had also dropped out of university studies and led his parents to believe he had graduated.
Jackys managed to type the words “I am going to die” into a Discord message thread on his computer before his brother stabbed him nine times in the face, upper arm and back.
The attack continued when their mother, Thri Truc Mai Nguyen, 56, entered the bedroom, alerted by the commotion.
Dang reportedly grabbed his mother and stabbed her in the throat, before she managed to get a hold of the knife.
The injured pair were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital by ambulance, according to 9News.
The Canberra Times reported Jackys was critically injured and spent 13 days in hospital, including five under sedation and intubation, while Nguyen spent four days in hospital.
Dang pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in April last year.
Dang revealed to police he had been suffering from homicidal and suicidal ideations.
“[He] had given up on life and had thought to kill his family and then himself,” a court fact sheet read.
“He further explained that he waited for police to arrive, acknowledging his plan had failed and it would be best to hand himself in.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported a psychiatrist told the court Dang, who has autism, struggled with isolation and intense pressure around academic success, shaped by his parents’ experience of poverty and cultural expectations.
Joining the sentencing hearing remotely, Dang reportedly appeared emotionless as Judge Imad Abdul-Karim sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison.
“He said he was depressed and was not thinking straight,” Judge Abdul-Karim said.
“I’m of the view that his offending was relatively spontaneous and occurred in the circumstances of the mental impairments outlined earlier.”
Dang is not eligible for parole for three years.
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