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NEW INFORMATION: Sara Hougom murder details given at court
NEW INFORMATION: Sara Hougom murder details given in court

La Crosse, Wis. (WEAU)-We have new information in the Sara Hougom murder case.

Pao Choua Vue and Kong Vue are both charged with the murder of the 20-year-old. The two appeared in court for a preliminary hearing.

Sgt. Jake Jansky with the La Crosse Police Department testified that when he interviewed Kong, Kong told him that he and Pao Choua were driving around town after interviewing for jobs on March 26.

They were complaining about Kong's girlfriend who was nagging him about money when they ended up at the end of Island Drive. Kong was in the drivers seat, and Pao Choua pulled out a gun and fired four rounds at a house. They then sped away.

Kong saw the gun as an opportunity to get the money his girlfriend was nagging him about.

The two then switched drivers and ended up driving to and parking on 8th Street. Kong ran through the alley and into the apartment complex where he found Hougom’s apartment unlocked.

He was going to steal Hougom's purse when he saw a person laying on the couch. When the person sat up, Kong said he panicked, shot two rounds in that direction and ran off. He then told Pao Choua that he [expletive] up and shot somebody.

Officer Dan Ulrich of the La Crosse PD was the first on the scene and also testified. He described the 911 call..

"Dispatch received a 911 call that they described as a female moaning or crying in the background but no verbalization."

Ulrich said he found Hougom on the living room couch with no pulse or breath and no sign of trauma. He performed CPR, and called for medical help.

They got her to the hospital where they found a droplet of blood coming out of her chest. They later determined it was a gunshot wound.

Hougom had two gunshot wounds, one in the shoulder blade and one in the torso. An x-ray showed only one bullet in the side of her body.

Officers say they spent several weeks searching for leads in the case. They interviewed suspects around the area and collected evidence.

Towards the end of April, a major break came in the case. The girlfriend of one of the suspects came forward with information that led to the arrests.

Pao Choua Vue and Kong Vue were both arrested and charged with 1st degree homicide as party to the crime and 1st degree attempted homicide. Bullet casings from Hougom’s apartment were a match to the ones found from the north side drive by shooting that had happened minutes before. Police say the victims didn’t know the shooters.

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