Confession of death row inmate asking for early execution
(Baonghean.vn) - "Every night I think that I am over 50 years old, with two different types of hair but still empty-handed, not even having a piece of land to put my coffin in when I die because my brothers have sold everything, making me think negatively" - the testimony of the defendant sentenced to death who wanted to "leave" soon.
Nguyen Khac Trung (51 years old), residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, was brought to trial by the People's Court of Nghe An for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking". Trung wore a short-sleeved T-shirt that clearly showed tattoos with the words "hate brotherhood".
In court, Nguyen Khac Trung clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with his relatives because he thought they did not care about him, and even today no one came to court.
This is the fifth time Trung has faced the law. This time in court, the defendant is aware of the sentence he is about to receive. However, Nguyen Khac Trung appears calm, sometimes even answering the questions of the jury hesitantly.
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| Defendant at trial. Photo: Tran Vu |
In 1996, China wassentence11 years in prison for the crime of “Abuse of trust to appropriate public property”. He was granted amnesty and released early, but less than 2 years later, Trung was sentenced to 30 months in prison for “Illegal drug trafficking”. Before he could serve his sentence, he continued to receive 8 years and 6 months in prison, also for drugs. Combining the two sentences, Trung had to serve 11 years in prison.
In September 2011, Nguyen Khac Trung was released from prison, but 9 months later, he was imprisoned for the fourth time with a 10-year sentence for "Illegal drug trafficking". In August 2019, he completed his sentence.
Being in and out of prison, Trung's married life was not very happy. After his first wife passed away, Trung remarried a woman of the same age and had two children together.
Also because of drugs, this marriage did not last long. The couple lived separately, Trung lived as husband and wife with a woman from another commune. He got addicted to drugs and participated in a large drug trafficking case.
Accordingly, around mid-September 2020, while visiting Ha Tinh, Trung met a woman named Van. This person ordered 3 heroin cakes and 50 packages of pink phien for 700 million VND. Trung agreed and paid 100 million VND in advance. After that, Trung went to the mountainous district of Nghe An and bought drugs from a Laotian for 400 million VND. On September 30, when Trung was carrying more than 2kg of various drugs to Quang Binh to deliver to customers, he was arrested by Nghe An police.
In front of the witness stand, the defendant did not deny his guilt but clearly stated the crime as charged in the indictment. Trung explained that he had been in prison many times so he understood how strict the law was. "So why did the defendant reoffend?", when questioned by the court, Trung replied: "Because the defendant was at the end of his rope."
Regarding the large amount of money used to buy drugs, Trung stated that in addition to the 100 million VND advanced by Van, the defendant asked an acquaintance to borrow the remaining amount from the bank.
Tears of a death row inmate
During the court questioning, Nguyen Khac Trung appeared quite calm, admitting to drug trafficking. But when his relatives were mentioned, the defendant wiped away tears and appeared dissatisfied.
The defendant stated that in September 2019, after completing the sentenceprison sentenceBecause of drug trafficking, the defendant returned to his hometown. But then, the fact that his relatives sold all the land and house that his parents left him without giving him any land to settle down on made him depressed and dissatisfied. With no house to stay, the defendant was helped by some brothers in society. They also created conditions for the defendant by hiring him to work in an acacia garden, and he was paid about 3 million VND per month.
The court asked: “The defendant was given a job, why didn’t he reform and instead committed drug trafficking again?” At this time, the defendant wiped away his tears and explained: “The defendant is very grateful to those who extended their arms to support the defendant when he was in trouble. But every night, thinking about the fact that he was over 50 years old, had two different hair types, and was still penniless, had no assets, and didn’t even have a piece of land to put his coffin in when he died made the defendant think negatively. At the end of the road, the defendant took the risk of borrowing money to trade drugs.”
Throughout the trial, Trung repeatedly blamed his relatives for treating him badly. Even when he was about to face the death penalty, no one came to see him. Nguyen Khac Trung stated in court: "Actually, I also wanted to reform, but I thought my future was bleak and my brothers did not care about me, so I became like this." The words "hate brotherly love" that Trung carved on his hand showed his dissatisfaction with his relatives.
In his final words, Nguyen Khac Trung did not ask the court to reduce his sentence but “wanted to die”. “There is nothing left for me to strive for in my life now. During my detention, I went on a hunger strike for a week but did not die. Encouraged by the prison officers, I once had hope of living, but now I don’t. I have decided to “leave” soon, or I ask the court to let me leave soon,” Trung said, bursting into tears.
Committing a crime in a dangerous recidivism case with a bad personal history and a large amount of drugs, Nguyen Khac Trung was sentenced to death by the court.
Sentenced to death, Trung said he accepted the sentence. He only felt regret for “having wronged his wife.”
