A man in Nghe An province brought a 10-liter can of gasoline to set his lover's house on fire.

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

Despite being married with children, Bui Si Cong had a romantic relationship with Ms. Nguyen Thi Tr., residing in Quan Bau ward, Vinh City. They had a child together.

Due to a romantic dispute between the two, at approximately 12 PM on July 30, 2019, Cong went to Ms. Tr's house and called her out of her room to talk, but she refused and stayed inside. Since Cong had previously purchased 10 liters of gasoline, he poured it onto 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. At that time, besides Ms. Tr., there were four other people in the room: her mother, her two children, and a friend who were sleeping. After setting the fire, Bui Si Cong fled. Ms. Tr. and the four others in the room were rescued by others who put out the fire and took them to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Ms. Tr. was diagnosed with minor burns and asphyxiation, while the others were also diagnosed with respiratory failure and burns to the airways due to gasoline fumes and were discharged after a period of treatment.

At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. He publicly stated that due to a conflict over a romantic relationship, he went to see Ms. Tr. but was rejected. In a moment of anger, the defendant set fire to the gasoline, but did not intend to kill her.

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

The court ruled that Bui Si Cong's act of pouring gasoline on the bedroom door of Ms. Tr.'s house and then setting it on fire was dangerous to the lives of others. Cong knew that the bedroom had only one entrance and that there were many people inside at the time. The fact that Ms. Tr. and the other four people did not die was beyond Cong's intention, therefore, prosecuting the defendant for murder is in accordance with the law.

After considering all aspects of the case, the court sentenced Bui Si Cong to 13 years in prison.