The 10-year escape of the Nghe An killer

Murder for a debt of 20 million VND

After reviewing the thick file of Nguyen Van Son (born in 1985; residing in Hung Chau commune (now Chau Nhan commune), Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province), which had been lying quietly in the filing cabinet, covered with dust by time because the subject had been lost for too long, the investigators of the case breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the "boil" that had been troubling them for so long, worrying because the subject was still roaming around somewhere in society, was finally closed.

Subject Nguyen Van Son at the Ha Tinh Provincial Police Department. Photo: Provided by the Police

According to the case file, in 2009, there was a mutual settlement between two gangs in Ha Tinh province. Vo Cong Hoi (born in 1971, residing in Ky Tien commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh) borrowed 20 million VND from Tran Hau Dong (born in 1975, residing in Ha Tinh city, Ha Tinh province), but when Dong called, not only did he not return it, but he also challenged him.

Nguyen Van Son was also a prominent figure at that time in Nghe An. Wanting to teach Vo Cong Hoi a lesson, Tran Hau Dong called Nguyen Van Son, confidently hiring Son to go to Ha Tinh to "deal with" Vo Cong Hoi.

To carry out this mission, on September 4, 2009, Son and a group of 16 people, many of whom had criminal records and came from different areas, brought weapons from Nghe An to Ha Tinh city to rent a hotel to prepare for the murder according to "order".

The gang drove four cars, carrying knives, swords, machetes and machetes to Ky Anh. At Mr. Hoi’s house, the group used weapons to attack and stab him, causing serious injuries that led to his death. After committing the crime, the group split up and fled the scene.

At that time, the case shook the whole countryside, people were extremely shocked because the thugs were brazenly acting with disregard for the law and human life.

During the investigation, the Investigation Police Agency of Ha Tinh Province Police arrested all the related subjects, except Nguyen Van Son. After committing the crime, Son continuously moved and hid through many provinces and cities across the country, making the pursuit very difficult, at times almost losing track of the subject. Based on the collected investigation documents, the Investigation Police Agency of Ha Tinh Province Police issued a decision to initiate a criminal case on April 10, 2011 and prosecuted Nguyen Van Son and his accomplices for "murder".

The process of capturing the subject encountered many difficulties because Nguyen Van Son was a prominent subject with many social relationships, so he could easily escape through many provinces and cities, even to Laos. Therefore, on May 26, 2011, the detectives decided to issue a special nationwide warrant for Nguyen Van Son for murder.

After that, although the authorities had repeatedly put this subject on special notice to be searched, with the highest determination to find his hiding place, all efforts were fruitless. Many times, the file on this wanted subject was opened but then had to be folded because Son's whereabouts were still a mystery.

Special wanted decision for Nguyen Van Son. Photo: CACC

By October 2020, from the initial clues about Nguyen Van Son's sudden appearance in some Central provinces reported by the base sources, the detectives reviewed the case file and decided to establish a special project to arrest Nguyen Van Son. Using professional measures, the special project team found Son's whereabouts when he was hiding in Da Nang City. However, Son is a cunning subject with a lot of experience in dealing with the authorities, so he often appears and disappears, constantly changing his residence to "lose his tail" when being followed.

During the investigation, the investigation team also connected the data during the period when the subject went missing. It turned out that after committing the crime, knowing that he was wanted, Nguyen Van Son continuously moved through many provinces and cities across the country, then illegally crossed the border to Laos to live and do business under the cover of another person's name. After a while, seeing that everything had calmed down, thinking that the police force had forgotten him, Son began to return to Vietnam to continue hiding. As a prominent subject with many complex social relationships, Son was very vigilant, wherever he went, he was protected and hidden by many social subjects to avoid detection by the authorities. For example, in 2020 alone, Son continuously moved through many localities such as Da Nang, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong to avoid detection.

The Last Supper

At the end of 2020, when Nguyen Van Son was discovered in Di An city, Binh Duong province, the task force met to plan an arrest. The suspect now had a shaved head, dark skin, many tattoos on his arms, and a very different appearance than 11 years ago.

To avoid confusion, a working group was sent to coordinate with Nghe An Police to go to his home district in Hung Nguyen (Nghe An) to meet Son's relatives and compare clues.

"For suspects who have been on the run for a long time, making a correct identification is not simple. The generation of officers at that time has retired, so the new person taking over had to spend many days analyzing Son's documents and current appearance," an investigator in the case shared.

After comparing many documents and evidences, confirming that Son was the killer involved in the shocking murder case in Ha Tinh 11 years ago, many police officers and soldiers from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces traveled more than 1,000 km to Binh Duong.

Authorities were forced to break the car door to arrest Nguyen Van Son. Photo: CACC

Using professional measures, the investigation team determined that on the night of January 3, 2021, dozens of prominent members and gangsters in Binh Duong gathered at a restaurant in Di An city to hold a farewell party and send Son to hide in another location.

Determining this as a ripe opportunity, the working group consisting of Ha Tinh Provincial Police forces in coordination with Nghe An Provincial Police Criminal Police Department and Binh Duong Provincial Police Criminal Police Department decided to "take the bait".

As expected, at the above mentioned time, Nguyen Van Son was gathered by dozens of high-ranking criminals for a farewell party. After the party ended late at night, Son got into his 5-seat car and drove home.

When Son had gone a few hundred meters, reaching a deserted area in alley 28, Phan Boi Chau street (Di An city, Binh Duong province), the task force decided to tighten the siege. The car in front suddenly stopped across, blocking Son's path. The car behind approached, creating a pincer movement, putting the vehicle driven by Son in a dilemma.

Nguyen Van Son confessed to the police that at first he thought it was a normal collision and intended to open the door to "talk". However, after a few seconds, realizing he was surrounded, he immediately locked the car door and barricaded himself.

During that process, Son had the help of some other subjects, so he fiercely resisted. Failing to resist, Son accelerated and tried to crash into the police car to escape, but was blocked. In a dilemma, Nguyen Van Son held a gun and barricaded himself in the car. After unsuccessfully persuading the police, they fired five warning shots into the air. Son still insisted on holding out. The situation forced the task force to use a hammer to break the car window to control Son and the related subjects.

Nguyen Van Son himself is a particularly dangerous wanted subject, with many complicated relationships with criminals in many provinces and cities across the country, so to ensure safety during the process of transferring him from Binh Duong to Ha Tinh to serve the investigation, the escort force drove more than 1,200km without stopping throughout the journey. Only when the door of the detention house closed did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Nguyen Van Son when he was arrested and brought to the Police Investigation Agency. Photo: CACC

In August 2022, the People's Court of Ha Tinh province opened the first instance trial of Nguyen Van Son for the crime of "murder". At the trial, Nguyen Van Son admitted all his crimes.

Considering that the defendant's behavior was dangerous to society, after committing the crime, he did not confess to his crime but also fled, causing difficulties for the investigation; Nguyen Van Son's behavior not only took the lives of others but also disturbed security and order in the area, so he needed to receive a commensurate sentence for general deterrence and prevention. After considering the circumstances, the panel decided to sentence Nguyen Van Son to 12 years in prison for the crime of "murder".