Just because of a tree in the garden, you killed me.

Mr. Thao's house, where the crime took place.

According to Mr. Luong Thanh Bien, Mac Van Thao and Mac Van Ly are brothers, living close to each other and bordering each other's gardens. They owned a neem tree, whose owner was unknown. Before the incident, Ly had sold the tree without telling Thao. At 5:30 PM on August 6th, Thao was drinking alcohol at his house with Mac Van An (a neighbor). At the same time, Ly had just come home and heard Thao call out, asking, "Why did you sell my neem tree?"

An argument ensued, and the two men got into a fight. Thao ran into the kitchen, grabbed two knives (one of which was sharp), and rushed out. Seeing Thao with the weapons, Ly turned to run, but Thao threw a knife at him, injuring Ly's left little finger. At this point, Ly, enraged, turned back and said, "You threw away all your knives, what do you have left to stab me with?" Immediately, Ly picked up the two knives and chased Thao to the kitchen gate, stabbing him once in the left chest, killing him instantly.

After committing the crime, Mac Van Ly called Mac Van Thanh (a police officer in Kieng 2 village) to inform him that he had just stabbed his brother to death and asked Thanh to take him to turn himself in.

Immediately after receiving the report, the Quy Chau District Police and the Chau Binh Commune Police arrived at the scene, drew up a report on the case, and temporarily detained the suspect, Mac Van Ly.

It is known that Thao and Ly, both brothers, are from impoverished households. Despite being siblings, they frequently argue about family matters. Previously (in June 2012), during an altercation, Mac Van Thao used a chainsaw to strike Ly, breaking his left arm, which required treatment in the province.

Currently, the authorities are continuing their investigation to clarify the matter.

Tran Ngoc Lan