Arguing about cemetery land, man stabs neighbor to death

On July 17, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of Duong Van Chuong (48 years old), residing in Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district, for the crime of "Murder".

According to the investigation agency's documents, at about 7:00 p.m. on April 9, 2019, when Chuong came home from work, Mr. NVT (born in 1977), who lived in the same commune, came to visit and invited him to drink wine. During the drinking session, Mr. T. and Chuong argued about the cemetery land.

Defendant Duong Van Chuong in court. Photo: Tran Vu

However, the two sides then called another friend over, and then took out veal to drink with. While Chuong, T. and their friend were drinking, they got into an argument about building a grave in the cemetery. The friend saw this and left.

Then, Mr. T. said to Chuong: "This guy is not afraid of anyone", then took the bowl and put it down hard in the middle of the tray. Chuong said: "I came home from work and you didn't respect me". Mr. T. said: "I'm not afraid of one out of ten men".

Angry, Chuong took the knife and stabbed Mr. T in the forehead, then continued to stab Mr. T in the chest, causing him to collapse on the spot.

Although the victim was taken to the emergency room by everyone, due to severe injuries and heavy blood loss, he died shortly thereafter. Upon learning that Mr. T. had died, Chuong went to the Nam Dan District Police to surrender.

At the trial, the defendant admitted all his crimes. Chuong said he did not intend to kill anyone and asked for a lighter sentence.

Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced Duong Van Chuong to 18 years in prison for "Murder". In terms of civil matters, the defendant was required to compensate the victim's family more than 199 million VND and provide 1 million VND/month for each of Mr. T's 3 children until they reach adulthood.