Mistaken for a thief, woman kills 63-year-old widow

On March 16, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened the first instance trial of Ho Thi Hue (27 years old, residing in Hoang Mai town, Nghe An) for the crime of "Murder".

Defendant Ho Thi Hue at trial. Photo: Ngoc Diep

According to the indictment, on the morning of January 5, 2016, Ho Thi Hue hitched a ride to the house of a relative named Nguyen Thi Huong (63 years old, residing in Quynh Thien ward, Hoang Mai town) to pay off a debt of 2 million VND.

Arriving at the yard, Hue called out but no one answered. Hue went into the house and pulled open the bedroom door. After a few steps, Hue was suddenly hit by Mrs. Huong, who threw the blanket over her head and shouted "who are you?". Being knocked down, Hue quickly explained "I, I" but could not save the situation.

Hue resisted and a moment later turned the situation around. She pulled Mrs. Huong to the floor... Mrs. Huong died after 10 minutes of struggling. Hue then broke open the safe to create a fake scene of theft.

The next day, Hue turned herself in to the police. During her detention, the female defendant suffered from depression and had to be treated in the hospital, causing the case to drag on for more than a year before being brought to trial.

At the trial on March 16, defendant Ho Thi Hue admitted that she was responsible for Ms. Huong’s death without any accomplices. She also apologized to the victim’s relatives.

The victim's representative requested to clarify some details of the case such as the crime scene "having a cigarette butt with male cells"; the defendant had a motive for robbery but the indictment did not prosecute...

Police had to help Hue leave the court. Photo: Ngoc Diep

After a day of trial, the panel of judges said that during the additional investigation, the investigation agency believed that there was not enough basis to consider additional details requested by the victim's representative.

Based on the defendant's testimony, witnesses and evidence of the case, the panel of judges concluded that defendant Hue was the one who killed Ms. Huong, without any accomplices.

After reviewing the case in its entirety, the panel sentenced the defendant Ho Thi Hue to 13 years in prison. After the judge finished speaking, the female defendant collapsed, forcing the judicial support officer to assist. In civil matters, the defendant Ho Hue must also pay 157 million VND in compensation to the victim’s family.

Previously, on October 24, 2017, the case was brought to trial once, but the panel of judges decided to return the file for further investigation of some unclear details.