A clumsy drama lands 4 family members in trouble with the law

Wrong by 1 degree...

Defendant Nguyen Doan Khai (born in 1998, residing in Hung Yen Bac commune, Hung Nguyen district) was sentenced to 17 years in prison for murder. At the age of 20, the most beautiful threshold of youth was blocked by the prison door. More painfully, not only Khai but also his old father, cousin and biological brother were also convicted.

His family situation was already not good, with his aging parents and his sometimes-smart, sometimes-foolish older brother. The breadwinner like Khai should have been aware of this so as not to get into trouble with the law, and the whole family should not have covered for Khai so that now everyone carries a stain on their lives.

Four people in one family were imprisoned after the "drama" was exposed. Photo: Phuong Thao

That night, July 31, 2017, Khai and a friend teased a mentally ill person. Nguyen Tu Hung (living in the same commune) spoke up to stop him, Khai cursed back and was beaten by Hung. The friend who was with him advised Khai to go home. After hearing his younger brother's story, Nguyen Doan Lan said he was going to talk to Hung. Khai took a switchblade and followed Lan. At the gate of the cultural house, Lan asked Hung why he beat Khai. The two had an argument, Hung hit Lan in the face. Seeing Khai approaching, Nguyen Tu Hung got off his motorbike and walked in front of Khai. When Hung raised his hand to hit him, Khai stabbed him once in the neck.

On that fateful evening, Khai's cousin, Lan - Nguyen Dinh Hai (born in 1984), who was a youth union official, was even practicing performing arts for children at the cultural house in the neighborhood near where the murder took place.

Hearing that Nguyen Tu Hung had died on the way to the emergency room, Hai panicked and rode his motorbike to Khai and Lan's house. Both scared and worried, Hai urged Khai to turn himself in.

Hearing his nephew report the situation, Mr. Nguyen Doan Vinh (born in 1957, father of Khai and Lan) was paralyzed. Not yet recovered from the shock, Mr. Vinh and Hai heard Lan say she would go take the blame for her younger brother. Seeing his slow and foolish eldest son suddenly become determined, Mr. Vinh felt even more heartbroken and confused. Time was running out, Hai urged him to turn himself in, the three father and sons and Hai had to agree to let Khai go to the police station.

However, the drama that the four people set up was soon exposed, because the eldest son's naivety could not perfect his testimony to cover up the younger brother's crime. The investigator quickly realized the discrepancy with the crime scene, the real murderer was the youngest son, and in the end, he had to bow his head and confess. The law did not exclude anyone, the remaining three people in the discussion to plead guilty that day were prosecuted for "concealing a crime".

"I feel sorry for any child going to jail..."

On March 27, four family members became four defendants in a case. Many people attended, including brothers, friends, and neighbors. The image of an old, haggard father stood before the witness stand, speaking each word intermittently, "I feel sorry for any child going to jail, but I thought to myself that if the older brother goes, the younger brother can still take care of the house..."

Then when witnessing Nguyen Doan Lan's son speaking each stuttering statement, the entire courtroom shook their heads in dismay, both angry and sympathetic. Lan was 32 years old but did not know if she was aware of the situation her family was going through. They only saw that naive young man smiling, looking sleepy, nodding and shaking his head repeatedly.

Defendant Nguyen Doan Vinh must appear in court for the crimes of his children. Photo: Phuong Thao

The trial ended, Lan received a 6-month suspended sentence for taking the blame for her brother. Mr. Vinh and his nephew Nguyen Dinh Hai received a 9-month suspended sentence for covering up the crime. Everyone gradually left, but Mr. Vinh still sat there. Lan was already emotionless, only he painfully watched his youngest son being handcuffed and escorted back to prison. After 17 years in prison for his son, would he still have the strength to wait?

Lan grabbed her father's shirt, urging him to go home, but Mr. Vinh was still sitting absent-mindedly on the chair placed in front of the witness stand. So, all three of them were serving their sentences, except that he and his eldest son were not imprisoned. Mr. Vinh quickly looked down, there were no brothers or friends left. It seemed that he had briefly thought about feeling guilty in the eyes of the world...