Murderer's sentence reduced because of a slip of the tongue

On the morning of April 24, at the People's Court of Nghe An province, the High People's Court in Hanoi opened a criminal appeal trial of defendant Nguyen Ba Chin (born 1975), residing in Nghi Kieu commune (Nghi Loc district) for the crime of murder.

According to the case file, at noon on February 4, 2018, because there was a wedding in the neighborhood, Chin took a knife to help butcher the homeowner. While eating, Chin called Tran Van Loi (38 years old) and said: "Where are you coming from? Come home for dinner so I can help butcher faster." At that time, Chin did not hear Loi answer but heard someone say into the phone: "Your father's bones, you can listen to whoever says it." Hearing that, Chin asked again "Who is it?" but did not hear a response and hung up. Indignant, Chin took a knife and rode his motorbike to look for Loi playing billiards with Nguyen Ba Quy (35 years old) and another friend.

Defendant at the appeal hearing. Photo:Tran Vu

Going in, Chin asked Loi: "What did you say to me when you called this afternoon?". Loi replied: "When Quy called this afternoon, he was just joking." Chin replied: "No kidding." Quy replied: "What do you want now?" As soon as Quy finished speaking, Chin pulled out a knife and stabbed him. Being stabbed unexpectedly, Quy, who was holding a billiard cue in his hand, raised it and hit Chin several times on the head, then both fell to the ground.

Both were taken to the emergency room but died the next day. As for Chin, he suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding. Doctors had to operate twice to remove the skull fragments (dura) and culture them in the hospital for future implantation. The results of the examination showed that Chin suffered a 61% disability.

At the first instance trial held in December 2018, defendant Chin confessed honestly, showed remorse, and asked for a lighter sentence. Defendant Chin's wife compensated the victim's family 40 million VND. The panel sentenced Nguyen Ba Chin to 17 years in prison, ordered him to compensate the victim's family 151 million VND, provide 1 million VND/month for the victim's 2 young children until they turn 18, and provide 500,000 VND/month for the victim's mother.

Disagreeing with the above sentence, Nguyen Ba Chin filed an appeal for a lighter sentence. At the appeal hearing, defendant Chin presented his difficult circumstances, with an elderly mother and young children, so he asked for an early opportunity to return to rebuild his life. The defendant apologized to the victim's family. Before this hearing took place, the defendant's family compensated the victim's family with an additional 110 million VND.

At court, the victim's family representative partially accepted the defendant's apology, but requested the court to try the case according to the law.

Considering the case comprehensively, the panel of judges decided to reduce the sentence for defendant Nguyen Ba Chin from 17 years in prison to 14 years in prison.