Police arrested three teens allegedly involved with the murder of a Marine working as an Uber driver in Houston.
The night of the Sept. 4 shooting, Quoc “Jake” Nguyen was found dead on the side of the road, his car and belongings stolen, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez in an Oct. 16 Facebook post.
Nguyen was just 28 years old.
More than a month after the incident, police arrested three male suspects: a 15-year-old later charged with capital murder, and a 13 and 14-year-old charged with tampering with evidence.
Police booked all three, whom they didn’t identify to the public, into the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center.
Nguyen, who had formerly served in the U.S. Marine Corps, worked as an Uber driver to take care of his mother and sisters, according to KRIV-TV in Houston.
“At the time he was driving that night, he had a rideshare from Uber,” his brother Matthew Nguyen said. “He picked up one customer and dropped him off downtown. After that, he still had some people in the car. Uber confirmed that’s the last time they heard from him.”
Before his death, Nguyen was studying to become an EMT, according to KHOU-TV.
“I had just spoken to him on Tuesday, and he sounded like he finally figured some stuff out. Then we get a call on Friday… and this is the case,” Nguyen said.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of a murder involving children.
Three teenagers, including a 13-year-old, have been arrested for the murder of a Marine veteran who was working as an Uber driver to support his mother & sister in Texas.
Quoc “Jake” Nguyen, 28,… pic.twitter.com/7JbEt9knyb
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) October 18, 2025
Two of the teen suspects could be charged as adults.
“In Texas, generally, you have to be 14 years of age or older to be certified as an adult. In this case, we are looking at two children who could be certified and face felony charges in an adult courtroom,” legal expert Carmen Roe told KHOU-TV.
A family is seeking justice after 28-year-old Marine veteran Jake Hieu Quoc Nguyen was shot and killed while driving for Uber in NW Harris County. Deputies say he was found lying on the side of the road. At this time, no arrests have been made. #FOX26 pic.twitter.com/Yxg3IQALu5
— Jillian Hartmann (@JillianFOX26) September 9, 2025
If convicted as an adult, the 15-year-old could face life in prison.
“This is the reason we have certification of minors to be charged and punished as adults — for serious felonies, including murder and including capital murder. For the 15-year-old, we are likely going to see him tried as an adult… to stand before a felony court here in Harris County,” Roe said.
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