Police arrest suspect in killing of 5 in SF home

[March 26, 2012]  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A 35-year-old man was booked on five counts of murder after the bodies of three women and two men were found at a gruesome crime scene in a San Francisco home.

The aftermath of the killings was so tangled that police couldn't initially determine whether they were dealing with a murder-suicide, or whether a suspect was at large. They also initially thought that at least two of the victims were shot.

"This was a complex crime scene. We had five deceased persons apparently from blunt force trauma. We didn't know what we had," police Chief Greg Suhr said.

Binh Thai Luc was taken into custody Sunday morning on five counts of murder, Suhr said.

The bodies were found early Friday by a woman with access to the home in the Ingleside District in the southern part of the city.

The victims still have not been identified and police have not been able to determine the exact causes of death or offer a motive for the slayings. Suhr said 40 investigators were working on the case.

The chief declined to say what led investigators to Luc, saying only that the suspect knew the victims and that an "edged weapon" was involved in the slayings. He said Luc had a prior criminal record, but did not elaborate.

Investigators did not believe the killings were gang-related, Suhr said.

Also arrested was Luc's 32-year-old brother, Brian Luc, on unrelated charges of drugs and ammunition possession and violation probation.

Suhr did not provide details of the younger brother's arrest, saying only that the two lived together.

The woman who discovered the bodies found one man dead in the foyer by the front door, then saw a man and a woman dead in the garage before running out and calling police.

When officers arrived, they found the other two deceased women. Investigators believe the victims were related.

The home near San Francisco's City College has a thriving immigrant community, largely from Asia.

[Associated Press; By JOHN S. MARSHALL]

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