Kaw Tung was sentenced Tuesday in the Delta County 47th Circuit Court. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — A man who stabbed and killed his coworker in August 2025 has been sentenced in the Delta County 47th Circuit Court.

Kaw Tung, 38, pleaded no contest in January to one count of homicide – murder in the second degree. In exchange for Tung’s plea, the Delta County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to dismiss one count of homicide – open murder.

Tung was sentenced to 270 months — 22.5 years — to 80 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections, with credit for 260 days already served. He was also ordered to pay $258 in fines and fees.

His attorney, Jennifer J. France, along with Delta County Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Wickman appeared before Judge John Economopoulos Tuesday.

France described Tung’s childhood in Burma, saying soldiers recruited children and trained them to kill.

“Thankfully, Tung was able to escape to Malaysia before killing was an everyday part of his life,” France said.

Tung later obtained refugee status in the United States.

France acknowledged the severity of the crime but argued it was not excessively brutal.

“As weird as this is going to sound, he did only stab him one time,” France said. “This was a horrific thing to do, to murder your roommate. But I think the court can agree there was no excessive brutality in the court.”

Before sentencing, Economopoulos addressed Tung, referencing his background.

“You mentioned that you left your homeland to escape civil unrest,” Economopoulos said. “Unfortunately, you were unable to escape the unrest within yourself.”

In the early hours of Aug. 13, 2025, Escanaba Public Safety officers responded to a reported stabbing at 315 N. 12th St.

Officers arrived to find a man on the floor without a pulse. Despite life-saving efforts by paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was identified as Steven Thang.

An autopsy conducted Aug. 15 at Western Michigan University School of Medicine determined Thang died from a stab wound to the chest and abdomen. His death was ruled a homicide.

A search of the residence conducted by EPS officers uncovered a kitchen-style knife with a white handle in a garbage can.

During a neighborhood canvas, officers also obtained video footage showing an orange Jeep leaving the residence shortly before police were dispatched.

Investigators learned Thang had called a friend and said his coworker stabbed him. Detectives also located a phone number linked to Tung, with a ping placing it traveling south toward Milwaukee.

Wisconsin law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on an orange Jeep consistent with the phone’s ping and identified the driver as Tung, who was found with a wallet belonging to Thang. According to EPS, Tung was taken into custody in Wisconsin without incident.

Court records show Tung appeared Aug. 15 in Waukesha County, Wis., and waived extradition. He was picked up to return to Escanaba on Aug. 18 and agreed to speak with detectives.

Tung said he and Thang argued Aug. 12 because Tung did not believe Thang was paying him correctly, though he claimed it did not become physical. He also said Thang had sent him a video depicting people killing others, which he interpreted as a threat.

Tung went to his room to go to sleep and woke up on Aug. 13 at 4 a.m. to get ready to go to work.

Statements made in previous court proceedings indicate that as Tung began to get ready for work, he claims he began to think about the argument from the previous night and got increasingly more upset as he thought about it.

According to Tung, he then went to the kitchen and took a knife that he described as a chef’s knife with a white handle. He proceeded to Thang’s bedroom and saw him asleep on his back on the bed.

Tung told detectives he then tried to kill Thang, stabbing him in the stomach area. According to Tung, Thang woke up and pushed him out of the room. Tung then dropped the knife and left the residence in the jeep.

On Tuesday, Wickman argued the victim being asleep supported a finding of premeditation for sentencing purposes.

The victim’s family were present during the sentencing on Tuesday via Zoom but did not make any statements.

Tung has filed an appeal of his sentence.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.