A man in Nghe An brought a 10-liter can of gasoline to burn down his lover's house.

On the morning of March 5, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial of Bui Si Cong (37 years old), residing in Nghi Phu commune, Vinh city, for the crime of "Murder".

Although Bui Si Cong already had a wife and children, he still had a relationship with Ms. Nguyen Thi Tr., residing in Quan Bau ward, Vinh city. The two had a child together.

Due to a love dispute between the two, at around 12 noon on July 30, 2019, Cong went to Ms. Tr's house and called her out of the room to talk, but the woman refused and closed the door in her room. Because Cong had previously bought 10 liters of gasoline, this man poured gasoline in the area in front of Ms. Tr's bedroom door.

Defendant Bui Si Cong. Photo: Tran Vu

Then, Cong lit a gas lighter and set the room on fire. In the room at that time, besides Ms. Tr., there were 4 other people including her mother, 2 children of Ms. Tr. and a friend who was sleeping. After lighting the fire, Bui Si Cong escaped. Ms. Tr. and 4 people in the room were rescued by everyone and taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Ms. Tr. was diagnosed with minor burns and suffocation, the others were also diagnosed with respiratory failure and airway burns due to gasoline suffocation and were discharged from the hospital after a period of treatment.

At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. He publicly stated that due to a love conflict, he sought to meet Ms. Tr. but was refused. In a moment of anger, the defendant set fire to the gasoline, but did not intend to kill.

After the incident, the defendant's family compensated the victims. Therefore, the victims did not request civil compensation.

The panel of judges determined that Bui Si Cong’s act of pouring gasoline on Ms. Tr.’s bedroom door and setting it on fire was dangerous to the lives of others. Cong knew clearly that the bedroom had only one door and that there were many people in the room at the time. The fact that Ms. Tr. and the other four people did not die was beyond Cong’s control, so the prosecution of the defendant for murder was in accordance with the law.

Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Bui Si Cong to 13 years in prison.