Needing money to pay off debts, Nga murdered a vegetable vendor to steal 12.3 million VND. At the time of the crime, the woman was seven months pregnant.

On January 5th, the Vinh Long Provincial People's Court sentenced defendant Tran Thi Ngoc Nga (39 years old, originally from Can Tho, temporarily residing in Hoa Phu commune, Long Ho district) to 6 years in prison for "robbery" and 20 years in prison for "murder". The combined sentence is 26 years in prison, and the defendant must pay 113 million VND in compensation to the victim's family.

According to the indictment, since 2013, Nga owed money to many people in Can Tho, so she and her husband moved with their two children to Phu Hung hamlet (Hoa Phu commune) to rent a house and sell fried bananas at Phuoc Yen market. Nga borrowed more than 10 million VND as business capital and had to repay the debt by August 2016 but did not have the money. Nga knew Mrs. Tran Thi Tam (60 years old), who sold vegetables at the market and had set aside some money for medical expenses, so she conceived the idea of ​​stealing it.

The defendant at the trial.

At approximately 10:00 AM on August 9, 2016, Nga brought a bag of vegetables to Mrs. Tam's house to sell, intending to find an opportunity to steal money. Around 12:00 PM that same day, Mrs. Tam dropped her phone while using the restroom and asked Nga to pick it up. Seeing money in Mrs. Tam's bag, Nga wrestled her to the ground. During the struggle, Mrs. Tam fell against a concrete wall, and Nga held her in a basin of water until she became motionless and died. Nga then searched the victim's bag, took 12.3 million VND, and fled the scene.

In the afternoon, the victim was discovered dead by family members, who then reported it to the investigating authorities. As for Nga, after committing the crime, she continued selling fried bananas at the market until she saw the police arriving. She then fled into the restroom of a beverage shop, hiding the stolen money, but was caught red-handed.

At the time of the crime, Nga was seven months pregnant. Because she had only given birth two months prior and was still weak, the court allowed her to sit during the trial. At the trial, the defendant confessed honestly and asked her father to compensate the victim's family with 20 million VND.

According to the People's Police Newspaper