A tailor installed a GPS tracker on his wife and stabbed his neighbor in the heart out of jealousy in Nghe An.

Six months ago, a murder case caused by jealousy occurred on a road in Nam Giang commune (Nam Dan district, Nghe An) causing a stir in public opinion. The victim was the owner of a fairly famous business in Nam Dan town. Meanwhile, the perpetrator was the victim's neighbor.

After a period of investigation, the People’s Court of Nghe An province recently brought defendant Hoang Dinh Nam (born in 1963), residing in Nam Dan town, Nam Dan district, to trial for the crime of “Murder”. Compared to the time of his arrest, on the day of his trial, Hoang Dinh Nam looked much thinner and more haggard. His hair was also white.

Defendant Hoang Dinh Nam appeared in court with white hair. Photo: Tran Vu

The courtroom was packed that day. Nam wore slippers and sat in a huddle, avoiding the eyes of the victim’s relatives and neighbors. From a person who was considered to have a moderate lifestyle, Hoang Dinh Nam had pushed his life into days in prison. More sadly, the victim who died tragically under Nam’s knife was a neighbor and acquaintance of the defendant.

That is what makes the defendant always feel guilty about his crime. The origin of the incident started from the suspicion that his wife was having an affair with another man. To monitor him, Nam attached a tracking device to his wife, Tran Thi H.’s motorbike and installed the software on his phone.

On the morning of March 28, 2019, Nam became suspicious when he saw his wife's motorbike stopping for an unusually long time in an area in Nam Giang commune. He immediately went to the market to buy camouflage clothes and a small knife and went to the suspected area.

To avoid his wife's discovery, Nam changed into a new set of clothes on the way and put the knife in his pocket. When he arrived, Nam stood across the street, watching and waiting.

Accident scene. Photo: Tran Vu

At around 1:00 p.m. the same day, Mr. Bui Thanh D. (born in 1954), residing in Nam Dan town, drove a car carrying Ms. H. from Vinh city. Suspecting that his wife was in the car, Nam followed her on a motorbike to observe.

When reaching km3+600m of Provincial Road 539, Ms. H. got out of the car. Nam immediately ran to open the back door and got in. Although he did not know who was sitting in the front seat, Nam jumped up, put his left arm around Mr. D.'s neck, and used his right hand to pull out a knife and stab the man in the stomach.

After being stabbed, Mr. D. pushed Nam's hand away, looked up and said, "You dare?". At this time, Nam realized that it was his neighbor, so he stabbed Mr. D. repeatedly in the body. The victim tried to open the car door to run out, but fell down on the street and died on the spot. After committing the crime, Nam fled and turned himself in at 4 p.m. the same day.

The forensic examination conclusion of Nghe An Provincial Police concluded that the cause of death of Mr. Bui Thanh D. was due to "severe circulatory failure due to multiple penetrating wounds to the heart, liver and intestines."

In court, Nam admitted to all the crimes as charged in the indictment. The defendant said he loved his wife very much, and that since mid-2018 he had noticed unusual behavior from his wife, so he suspected her of having an affair. However, the defendant only suspected and had no evidence. “The defendant did not intend to take the victim’s life, but only threatened her. The defendant’s purchase of the knife was just a rash act, and the camouflage clothing was intended to threaten her,” Nam testified in court.

During the trial, Hoang Dinh Nam turned down twice to apologize to the victim’s wife and children, and asked for forgiveness. In his final words before the court deliberated, the defendant seemed to pour out all his worries: “Since being detained, I have not had a good night’s sleep. Every time I think of him, I cry and feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for him and the victim’s family.” Hoang Dinh Nam also asked the court to reduce his sentence so that he can return home soon to raise his two children who are still in school.

Hoang Dinh Nam spent a long time in the army. After being discharged with the 3/4 disabled status, Nam returned to his hometown to make a living as a tailor. Nam's wife is a teacher at a local kindergarten. The family's life is not well off but not too poor. However, suspicion caused Nam to lose control of his actions and become the perpetrator in a murder case that stirred public opinion. In the crowd attending the trial, many neighbors expressed their grief when they saw the defendant's emaciated appearance. They felt sorry for the defendant when he went from being considered a gentle person to a murderer.

Hoang Dinh Nam was sentenced to 17 years in prison for “Murder”. In addition, the defendant must also compensate the victim’s family 210 million VND (minus 55 million VND already paid in compensation).

The trial ended, the defendant was quickly led to the covered truck. Tears were streaming down the murderer’s face. If only Nam had restrained his actions, the defendant’s two young daughters would not have had to witness the image of their father with white hair and his hands in handcuffs.