Arlington woman killed husband with hammer when he gave her divorce papers, police say

A 42-year-old woman is in custody in Arlington after she killed her husband by hitting him in the head with a hammer and then called 911, according to a news release from Arlington police. She faces a charge of murder.

Police arrived at an apartment in the 3200 block of Sweetgum Trail around 6 a.m. Wednesday to find the suspect, My Tran, sitting outside, according to the news release. She was immediately taken into custody, and officers entered the apartment to find her 45-year-old husband lying unresponsive in the bedroom.

The man, whose name will be released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office after next-of-kin have been notified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the victim called Tran to his apartment to sign divorce papers.

Tran, who speaks Vietnamese, first confessed to a 911 dispatcher through an interpreter and later confessed to Arlington police detectives, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. A detective who is fluent in Vietnamese acted as a translator, the warrant says.

After being read the Miranda warning, Tran waived her rights and agreed to tell a homicide detective what happened, according to the affidavit.

The suspect said she had built up anger toward her husband due to their relationship status, Detective Spencer Simmons wrote in the affidavit.

While at her husband’s home about 4 a.m., Tran retrieved a hammer from her car, went inside the apartment and debated with herself whether to kill her husband before striking him in the head, she told Simmons.

Tran estimated she hit her husband with the hammer six or seven times, according to the affidavit. She said she was fully aware of her actions and accepts responsibility, Spencer wrote.

Police said they found the hammer near the victim’s body.

Tran is being held at the Arlington City Jail. Bond has not yet been set.