Man stabs drinking buddy to death for feeling disrespected.
After three consecutive drinking sessions, Thinh and his friend had a disagreement. Believing his younger friend had spoken disrespectfully to him, Thinh grabbed a knife and stabbed him to death on the spot.
On December 20th, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a trial against defendant Thai Van Thinh (born in 1973), residing in Tan Long commune, Tan Ky district (Nghe An province), for the crime of murder. The victim in the case was Duong Van L. (born in 1983), residing in the same locality.
According to the indictment, on the afternoon of August 2, 2024, Thai Van Thinh and his group of friends, including Mr. L, were drinking alcohol at a bar. After drinking, the group decided to go play billiards.
At 5:30 PM, they went to one of the group's houses to continue drinking. Around 10 PM that same day, Mr. L. invited everyone to the area near the Phuc Minh hamlet's cultural center to drink beer.
After more than an hour of drinking together, a conflict arose between Thinh and Mr. L. Mr. L. said to Thinh, "What right do you have to talk to me like that?", then the two stood up and challenged each other to a physical fight. Mr. L. punched Thinh.
Seeing this, a friend tried to intervene but was threatened with violence by L., so he stopped. After the altercation, L. went over and kissed Thinh on the cheek and said, "Go home and rest."
At this point, Thinh walked home, while Mr. L. returned to the drinking party. Despite being advised by everyone to go home, Mr. L. continued to sit and drink beer.
When Thinh arrived home, he saw a sharp knife (the kind used for peeling fruit) on the table, so he picked it up and went back to the village community center. Seeing Thinh return with the knife, everyone stood up and ran away, except for Mr. L., who remained seated.
When someone said, "Get up," Mr. L replied, "I'll sit still and see what he dares to do." At this point, Thinh grabbed a knife and stabbed Mr. L once in the thigh.
Seeing this, a friend pulled L. away to escape. But after running about 20 meters, L. pushed his friend's hand away and turned back to pick up an empty beer can and throw it at Thinh, but missed. Thinh chased after L. with a knife but couldn't catch him, so he went home.
At that moment, Mr. L. turned around and hit Thinh with his belt. Thai Van Thinh then turned around and stabbed Mr. L. once in the chest, causing the victim to die on the spot. After committing the crime, Thinh went home, told his relatives, and then contacted the police to surrender.
At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. The defendant testified that there had been no prior conflict between him and the victim. Regarding the incident that day, the defendant claimed that the victim, despite being younger, spoke to him in a disrespectful manner.
The defendant expressed remorse for his impulsive behavior which resulted in serious consequences. At the trial, the defendant offered his apologies to the victim's family.
The court ruled that the defendant's actions constituted the crime of murder and sentenced Thai Van Thinh to 17 years in prison. Regarding civil matters, the court ordered the defendant to compensate the victim's family with over 500 million VND (minus the 30 million VND already paid).
