Murder after drunkenness and the pain of those left behind

The fatal stab

One day in mid-May, the first instance trial of defendant Nguyen Dinh Tri (born 1969), residing in Hung Tien commune, Nam Dan district, for the crime of “Murder”, at the People’s Court of Nghe An province was attended by many people. Because the murder that Tri committed more than half a year ago shocked public opinion. While drunk, this subject stabbed his neighbor and killed a police officer with a fatal knife blow.

The defendant's thuggish murderous behavior seems to be his nature. Because, before that, Tri had been in and out of prison many times for violating the law. Accordingly, in 1990, Nguyen Dinh Tri was sentenced by the People's Court of Krong Ana district, Dak Lak province to 6 months in prison for the crime of Theft of socialist property. 3 years later, Tri continued to be sentenced by the Court of Krong Ana district to 69 months in prison for the crimes of: Robbery of citizens' property, Resisting people on official duty and Receiving property obtained by others through crime.

In 1995, Nguyen Dinh Tri received another sentence of 3 years in prison for escaping from detention. One year later, Tri was also sentenced to 3 years in prison for escaping from detention. Having lived in prison time and time again, Tri was abandoned by his wife while he was in prison. Therefore, after serving his prison sentence, Tri returned to his hometown in Nghe An to live.

After a while, Tri got married to a girl 11 years younger than him. Although Ms. Nguyen Thi T. knew that Tri had been through "one marriage" and had been in prison many times, she still put it all aside and got married. The country woman only hoped that her love would influence her erring husband so that Tri would reform, work hard, and take care of his family.

However, Tri seems to be making the same mistake again. The fact that this man is often drunk makes the conflict between husband and wife grow bigger, and family life cannot be peaceful because of that. Also because of alcohol, Nguyen Dinh Tri committed a crime, killing his neighbor, who is also a police officer of Hung Tien commune.

The case file shows that at around 7:00 p.m. on October 10, 2023, Nguyen Dinh Tri came home drunk and cursed and beat his wife. As a result, Ms. T. ran to her husband's younger brother's house for refuge, but her husband chased her with a knife. At that time, someone was sitting at Tri's younger brother's house drinking alcohol. Tri started a fight and slashed a person in the neck. People present came to stop him and took the knife from Tri's hand, and took the victim to the commune health station for first aid.

It seemed like everything had stopped there, but a while later, Tri took a knife and went to his younger brother's house, but the family had already closed the door. At this time, Tri took a knife and slashed the main door, windows, and tables and chairs, so Ms. T. immediately called the village chief to report to the police.
After receiving the notice, Mr. Hoang The Th. (born in 1969) - a part-time police officer of the hamlet immediately went to the scene. At this time, Tri had returned home and locked the gate, so Mr. Th. asked the subject to go to the commune police station to work. However, Tri did not comply and stood in the yard holding a knife and slashing at the gate.

Faced with the situation, Mr. Th. called the Deputy Chief of Hung Tien Commune Police to send reinforcements to the scene. While Mr. Th. was standing talking, Tri climbed over the fence, jumped out and stabbed the police officer. That fatal stab caused Mr. Th. to die on the way to the emergency room.

After stabbing someone, Nguyen Dinh Tri climbed into the house to sleep. At 9:30 p.m. the same day, Tri was arrested by the police. During the investigation, Tri could not remember his crime and showed signs of mental disorder. Therefore, the authorities conducted a psychiatric examination of Tri, concluding that before, during and after committing the crime, Nguyen Dinh Tri suffered from mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use.

The pain of two families

In front of the witness stand, the defendant admitted to the crime. Regarding the motive for the murder, the defendant stated that he was drunk that day and could not control his actions. Listening to her husband's testimony, Ms. T. repeatedly bowed her head to the table, her face showing sadness. Because she was the one who witnessed her husband's act of holding a knife to slash his neighbor and killing the victim. Moreover, on the day of the murder committed by her husband, she was the one who gave first aid to the victim. However, all the efforts of her and those present were in vain when the victim suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest.

At the trial, she recounted her miserable life because of her alcoholic husband. In daily life, she was often cursed and threatened to be beaten by her husband whenever he was drunk. Although she always felt that their married life was suffocating, for the sake of her children, she sacrificed and endured to take care of her children and family.

On the day of the incident, she was also threatened and cursed by her husband after coming home drunk. Like many other times, she quickly ran to the house of a neighbor who was also a relative to ask for help. But then, unlike the previous times, this time Tri seemed to be unable to control himself, causing the tragic death of the police officer who was on duty.

Her husband was in trouble with the law, but she understood that the pain that the victim’s family was suffering was too great. Therefore, at the trial, she apologized to the victim’s family. Before that, despite the family’s difficult circumstances, she had borrowed money from many places to compensate the victim’s family 60 million VND.

Relatives of the victim who attended the court repeatedly burst into tears when recalling the heartbreaking incident. They admitted that although the two families had a neighborly relationship and sympathized with Ms. T.'s situation, the pain the family was enduring was enormous. In just a moment, the wife and children were separated when the husband and father were killed. Therefore, at the trial, the representative of the victim's family requested the court to try the defendant according to the law.

Exercising the right to prosecute at the trial, the representative of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province stated that the defendant's behavior was hooliganism. The defendant used a weapon to deprive another person of the right to live, causing pain and loss to the victim's family, affecting security and order. Through the trial, not only the defendant himself but everyone needs to learn a valuable lesson, because everyone has the right to inviolability of the body, and is protected by law in terms of health, honor and dignity.

The panel of judges determined that the actions of the defendant Nguyen Dinh Tri were dangerous to society, depriving a person of his right to life, and that a severe sentence was needed for general deterrence and prevention. However, during the investigation and at the trial, the defendant confessed honestly, repented, his family had partially remedied the damage, the defendant himself had a medical condition that limited his ability to control his behavior, and his family had contributed to the revolution. These are considered mitigating circumstances.
Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced defendant Nguyen Dinh Tri to 20 years in prison. In civil matters, the court ordered defendant Tri to compensate the victim’s legal representative 180 million VND. Regarding the act of slashing the neighbor’s neck, because the injury was minor, the victim did not request treatment, so the authorities did not consider it.

For the murder, the defendant had to pay the price with a 20-year prison sentence. However, the pain that the defendant caused will never be compensated. It is too much pain for the victim’s family and the misery of the defendant’s wife who now has to take over the family and earn money to compensate the victim’s family. This is a lesson, though too late for Nguyen Dinh Tri, but also a warning lesson for those who abuse alcohol.