An unusual murder at midnight.

An unusual death during the night.

On the morning of July 1, 2011, residents of Hamlet 9 (Dien Lam Commune, Dien Chau District) were shocked to discover Ms. Pham Thi H. (born in 1982) dead in her home. The murder caused widespread panic and fear among the residents because the victim was a kind and gentle person, well-liked by her neighbors, and had never had any conflicts with anyone. Although there were no signs of forced entry, noticing numerous scratches on the victim's body and disheveled clothing, the family immediately reported the incident to the authorities.

Upon receiving the report, the Dien Chau District Police Investigation Agency immediately dispatched a task force to the scene, coordinating with officers from the Provincial Police's Criminal Technical Department to conduct a scene investigation and autopsy.

Initial autopsy results determined that the cause of death of the victim, Pham Thi H., was respiratory obstruction. In addition, authorities discovered several other suspicious signs: bruises and traces of semen were found on the victim's body. According to the victim's family, before her death, Ms. H. was wearing a pair of gold earrings, but they are no longer present. Based on the evidence and the crime scene, the investigation team determined that this may be a murder case, with indications of pre-mortem rape and robbery.

The GH711 case was established under the leadership of the Criminal Investigation Department for Social Order. A large force, including the Major Crimes Unit and police forces at all levels, quickly launched an investigation. To verify whether the victim was raped, authorities collected semen samples from the victim for DNA testing to aid in identifying the perpetrator.

Based on the analysis of the situation and the evidence gathered at the scene, investigators initially concluded that the perpetrator was likely acquainted with the victim, as there were no signs of forced entry on the door. Further investigation into the victim, Pham Thi H.'s personal life revealed that she was two months pregnant, her husband worked away from home, and she lived alone. The victim had a clean record and no history of illicit relationships...

The possibility of a romantic involvement was quickly ruled out by investigators. Further investigation focused on potential criminal suspects. Among the prominent individuals in the area under scrutiny, investigators paid particular attention to a man who referred to the victim as "aunt," the victim's husband as "distant cousin," and who occasionally visited the couple's home. This man was Nguyen Van Thanh (born in 1989), residing in Hamlet 9, Dien Lam Commune, Dien Chau District. Thanh had a prior criminal record.robbery.

Through urgent verification, investigation, and professional methods, the investigators had sufficient grounds to summon Thanh to the investigative agency for clarification. During the first summons, Nguyen Van Thanh adamantly asserted that he was not involved in the death of Ms. Pham Thi H. and presented numerous alibis to mislead investigators.

However, faced with compelling evidence, including the unclear timeline of events gathered during the investigation, and the results of DNA testing, Thanh could not deny his entire involvement. On July 14, 2011, the Provincial Police Investigation Agency issued an urgent arrest warrant for Nguyen Van Thanh for the crimes of murder and rape.

The face of the villain

Late on the night of June 30, 2011, after drinking with his friends, Nguyen Van Thanh, feeling tipsy from alcohol, suddenly felt a surge of lust. It was nearly midnight when Thanh thought of Ms. Pham Thi H., whom he called "aunt" (referring to her husband as a distant cousin). Knowing that his "cousin" was away working and not home, Nguyen Van Thanh went to his aunt's house to "talk."

Upon arriving at the gate and seeing that Ms. H. was asleep, Thanh knocked on the door. Recognizing him as her nephew, Ms. H. didn't suspect anything and let Thanh in. Ms. H. asked Thanh what he wanted, coming over in the middle of the night. Thanh explained that he couldn't sleep, felt bored, and had come to talk to his aunt. The immoral nephew then told her to turn off the light. When she resisted, Thanh reached out and turned it off, then proceeded to sexually assault her. Ms. H. pushed Thanh's hand away and resisted fiercely, but the wicked nephew still overpowered her to carry out his heinous act. Ms. H. screamed, cried, and begged. Fearing neighbors would hear, he pulled a blanket over her mouth and neck, then used his right hand to choke her, determined to rape her.

After raping his own aunt, Thanh discovered she had stopped breathing. He calmly put his clothes back on, tidied up the bed, dressed her, and covered her with a blanket to create a false scene, making it look like a death in her sleep. Then he closed the door and went home.

On the morning of July 1, 2011, the family discovered that Ms. H. had died under unusual circumstances and reported it to the authorities. At the Criminal Investigation Department of the Nghe An Provincial Police, Thanh also confessed to robbing Ms. Pham Thi H. of her gold earrings after murdering and raping her. During the investigation, the Dien Chau District Police also discovered that Nguyen Van Thanh was the perpetrator of a motorcycle theft that occurred on June 23, 2011, in Quynh Chau commune (Quynh Luu district).

Penance trial

The trial of Nguyen Van Thanh, held on the morning of November 29, 2011, attracted considerable attention from the people of Dien Chau district. From early morning, hundreds of people crowded the entrance to the district's cultural center to attend the trial. The sheer number of attendees made it extremely difficult for the authorities to maintain order.

Although the trial didn't begin until 10:30 AM, hundreds of people patiently waited to see justice served against the murderer who was convicted of three crimes simultaneously.killing"Rape" and "theft of property." Even more heartbreaking for the victim's family was the discovery by forensic experts during the examination of the body that Ms. Pham Thi H. was 10 weeks pregnant. The death of Ms. Pham Thi H. and her innocent unborn child sparked outrage among the people, leading hundreds of farmers to abandon their work in the fields to attend the trial.

Many people climbed onto the second-floor railing to watch the trial, hundreds crowded the hallway, trying to peek through the gaps in the doors to see the perpetrator pay the price. The outrage even reached its peak when, after the judges adjourned for deliberation, many people rushed to the area where the defendant was standing to confront him.

At the trial, Nguyen Van Thanh stated that due to marital conflicts, he had beaten his wife, causing her to leave and go back to her parents' house. Knowing he was at fault, Thanh went to his wife's parents' house to apologize, but his apology was not accepted. He was very sad and depressed, so he decided to go to his aunt's house to confide in her. Thanh confessed: “When I pinned Aunt H. down and attempted to rape her, because Aunt H. screamed loudly and resisted strongly, I pulled the blanket up and used my hand to choke her. After satisfying myself, I realized Aunt H. was no longer moving. I tried to give her first aid but it didn't work. Terrified, I covered Aunt H. completely with the blanket and ran home.”

Contrary to his initial composure, Thanh began to stammer when questioned by the presiding judge. He could only manage to utter the words "I..." and repeat them several times, prompting the judge to reassure and encourage him to remain calm and testify in order to receive mitigating circumstances. "I drank a lot and was depressed with life, so I went to see Ms. H. to confide in her; I didn't intend to rape her," Thanh asserted in court.

However, with compelling arguments, the presiding judge affirmed that the defendant Thanh committed the crime with intent. After some hesitation, the defendant Thanh could only reply, "I don't know." But finally, Nguyen Van Thanh admitted that, knowing the victim's husband was away, he was overcome with lust and went to Ms. H.'s house to commit rape.

Thành also argued that causing the victim's death was unintentional. When given the opportunity to speak his final words, Thành requested the court to impose the "lightest possible sentence so that he can rebuild his life and become a useful member of society." He stated that the consequences of his actions were exceptionally serious, depriving the victim of her life, insulting her honor and dignity, and appropriating her property.

Given the defendant's bad criminal record (in 2007, Nguyen Van Thanh was sentenced to one year in prison by the Dien Chau District People's Court for "robbery"), it was deemed necessary to permanently remove him from society. The court sentenced Nguyen Van Thanh to death for murder, five years in prison for rape, and one year in prison for theft. The combined sentence for Nguyen Van Thanh is death. In addition, the defendant must compensate the victim's family 53 million VND.

Upon hearing the verdict, Nguyen Van Thanh showed no emotion whatsoever. Only his wife covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably. Perhaps she was filled with remorse, wishing that the young couple had controlled their egos, wishing she hadn't acted childishly and gone back to her parents' house, wishing she had forgiven him when Thanh came to apologize – perhaps today her husband wouldn't have met this end. Stepping out of the courtroom, the shoulders of Nguyen Van H. – the victim's husband – slumped. His family's journey for justice had ended. The perpetrator had paid for his crime, but his beloved wife and unborn child were gone forever.