Stabbed wife 14 times because she didn't want a divorce

Angry because his wife said she would marry another man after the divorce, Thuong grabbed a knife and stabbed her husband more than ten times.

On August 17, the High People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City opened an appeal hearing to consider the appeal for a reduced sentence of Vo Van Thuong (37 years old, from Long An) for murder.

Vo Van Thuong in court. Photo: Binh Nguyen.

The first instance verdict determined that Thuong and Ms. Ngoan had a 16-year-old child together. He frequently abused his wife and was repeatedly summoned by the local authorities to resolve the matter. Because her husband continued to act the same way, Ms. Ngoan decided to divorce. The People's Court of Kien Tuong town then issued a summons for the couple to come to a reconciliation.

On the night of October 15, 2015, while preparing to go to bed, Thuong found an excuse to quarrel with his wife. The husband did not agree to the divorce and threatened to kill Ngoan and then commit suicide. The wife was adamant and said: "After the divorce, I will marry another man", which made Thuong angry.

He grabbed a knife from the wall and stabbed his wife in the chest. Ngoan threw the curtain and jumped to the ground, but her husband still stabbed her 13 times. The child sleeping in the room woke up and ran out to stop him, shouting for help. Thuong grabbed a knife and stabbed herself many times in an attempt to commit suicide, but failed. The man continued to put his hand into the electrical outlet and was electrocuted and fell to the ground.

Neighbors heard the screams and ran over to take Thuong and her husband to the emergency room, but Ngoan died before reaching the hospital.

In March, the Long An Provincial People’s Court held a first-instance trial and sentenced Thuong to life in prison for murder. He appealed for a reduced sentence.

In court today, Thuong said that he acted because he was angry that his wife said she would marry another man after the divorce.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant's actions were extremely hooligan, murderous and required a severe punishment. The life sentence was still too lenient, so there was no basis for a reduction.

According to VNE