More than 11,000 days of hiding of the man who mistakenly killed his 'love rival' and then went on the run

The cruel knife

The trial of defendant Tran Van Dan (born 1962), residing in Tho Hop commune, Quy Hop district, for murder, was attended by quite a number of people. Half of the courtroom was occupied by the victim's relatives, the other side was occupied by the defendant's cousins. Everyone's faces showed sadness and thoughts when attending the rather special trial. Especially when the victim, although having no conflict with the defendant, had to leave. The murderer then fled the area, living far away under a new identity, but in the end had to pay for his crimes.

After many years on the run, defendant Dan had to pay the price with a 17-year prison sentence. Photo: Tran Vu

Returning to the case that happened more than 32 years ago, on the afternoon of August 12, 1991, Dan rode his bike to his friend's house to invite him to go to Laos to do business. When he reached the gate of the water plant, he met a young man who asked him, "Are you going to stalk your wife with the security guard?" The loud laughter of those people made Dan feel hot and angry, but he said nothing and left.

Dan went out and met a friend who invited him to go out for a drink. While drinking, Dan confided in his friend what happened at the gate of the water plant. Dan thought his wife was having an affair with a security guard named Manh. The friend also analyzed that if his wife had developed feelings for someone else, it would be difficult to predict what would happen when her husband went away to work.

After the drinking party, Dan cycled to the market to buy a sharp knife, then returned to the water plant and sneaked into the security room. Seeing a person sleeping on the bed, thinking it was Manh, Dan stabbed the person in the chest and left. The victim was taken to the emergency room but died later. However, the deceased victim was Mr. Tong Xuan Q. - the warehouse keeper, not the security guard Dan was looking for.

After learning of the victim’s death, Dan told his wife and fled the area. After a period of fruitless searching, the Quy Hop District Police issued a wanted notice for Tran Van Dan for “Murder”.

Speaking of the murderer, after committing the crime, he went into hiding everywhere, doing all kinds of jobs to make a living. After 1 year of hiding, Dan secretly returned to his hometown, took his wife and children, and left his hometown, moving to Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province. During the escape, Dan changed the last and middle names of the couple as well as his hometown in the documents. He never mentioned his hometown in order to erase all traces related to the past.

To avoid being exposed, Dan always appeared to be a gentle, responsible, and unhurried person, limiting the occurrence of conflicts with people around him. Under the guise of a kind and responsible man, Dan won the sympathy of everyone. His conscience and remorse occasionally arose, but not big enough for Dan to trade what he had. Dan did not have enough courage to turn himself in and did not expect that when the case had "fallen asleep", the police would raid...

The price to pay

In early October 2022, through professional measures, wanted soldiers discovered a man named Tran Duy Dan residing in Cu Ewi commune, Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak province, who had many similar characteristics to Tran Van Dan. Verification work was immediately coordinated by professional departments of the units. The results confirmed that Tran Duy Dan was Tran Van Dan. On October 10, 2022, Dan was handcuffed, ending his days of being on the run.

At the trial, the defendant Dan confessed that he did not intend to kill anyone but only wanted to intimidate the guard. However, because he did not know the guard's face, he stabbed the wrong storekeeper. During his time living in hiding in the Central Highlands, the defendant was always tormented by the mistakes he had made to the victim's family. He could not sleep well at night as nightmares kept coming. However, Dan still could not overcome that fear to step out into the light and surrender.

The defendant's son apologized to the victim's family in court. Photo: Tran Vu

At the time of the incident, the victim's wife was pregnant. Suddenly losing her husband while the unborn child had not yet had a chance to meet its father was a huge shock to the victim's family. For over 30 years, the victim's wife had overcome the pain alone, raising her child alone. The time when Dan was arrested was also a consolation for the victim's family before the deceased's spirit. Attending the court, the victim's wife requested the court to try the defendant according to the law.

Attending the trial, the defendant’s son also choked up as he apologized to the victim. He explained that despite their difficult circumstances, his children had collected more than 100 million VND to partially compensate the victim for his mental damage. This son asked the victim to forgive his father’s sins.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant’s actions were extremely serious, dangerous to society, depriving people of their right to life, causing loss to the victim’s family and relatives. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Tran Van Dan to 17 years in prison for “Murder”. Regarding the civil part, the court ordered the defendant to compensate the victim’s representative for mental damage with 100 months of basic salary.

After more than three decades on the run and living under a different name, the feeling of guilt has tormented Dan for decades and perhaps many more years to come. Now, Dan has to pay the price for his sins.