Tragedy of the family of a child 'following in the footsteps' of his parents to prison

From unfortunate child to criminal

The first instance trial of two defendants Nguyen Van Thanh (born 1986), residing in Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district, for the crime of "Killing" and defendant Manh Loc Chien (born in 1998), residing in Phuc Tho commune, Nghi Loc district, for the crime of "Theft of property" recently attracted public attention. Many people came to court to meet the two defendants. Among them, many people expressed sympathy for the difficult situation of the two defendants when Thanh was born deaf and mute, and Chien grew up in a very special family background.

Manh Loc Chien is the eldest child, after Chien there is a younger brother. Born in the peaceful countryside of Phuc Tho commune, Chien's family was full of turmoil. On a day at the end of 2010, Chien's parents, Manh Loc Dao and Vuong Thi Hang, were identified as the perpetrators of the death of a single woman over 80 years old.

Back to the case that shocked public opinion at that time. Due to the pressure of debt and business losses, Dao and Hang had a dark idea. When they learned that their aunt, Mrs. Q., had just sold land and had money in savings, the couple plotted to kill her so that they could soon receive the money from the sale of the land and soon inherit the land where she lived. On the evening of December 6, 2010, Dao drove Hai (Hang's younger brother) to Mrs. Q's house. Then, Hai alone sneaked into Mrs. Q's house and murdered her.

Defendant Manh Loc Chien. Photo: Tran Vu

After committing the crime, the three of them planned to deal with the police. At first, Hang pretended to accidentally discover Mr. Q. dead in the house. But the murder was discovered by the police from the wounds on Mr. Q.'s body when they were searching for him. At this time, Hang alone confessed to the crime. However, Hang's clumsy act was exposed by the police. Manh Loc Dao was later sentenced to life in prison, while Hang was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Chien's parents are currently serving their sentences at Prison Station No. 5, Ministry of Public Security.

At the time his parents were both in trouble with the law, Chien was only 12 years old. With no place to go, Chien and his younger brother were taken in by his grandparents. But after family troubles and his parents' lack of education, Chien became stubborn and unruly. This teenager got into drugs. At the age of 18, Chien was sent to a drug rehabilitation center for 18 months. In 2019, Chien was again recorded by Vinh City Police and sent to compulsory drug rehabilitation. However, Chien relapsed. With no stable job and to have money to spend, Chien participated in a dog theft in the neighborhood. As a result, Chien was arrested and his accomplice died after being shot by a severely disabled man.

Both pitiful and blameworthy

According to investigation documents, on the morning of October 25, 2020, Chien saw his friend Tran Quang H. (born 2001) driving a motorbike to invite him to go.dog, sell for money to spend. Chien agreed, so he and his friend traveled by motorbike to neighboring communes to steal dogs. Before leaving, both of them did not forget to bring tools such as: "noose" rope, sharp knife, packaging... That day, Chien and H. went to Nghi Thai and Nghi Xuan communes and stole 3 dogs. Because 1 dog was too big, it was difficult to put it in a bag, so the two of them went to the cemetery area of ​​Nghi Xuan commune to put it in a bag.

At the same time, Nguyen Van Thanh went out from the cemetery to shoot birds. Discovering 2 "dog thieves", Thanh shouted and raised his phone as if to take a picture, but was threatened by H. "If you come here, I will kill you". Being threatened by 2 dog thieves and fearing revenge, Thanh used a bird gun to shoot H. once in the left rib area, causing the victim to die due to the bullet hitting his heart and lung. At this time, Chien was afraid that people would chase him because he stole the dog, so he ran away. That evening, when he heard that H. had died, Chien went to the police to confess, confessing to his and his accomplice's act of stealing the dog. Thanh later also went to the police to confess to the murder.

The two defendants Chien and Thanh in court. Photo: Document

On trial for theft, defendant Chien confessed that he stole dogs to sell for money because he was addicted to drugs. He knew that his actions were against the law and were condemned by the people, but because he had no money, he listened to H's enticement. The defendant admitted to using a dog-catching tool to threaten Thanh when he was discovered. Chien explained his family's circumstances, both of his parents were in prison, to ask for a reduced sentence and to start a new life.

Meanwhile, defendant Thanh stated that because he saw two dog thieves threatening him and was afraid of retaliation, he used a gun to shoot H. The defendant stated that he did not intend to kill anyone. After "accidentally" shooting someone, Thanh went home and asked someone to go to the place where H. was shot and report to the police, but that day was Sunday and there was no one on duty so he could not meet the person on duty.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant Manh Loc Chien committed a less serious crime. However, the defendant Chien's act of stealing dogs caused public outrage, so a suitable punishment was needed to serve as a deterrent. Considering the entire case, the panel of judges sentenced Manh Loc Chien to 15 months in prison for theft of property.

Defendant Nguyen Van Thanh committed the crime under emotional provocation caused by the illegal act of the victim; the defendant had made compensation to the victim’s family, the defendant’s family had contributed to the revolution, the victim’s family representative had asked for a reduction in the defendant’s sentence… these are mitigating circumstances. Therefore, the court sentenced defendant Thanh to 4 years in prison for the crime of murder.