‘Obsessed’ Man Asked Tenant to Marry Him — Then Killed Her Mom and 2-Month-Old Daughter

An Utah man has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, a decade after the killings of a 63-year-old grandmother, her infant grandchild and a family friend.

In September 2015, Heike Poike and her 2-month-old granddaughter, Lyrik Poike, were found dead alongside family friend Dakota Smith inside a Salt Lake City, Utah, home.

Authorities quickly identified Alexander Hung Tran as a suspect. On Aug. 23, he was found guilty of their murders, according to a statement from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. On Nov. 7, the office announced that Tran had been given three life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The case began on Sept. 18, 2015, when Salt Lake law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at the residence after Heike did not arrive to pick up her grandson from school, the DA’s office said.

Inside the home, officers discovered the bodies of Heike, Lyrik and Smith. Tran was located in the basement of the house.

Investigators later determined that Tran had allowed Heike’s daughter, identified in court documents as A.P., to stay at the property with her two children. Heike had moved in as well to help care for the children while her daughter worked.

During the time A.P. lived there, Tran allegedly became fixated on her, according to investigators. He told her he wanted to marry her and have a child together.

A.P. is said to have replied to him only out of a sense of obligation, as he had offered her a place to stay. What she wrote in those responses was not made clear.

Tran’s mother, who had purchased the home for him, told police she did not approve of the arrangement and informed her son she planned to begin eviction proceedings against A.P. and her family. Authorities have not identified her as a relevant party in the criminal case.

In tributes shared online after the killings, Heike, Lyrik and Smith were remembered with love by those who knew them.

“Dakota had a heart of gold, always willing to help anyone in need,” read part of Smith’s obituary. “He faced many challenges in life but always wanted to do the right thing and make his Dad proud.”

Lyrik’s family wrote that “during her short life she touched so many and had an infectious smile,” calling her her mother’s “little princess.”

Heike was remembered as a devoted mother and grandmother who “loved to post pictures and share their accomplishments.”