Family upset with 23-year sentence for man who killed mother of 2

A Fairfax County man convicted of shooting his girlfriend as the two rode in his SUV is going to prison for 23 years, but the victim’s loved ones are disappointed with the sentence.

Video shows Max Nguyen showing his blood-stained hands to police minutes after he took his mortally wounded girlfriend, Kate Laporta, to Mt. Vernon Hospital April 17, 2024.

He told police crossfire struck his girlfriend outside a karaoke club. Later, he changed his story to claim Laporta, a mother of two, fired at him and then herself during a dispute in his SUV.

“She pushed my hand out as I was turning into our driveway, and she turned the gun on herself and fired this way,” he told investigators. “I don’t know how she did it. I just saw her turn and fire.”

It was just one of dozens of lies Nguyen told, according to prosecutors.

In September, a jury didn’t buy his story and convicted him of second-degree murder and a firearms charge.

Second-degree murder carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Prosecutors and the victim’s family urged the judge to impose the full sentence.

But the judge sentenced Nguyen to 23 years Friday.

The decision disappointed Laporta’s daughter, Katlin Lasky, who said it wasn’t enough.

“I think he should have gotten the full 40 and plus some,” Lasky said.

“The death of my mother has impacted me so badly, I just don’t get sleep at night,” she said. “I mean, we lost what was equivalent of everything.”

In his victim impact statement, Laporta’s father, Tim Pounsberry, told the judge the murder brought “absolute destruction” to their family.

“Murdered my daughter,” he told News4. “I mean, ask yourself. He got 23 years. Something, it’s just not enough.”

Lasky said she worries about her brother, who was just 10 years old when his mom was killed. She keeps memories of her mom close with a tattoo matching one her mother had.

“I wear her jacket,” she said. “That’s what I’m wearing right now, is one of her jackets. I got a tattoo for her. Honestly, the only thing I can do is keep her memory alive, because there are so many people who didn’t get to meet her and they should have.”

If Nguyen serves his full term, he will be in his early 70s when he’s released.