The maximum sentence for murder and robbery.

Heartless stabs

To a greater or lesser extent, the relationship between Tran Van Nang (born in 1962), residing in Nhan Hoa commune, Vinh Bao district (Hai Phong city), and Ms. PTH (born in 1962), residing in Tan An commune, Tan Ky district (Nghe An province), was one of close acquaintance. However, due to a financial dispute, Nang stabbed her 14 times, taking her life and causing a public outcry.

The murder case involving the defendant Năng occurred more than a year ago. It was in July 2023. Because they knew each other previously, Năng took a bus from Hai Phong to Nghe An to meet Ms. H. At Ms. H's house, Tran Van Năng brought up the topic of money, claiming that she owed him a sum of money that she hadn't repaid.

That night, Nang lay awake thinking about Mrs. H.'s attitude and behavior from the past, concluding that this woman had no feelings for him but was only using him to borrow money. Thinking this, Nang conceived the idea of ​​killing Mrs. H.

According to the indictment, at approximately 4:00 AM on July 15th, Nang went into the kitchen, retrieved a sharp knife, and entered the homeowner's bedroom. Seeing Mrs. H. lying on the bed, Nang approached and stabbed her once in the chest. Taken by surprise, Mrs. H. struggled to sit up and said, "Why did you do that?" Nang replied, "You're cruel to me," and then continued to stab her multiple times in the back and shoulders until she collapsed.

After committing the crime, the killer took the victim's motorbike and handbag containing a phone and over 600,000 VND before leaving the scene. Around 8 am the same day, Mrs. H.'s son returned home and discovered his mother dead in the bedroom, so he reported it to the police.

Upon receiving the report, authorities organized a manhunt for the perpetrator. A task force was sent to Hai Phong to verify Tran Van Nang's identity, but without success. A day later, the "bottleneck" in the case was solved when investigators discovered Mrs. H.'s motorbike in the parking lot of a hospital in Hoang Mai town, about 80 km from the crime scene. The person who parked the motorbike was Nang. Believing the perpetrator had parked the motorbike there and then taken a bus to the southern provinces, the Criminal Police Department deployed numerous forces to search for him. On July 19th, police located Tran Van Nang on a bus traveling from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City, tightening the cordon and arresting him.

Confession of the murderer and robber.

At the police station, suspect Tran Van Nang confessed to the murder. He also admitted that after killing Mrs. H., he took a bus to the southern provinces to escape. The killer further stated that, knowing he would eventually be caught by the police, he took advantage of the time to visit several provinces and cities for sightseeing and tourism during his escape.

For his criminal acts, defendant Tran Van Nang was prosecuted and brought to trial for two offenses:Killing" and "Robbery". At the first-instance trial, the defendant admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. The victim's family attended the trial and requested the panel of judges to severely punish the defendant.

The trial court determined that the defendant's actions were exceptionally dangerous, thuggish in nature, and a deliberate attempt to take the victim's life. Therefore, Tran Van Nang was sentenced to death for "Murder" and 4 years imprisonment for "Robbery," with a combined sentence of death.

Subsequently, the defendant filed an appeal, arguing that the sentence was too harsh. At the appellate trial, the defendant admitted to stabbing the victim to death but justified it by claiming the victim had tricked him into lending him money. The defendant testified that after borrowing the money, the victim treated him coldly and had no intention of repaying it.

After repeatedly asking for the debt but failing to get it, the defendant had to take a bus back to the victim's hometown. The defendant claimed that when he met the victim to ask for the debt, the victim used harsh and insulting language. "Because I was insulted, I became upset, leading to my uncontrolled behavior," the defendant testified.

"The defendant stated that he acted out of anger, and that was the only reason he stabbed the victim multiple times while she was sleeping. Is that cruel?" The defendant remained silent in response to the court's question. Authorities determined that the defendant stabbed Ms. H. 14 times in various parts of her body, causing her death. The defendant also remained silent when questioned by the court about why he didn't choose dialogue instead of using a knife to resolve the conflict.

Regarding the robbery charge, the defendant claimed he did not intentionally rob the victim. His explanation was that after committing the crime, he panicked and hastily grabbed the victim's handbag. He then took the victim's motorbike with the intention of using it to escape.

The defendant admitted that, after the conclusion of the first-instance trial, he had not made any move to compensate the victim's representative. He explained that because he had been living alone for a long time and had no relatives to care for him, he did not have the money to compensate the victim's representative. The defendant also stated that since being detained, he had received little attention or visits from his family and relatives.

Only when mentioning family members did the defendant show remorse. The defendant presented his difficult circumstances, his loneliness, and his advanced age, pleading with the court for a chance to live and atone for his mistakes. However, the defendant's repentance came too late.

The appellate court ruled that the defendant, due to a minor disagreement, stabbed the victim multiple times while the victim was asleep. The defendant's actions were brutal and showed no possibility of rehabilitation; he needed to be permanently isolated from society as a deterrent. At this trial, the defendant did not present any new evidence compared to the first-instance trial; therefore, the court rejected the appeal and upheld the death sentence for Tran Van Nang.

After the judge pronounced the verdict, the defendant's face darkened. Everything was over; for Tran Van Nang, it was all meaningless now, even the money… This case serves as a cautionary tale for everyone: before facing a situation, one must consider a reasonable and fair solution, not act impulsively and regret it later!