On the evening of April 16, 2020, Julian Talbo, 20, was found shot to death in a Lawrenceville, Georgia home on Racquet Club Circle. He and a friend, 23-year-old An Ha, were discovered deceased in the lower level of the split-foyer residence after a friend returned to the house and called 911. Gwinnett County police arrived shortly after 8 p.m. and determined both victims had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.

Investigators quickly developed a theory that the killings were drug-related. Homicide detectives identified 19-year-old Steven Tran of Kennesaw as the primary suspect. Police say Tran arranged to buy two pounds of marijuana from Talbo and Ha at the home, then robbed them and opened fire, firing 12 shots and fatally wounding both men. Tran was arrested the next day, April 17, 2020, and charged in connection with the killings.