Melbourne: Mum of Ethan Hoac , 14, weeps as innocent son's 'cowardly' murderers jailed
Two teenage murderers have been jailed after they ran down a 14-year-old boy before stabbing him to death with machetes in a random attack.
A mother has sobbed as a duo who randomly ran down and ferociously stabbed her innocent son to death with machetes were jailed.
Ethan Hoac was walking with two friends late one evening in June 2023 when he was sent flying by a stolen car intentionally driven into him.
As the 14-year-old crawled along the roadway, two teens in face masks jumped out of the car with machetes and began stabbing him.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The June 26 attack in Melbourne’s north-west lasted less than a minute but he suffered 30 stab wounds and died on the way to hospital.
After the attack, Ethan’s murderers, all aged 17, drove to a tennis club about 10 kilometres away where they were captured on CCTV inspecting the car for damage and re-enacting the stabbing motions.
One of the machete-wielding teens pleaded guilty to murder and was on Friday jailed for 17 years.
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Amanda Fox set a minimum term of 12 years and six months.
It closely resembled the sentence handed down to the other knifeman in late 2025.
The teen who deliberately rammed into Ethan, kicking off the 14-year-old’s killing, was found guilty of murder by a jury in June.
While he never wielded a machete, he had reached an agreement with the other two to kill or seriously injure the victim, the jury found.
Now aged 21, he had his arms crossed as he sat in a prison audiovisual suite to hear he would spend a minimum of 14 years in prison.
His sentence, which tops out at 18 years, was longer because he did not receive a guilty-plea discount.
The unprovoked and cowardly physical violence was substantial, Justice Fox said.
The machete attack was “ferocious”, she said.
“The random nature and extreme brutality of your crime is difficult to comprehend,” she said.
“(Ethan) was smaller than all of you, (he was) unarmed and outnumbered.
“The victim was an innocent child.”
Ethan’s mother Annie Huynh sobbed as the judge detailed the anguish and devastation the family, including Ethan’s eight siblings, faced following his death.
“Ethan’s death has crushed their hearts,” Justice Fox said.
The other machete-wielding teen pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for 17 years with a non-parole period of 13 years in November 2025.
He had created a series of violent rap lyrics days after the slaying, the sentencing judge said.
While in custody, he produced and posted another song to YouTube which contained lyrics appearing to boast about Ethan’s murder.
