The debt that severed the uncle-nephew relationship.

Conflict arising from the debt deferral.

Four years have passed since the incident, but the people of Trung Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, still vividly remember the "debt default" case that occurred in their area. A seemingly trivial conflict led to one person's death and another's imprisonment filled with remorse.

At approximately 7 PM on April 27, 2019, the Yen Thanh District Police received a report of a murder in Trung Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). The victim was identified as Mr. Nguyen Tho T. (born in 1970), residing in Nam Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). That same evening, the perpetrator, Vu Van Minh (born in 1987), residing in Trung Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), surrendered to the authorities, confessing to his crime. His confession of the motive for the crime shocked many witnesses. It was revealed that the victim was married to Minh's aunt, so Minh often referred to himself as the victim's uncle.

The murder stemmed from an incident in March 2019 when Minh lent Mr. T. 70 million VND, with a repayment deadline of 8 days. However, after the deadline, Mr. T. only repaid 35 million VND. Minh repeatedly asked for the remaining amount, but Mr. T. denied having it.

Later, Mr. T. went to the South to do business. On April 27, 2019, knowing that Mr. T. had returned to his hometown, Minh proactively called him, but Mr. T. didn't answer. At 4 PM that same day, Minh went to Mr. T.'s daughter's shop and said, "I heard your father came back, but you didn't have a voice to call him."shipAfter an hour, Minh stood in front of the shop, cursing and threatening to beat his uncle.

At 6:30 PM that same day, Mr. T. called Minh and asked, "Where are you?" Minh replied that he was at home, whereupon Mr. T. said, "Stay there, I'm coming to beat you to death." About 5 minutes later, Mr. T. arrived on his motorbike at the unfinished house Minh was building in Hamlet 6, Trung Thanh Commune.

Here, an argument broke out between the two, and Minh grabbed a bamboo stick and chased and beat the man he called his uncle. Seeing Mr. T. collapse, Minh left. The victim was taken to Nghe An General Hospital for emergency treatment but died en route. The forensic examination concluded that Mr. Nguyen Tho T. died from acute circulatory failure due to multiple injuries including a fractured skull, brain hemorrhage, broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen.

Immediately after the incident, Vu Van Minh voluntarily surrendered to the police, confessing to his crime. However, outraged by Mr. T.'s unjust death, the victim's family carried the coffin to Minh's unfinished new house to demand justice.

Late regrets

The trial of Vu Van Minh was held at the end of September 2019. The courtroom was packed with spectators, most of whom were family members and neighbors of both the victim and the defendant. The victim's family, carrying portraits and wearing mourning headscarves, arrived early in the morning. As police officers escorted the defendant, Vu Van Minh, into the courtroom, people began whispering, gossiping, cursing, and even threatening to attack him. A neighbor present at the trial said, "It's heartbreaking that he took my uncle's life."

At the trial, the defendant Vu Van Minh initially denied the charges. When questioned by the Provincial People's Procuracy about the process of chasing and assaulting Mr. T., Minh admitted he did not know where he struck, in what position, or which hand he used. The Procuracy then argued that Minh's claim that Mr. T. had driven his motorbike into him and chased him with a brick was unfounded. The Procuracy concluded that Minh's testimony was dishonest and his actions were thuggish and aggressive. Therefore, the Procuracy proposed a sentence of 16 to 17 years imprisonment for Vu Van Minh and compensation of 201 million VND to the victim's family.

However, the lawyers representing the victim argued that Vu Van Minh's actions were exceptionally dangerous to society. The altercation lasted only about 10 seconds, during which Minh struck and beat Mr. T. multiple times, causing him serious injuries that led to his death. The lawyers also requested clarification of several details in the case, such as the phone calls between Minh and Mr. T., and how Minh used the stick to beat Mr. T.

The four-hour trial unfolded amidst tense debates between representatives of the Nghe An Provincial People's Procuracy and lawyers defending the rights of the victims and the defendants.

Faced with the evidence, defendant Vu Van Minh bowed his head and pleaded guilty. "I did not act intentionally."killing“,” Minh said. Hearing that, the victim's family reacted strongly. When given the opportunity to speak his final words, Minh apologized to his uncle's family.

During the recess, defendant Vu Van Minh turned his head towards the audience and burst into tears upon seeing his relatives. Seeing his wife, he called out to her, urging her to "continue building the house and wait for the day I get out of prison."

It is known that in 2012, Vu Van Minh was sentenced by the Vinh City People's Court to 27 months in prison for "Robbery" and completed his sentence on August 30, 2013, and his criminal record was expunged. On October 6, 2013, about two months after his release from prison, Minh was again fined 2 million VND by the Yen Thanh District Police for "Stealing dogs".

Due to the nature of the case, the panel of judges decided to extend the deliberation period for several more days. On the afternoon of October 4, 2019, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced the defendant Vu Van Minh to life imprisonment for "murder" and ordered him to pay nearly 201 million VND in compensation to the victim's family.