Murder in the dormitory

The party "closes" the future

Image of a young boy with a baby face being led to court to be tried for the crime of "Killing" made many people in Tay Son commune (Ky Son district) haunted. What surprised many people was that at the time of the murder, Gia was a 9th grade student (a boarding student) at Tay Son Ethnic Boarding Secondary School.

Gia studied well and had many dreams, but could not escape the customs of the Mong people. At the age of 13-14, he started looking for a girlfriend and knew how to drink alcohol. On the day of the incident, Gia and his friends had "saw down" almost the entire 1.5 liter bottle of alcohol. Therefore, when he heard that his friends had a conflict and were invited to fight by his friends, Gia got "heroic"... The murder happened so quickly that the dormitory managers had not yet intervened.

On the evening of March 21, 2022, Vu Ba Gia was drinking at a friend's house in the same village when a group of friends from the school dormitory came to find him. In this group of Gia's friends, there was someone who was currently having a conflict with Lau Ba T. (born 2004, residing in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son), a student at the district's Continuing Education Center.

Vu Ba Gia answers the jury's questions. Photo: Hoang Lam

When he heard his friend talk about the conflict with Lau Ba T. and asked him and his group of friends to "support" him to confront his opponent, Vu Ba Gia immediately agreed.

Not knowing each other or having any grudges, but already drunk, Gia immediately accepted, not forgetting to bring a knife as a weapon. Knowing that Lau Ba T. and his friends were at the dormitory of Tay Son Ethnic Boarding School, Vu Ba Gia and his group went to fight with these high school boys.

The clash between a group of 9th graders and 2 high school boys took place right in the dormitory. When they encountered Lau Ba T., the group of 4 9th graders rushed in to beat him, 2 of them standing outside the room. After being beaten up, T. ran away, but Vu Ba Gia chased after him, using a knife to repeatedly slash his head. A high school boy collapsed, Gia's group also disbanded, everyone went home.

The male student received several stab wounds and was taken to the emergency room but died four days later due to severe injuries. Vu Ba Gia and his group of friends were arrested by the police. The investigation determined that Gia was the one who caused the victim's death, so he was prosecuted for "Murder", and his five friends were prosecuted for "Disturbing public order".

Behind a verdict

In early October 2022, the trial of the "Murder" case took place quickly because the defendant Vu Ba Gia (born 2007, residing in Tay Son commune, Ky Son border district, Nghe An province) admitted all criminal acts as charged in the indictment.

The legal representative for the victim was not present at the trial, only submitting a petition for a reduced sentence for the defendant Vu Ba Gia. Gia's parents were also not present, only his uncle attended as his legal guardian because Gia was a minor.

The day of the trial was also the time when many localities in Ky Son district were suffering severe consequences from the recent flash flood. Therefore, Gia's uncle had to walk for nearly 3 hours to cross the muddy, rocky road to catch a bus to attend the trial. Explaining why Gia's parents did not attend their son's trial, this person said that they are currently working in Binh Phuoc province to have money to pay off the debt of nearly 500 million VND borrowed to compensate the victim.

Gia was sentenced to 6 years in prison when he was just 15 years old. Photo: Hoang Lam

The trial of the defendant proceeded quite quickly when Gia admitted to the crime. The defendant stated that there was no conflict between him and the victim. However, because he listened to his friend's invitation and was drunk that day, he could not control his actions. The defendant apologized to the victim, the school and his relatives.

Vu Ba Gia sat with his head bowed throughout the trial. His blue clothes seemed too big for the skinny body of a growing mountain child. At the time of the crime, Gia was only 14 years, 9 months, and 8 days old, a 9th grade student at Tay Son Ethnic Boarding School. "The day the incident happened, Gia's parents were in the rice fields deep in the forest. When they were informed, they immediately cut through the forest and returned, not daring to believe that their son had just committed a crime," Gia's uncle said.

Even the teachers could not believe that Gia could have caused such a terrible incident. The school representative attending the court shared that he was heartbroken when the student broke the law. The school admitted part of the responsibility for not strictly managing the students in the dormitory, allowing strangers to enter. After the incident, the school organized boarding more strictly; at the same time, it increased the propaganda of the law for students.

Ms. La Thi Thanh Huyen - Vice Principal, representing the school, present at the trial confirmed that Vu Ba Gia had good academic performance and was a diligent student. Believing that the student committed the crime at a young age, the school asked the court to consider reducing the sentence so that Gia could return to school soon and continue his studies.

Gia's family has 3 brothers, 3 years ago, his parents went to Binh Phuoc province to work as rubber tappers, bringing along the youngest brother who is just over 2 years old, leaving only Gia and his younger sister at home. Living near his grandparents and uncles, Gia is quite independent, the 7th grade boy studies, takes care of his younger brother's food and bath. Luckily, the school is located right in the village, making it easier for Gia to go to school.

At the end of 2021, Gia's parents and youngest brother returned home due to the pandemic. The family lost their main source of income, but in return, it was a happy time for Gia and his siblings, when both their parents were at home.

When Gia was arrested, his parents borrowed money and, together with the families of the other five male students, compensated the victims 500 million VND. After a short time at home, Gia's parents moved to Binh Phuoc to continue making a living with their old jobs. Gia's younger sister was sent to the village to be looked after.

The trial was quick, because Gia told everything. He himself did not expect that he had committed a crime, taking the life of another person even though they were strangers and had no grudge against each other.

The representative of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province, who held the right to prosecute at the trial, proposed a sentence of 5-6 years in prison for Vu Ba Gia. Hearing the proposed sentence, the young defendant bowed his head in regret, but things could no longer be changed...

The jury deliberated, Gia's uncle moved closer, encouraging his nephew to try to reform so he could return soon. "Mom and Dad have been in Binh Phuoc for several months now, they have to go earn money. The compensation money had to be borrowed, but when Mom and Dad returned from the epidemic, they didn't have any money left. When you go there, try to be good, you're still young, you still have a future, my dear," hearing his uncle say, Gia bent down, his eyes red.

"Are you sad that your parents can't come?" I asked. "No, sister. My parents have to go to work." Gia shook his head, but his eyes were already filled with tears. At 15 years old, he was not old enough to not need his parents' arms, but perhaps Gia understood the burdens placed on his parents' shoulders... Gia confided that he still loved going to school, hoping that when he got out of prison he could finish his unfinished junior high school program.

The trial panel determined that although the defendant committed a particularly serious crime in this case, however, considering that the defendant had many mitigating circumstances such as honestly confessing, repenting, influencing the family to compensate the victim for all losses, and the victim petitioning for a reduced sentence, the court sentenced Vu Ba Gia to 6 years in prison for the crime of "Murder". As for the group of friends who participated in beating people with Gia, although there were signs of the crime of "Disturbing public order", however, at the time of the crime, they were only over 14 years old, so no criminal proceedings were taken.

The sentence of 6 years in prison is the punishment for Gia. 6 years, for a teenager who just turned 15, is not a short period of time. After completing his legal sentence, Gia has just turned 20, he still has a lot of time to rebuild his life, of course if Gia has enough determination and courage to overcome the shadow of the past. I hope that good things will come to him...