Man sentenced to 20 years in prison for stabbing 'rival' to death during drinking session.

(Baonghean.vn) - Believing that Mr. Phuc wanted to steal his lover, Nuoi angrily left the drinking party, went home nearby to get a knife, and returned to confront him. During the altercation, the guest fatally stabbed the homeowner.

On the morning of August 24th, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial against Vi Van Nuoi (born in 1972, residing in Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district) for the crime of murder. The victim in this murder case was Mr. Vi Van Phuc (born in 1969).

According to the indictment, Vi Van Nuoi and Vi Van Phuc lived in the same commune. Recently, Nuoi had a relationship with Ms. Vi Thi Thuong (also residing in the same commune). However, Nuoi also heard rumors that Vi Van Phuc frequently visited his "lover's" house. Nuoi was extremely resentful but had never caught them in the act.

Defendant Vi Van Nuoi at the court. Photo: NH

On the morning of April 27th, Nuoi went to Mrs. Thuong's house and encountered Mr. Phuc there. An argument broke out between the two men, but others intervened to stop it.

Around 9:00 AM that same day, Vi Van Nam (Mr. Phuc's son) came to Mrs. Thuong's house to invite Vi Van Nuoi over for a drink, and he agreed. The drinking session included Nam, Mr. Nuoi, ​​Mr. Phuc, and two other people.

Here, a conflict continued between Nuoi and Mr. Phuc regarding the issue with Mrs. Thuong. Feeling resentful after hearing Mr. Phuc say, "If you can sleep with Mrs. Thuong, then I can too," Nuoi went home, grabbed a knife, and returned to Mr. Phuc's house.

When Nuoi entered the house, the two got into a fight, and Nuoi lunged at and stabbed Mr. Phuc, killing him on the spot. After committing the crime, Nuoi ran to his lover's house with the knife and barricaded himself inside until the police persuaded him to surrender the weapon.

At the trial, Vi Van Nuoi confessed to all of his crimes as stated in the indictment of the Provincial People's Procuracy. Nuoi claimed that he stabbed the victim because he was provoked and committed the crime while under the influence of alcohol.

The defendant's lawyer also argued that the defendant is a member of an ethnic minority group and lacks a complete education. Furthermore, he committed the crime while in a state of extreme provocation, and therefore deserves leniency from the law.

Refuting this argument, the representative of the Provincial People's Procuracy affirmed that the defendant had repeatedly committed crimes of theft and intentional infliction of injury, so he must have been fully aware of his actions. The defendant's act of stabbing Mr. Phuc with a knife was premeditated.

The representative of the People's Procuracy also stated that the defendant's act of murder was brutal, relentlessly pursuing and taking another person's life, and therefore needed to be isolated from society for a long period of time. They requested the court to sentence him to 19-20 years in prison.

Considering the circumstances of the case, the court sentenced Vi Van Nuoi to 20 years in prison and ordered him to pay the victim's family 155 million VND for funeral expenses and emotional distress.

Nguyen Hung