4 years in prison for wife who killed husband because of domestic violence

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of July 17, the Provincial People's Court opened the first instance criminal trial of the murder case against Truong Thi Bai (born in 1960, residing in Nghia Khanh commune, Nghia Dan).

According to the indictment, in 1984, Bai married Dang Cong Toan (born in 1961). During the first 20 years of living together, they had 5 daughters, and their married life did not have any significant conflicts. Since 2002, Dang Cong Toan has been addicted to alcohol. When drunk, Toan would come home and curse and beat his wife and children, chasing them out of the house. Many times, Toan and his mother had to run to a neighbor's house for refuge. Toan went to the neighbor's house to curse and demand that the neighbor not let Bai and her children sleep there anymore. Many times, the local authorities had to come down to make a record, impose administrative fines, and give warnings. After a few days, Toan was back to his old ways.

Defendant Truong Thi Bai at trial

On the evening of February 21, 2014, Toan went out drinking and came home drunk. He cursed his wife again and forced her to go to work on the morning of the 30th and the first day of Tet or else he would "cut Bai's daughter to death eight times". Knowing that her husband was drunk, Bai said, "Shut up, why are you cursing so much?" Toan beat his wife and children and forced them to go to the chicken coop to sleep. Near dawn, when Bai got up to cook rice, Toan came home drunk. Toan cursed and beat his wife. Bai pushed her husband out and ran out into the street. At around 6:40, Bai went into the house and saw her husband sitting on the bed, nodding off. Seeing his wife come home, Toan grabbed her collar and pulled her back, threatening to beat her. The two of them struggled and pushed each other, leading to a fall on the floor, but Toan still did not let go of his wife's collar. Bai kicked her husband, causing Toan to fall. Bai got up and ran away, but her husband grabbed her collar and pulled her back. Seeing a machete under the bed, Bai took it and slashed her husband's head many times, causing the victim to die from shock and acute blood loss due to multiple injuries.

After committing the crime, Truong Thi Bai went to the Nghia Dan District Police Department to confess. At the trial, Truong Thi Bai confessed and showed remorse. In this case, the defendant Truong Thi Bai was a victim of domestic violence. Because Bai was continuously abused by her husband for a long time, although the local authorities tried to resolve the matter many times, Dang Cong Toan did not change. Because Bai was too depressed, she committed the crime. During the investigation and trial, the defendant confessed honestly and repented, so the Court considered granting the defendant mitigating circumstances according to the law. After comprehensively reviewing the evidence, the panel sentenced Truong Thi Bai to 4 years in prison.

Khang Hoa

PC81 CANADA