Killed cousin after drinking party

On June 7, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened the first instance trial of defendant Lo Xuan Chien (born 1966), residing in Chau Kim commune, Que Phong district, for the crime of murder.

According to the indictment, at noon on December 13, 2023, Lo Xuan Chien organized a drinking party at his house with a number of people. At the party was Mr. Lo Van T. (born in 1961 - Chien's cousin).

While drinking, Mr. T. asked Chien and everyone else to build a wall connecting the kitchen and the main house, but Chien did not agree, leading to an argument between the two sides. At about 1:30 p.m. that same day, everyone went home, while Chien went to the riverbank near the bathroom.

After taking a shower, Chien went to Mr. T's house. As soon as he got to the yard, he heard Mr. T. cursing at him, so Chien cursed back and picked up a pipe to throw at Mr. T. but missed. Seeing that Mr. T. continued to curse, Chien picked up a knife to threaten him, then went home.

At around 3pm that same day, Chien told his wife about the incident. Despite his wife's advice, Chien was so angry that he went to the kitchen to get a knife and continued to Mr. T's house.

At this time, seeing Mr. T. also holding a knife walking towards him, Chien used a stick to knock the knife out of his cousin's hand.

Seeing the tense situation, Chien's wife quickly ran to stop the two, but Chien still kicked Mr. T in the stomach and chest.

Being beaten, Mr. T. picked up a knife and slashed Chien's chest. Then the two sides rushed to fight. Chien held a knife and slashed Mr. T.'s chest and hand, causing the victim to die on the spot. Authorities determined that the victim's cause of death was respiratory failure and acute circulatory failure due to a punctured lung and broken ribs.

At the trial, the defendant expressed remorse. He admitted that because he was drunk, he could not control his actions, leading to the death. He apologized to the victim’s family.

Before the trial, the defendant had influenced the family to compensate the victim’s family according to local custom, including 1 buffalo, 1 pig, 2 dogs and 2 bags of rice. At the trial, the victim’s representative did not request any further compensation.

After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel sentenced defendant Lo Xuan Chien to 18 years in prison for murder.