Sydney university dropout stabs brother, mum after graduation lie

Dropping out of an advanced computing degree, a Sydney man maintained a lie that he would graduate until he tried to kill his brother with a small fruit knife.

Jacky Dang, 24, had been enrolled at the University of Sydney until he failed a single subject in early 2023 and did not enrol in any more.

Claiming that he was still studying, he told his family his graduation ceremony was on May 24, 2024.

The day before, he launched an unprovoked attack on his older brother Jackys who was playing computer games in their shared bedroom at their Marrickville home in Sydney's inner west.

"The victim ... suddenly felt a hot sensation in the back of his neck," documents filed with the NSW District Court say.

"He turned and saw the offender holding a knife by the handle in one of his hands. It was a small fruit knife."

The victim had studied a biomedical science degree at the Australian Catholic University and had also dropped out while telling his parents he had graduated.

"What are you doing? Is this about the graduation thing?" the older brother asked.

"I turned out fine, you can stop this."

The 24-year-old did not respond but rather launched into a ferocious attack, stabbing his brother in the face, upper-left arm and back.

"I am going to die," his brother managed to type in a Discord chat that was open on his computer.

Hearing yells, their 56-year-old mother ran into the bedroom and tried to intervene.

Instead, Thri Truc Mai Nguyen was grabbed by her son who stabbed her in the throat.

After Nguyen took the knife and emergency services were called, the younger Dang sat silently on a dining room chair.

He presented his wrists to be handcuffed when police arrived.

During a recorded interview while in custody, Dang told officers he had homicidal and suicidal thoughts for a number of years.

"(He) had given up on life and had thought to kill his family and then himself," the agreed facts sheet filed in court say.

Dang intended to kill his brother and had hit his mother in the neck to get her to "back off".

"He further explained that he waited for police to arrive, acknowledging his plan had failed and it would be best to hand himself in," court documents say.

Without trauma-centre level emergency management, his brother would have died as a result of his nine stab wounds.

He spent 13 days in hospital, five days of which were under sedation and intubation to aid his recovery.

Nguyen had one stab wound and spent four days in hospital.

Dang later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He will be sentenced at Downing Centre District Court on August 14.