A failed "scenario" to escape punishment

(Baonghean) - Knowing that their widowed uncle had just sold land, the three nephews plotted to kill the old woman to rob her money, then create a "confession drama" to deceive the police...

The Unusual Death of an Old Lady

One morning in late 2010, the people of Thai Hung hamlet, Nghi Thai commune, Nghi Loc district were abuzz with the news that single old lady Nguyen Thi Que (80 years old) had died in her house, the outside door was still locked, the scene was not disturbed. The first person to discover Mrs. Que's death was her granddaughter-in-law Nguyen Thi Hang (born 1978), residing in hamlet 10, Phuc Tho commune. Mrs. Que is the paternal aunt of Mach Loc Dao (born 1979, Hang's husband). Her husband died early, and she had no children, so Mrs. Que considered the couple Hang and Dao as her own children. Not long before, Mrs. Que had written a will to leave the land they were living on to the couple. That morning, Hang was out of breath riding her bicycle to bring cakes and fruits to her aunt and discovered the incident. At first, thinking that the poor old lady had died of old age, everyone rolled up their sleeves to take care of the funeral. Hang and Dao are the most active and enthusiastic couple and always urge everyone to join hands, loyalty is to the end!

While preparing the burial, a relative discovered strange marks on her neck. Immediately, the burial was stopped, Nghi Thai Commune Police and Nghi Loc District Police were invited to investigate. Realizing that this was an unusual death, showing signs of a murder, the police decided to perform an autopsy, re-examine the entire scene and invite all related people to take statements. At this time, many people in the neighborhood suddenly thought that last night, the old lady was still watching TV, walking around the neighborhood, how could she have died so suddenly? The old lady had just sold land, had more than 100 million VND in the house….

The Granddaughter-in-Law's Drama

On the third day of investigation, when all information about the murderer was at a standstill, suddenly the niece-in-law Nguyen Thi Hang came to the district police headquarters, confessing that she had caused Mrs. Que's death to seize land and rob money. According to Hang's statement, Mrs. Que had just sold the land for 140 million VND. After selling, Mrs. Que distributed a little to each of her nephews and nieces and used it to rebuild her husband's grave. Dao and Hang were also given the most money by Mrs. Que among her children and grandchildren. After finishing everything, Mrs. Que called the couple to her house and asked them to deposit 50 million VND in the bank to get monthly interest. Blinded by the money and knowing that her aunt was illiterate, the couple only deposited 25 million VND in the bank, the remaining amount was used to pay off debt. When Mrs. Que found out, she asked the couple to pay back the money, and the relationship between uncle and nephew was also damaged. Hang told the police that she brought cakes to her house to apologize because she was afraid that Mrs. Que would be angry with her and change her mind in the will. When Mrs. Que scolded her, Hang pushed her, her head hit the bed and she died. In her statement to the police, Hang pledged to take full responsibility before the law for her murder.

The defendants in the dock.

During the interrogation and study of Hang's testimony, the Nghi Loc District Police investigators noticed many unusual signs. Hang's testimony did not match the time the old woman stopped breathing as the autopsy results showed. There were many bruises and scratches on the old woman's neck, proving that there must have been a struggle between many people... The police quickly determined that a weak person like Hang could not have killed the old woman in the dark without causing any commotion. After a day and night of deliberation, using synchronous professional measures and psychological struggles, Hang finally had to reveal the two main perpetrators of the murder case: Mach Loc Dao (husband) and Nguyen Van Hai (born in 1980, Hang's younger brother), residing in Thai Son hamlet, Nghi Thai commune.

An emergency arrest warrant for the two murderers was issued. Knowing that they could not fool the authorities, Dao and Hai quickly confessed their actions. According to the information, at that time, Dao and Hang had borrowed money to invest in a passenger transport business but were losing money. Many creditors were urging them but they did not know where to get the money. When they saw that their aunt Nguyen Thi Que had just sold her land and only gave them a small amount of money, the couple repeatedly plotted to kill Ms. Que to receive the money from the sale of the land and to inherit the land she was living on. In particular, when their act of only depositing 25 million VND in the bank for Ms. Que instead of 50 million VND was discovered, both were very angry. In early December 2010, Hai went to his brother and sister's house for dinner and informed them that the 200 million VND he had lent them was from his parents. Hai had hidden it from the whole family and lent it to Dao and Hang, and now it was time to pay it back.

Nguyen Thi Que's house - where the defendants' crimes occurred

Owing a large sum of money to his younger brother made Dao and his wife dizzy. After the meal, Dao and Hang discussed with Hai a plan to kill Mrs. Que. Seeing that the plan seemed feasible, Hai immediately followed the couple's arrangement. On the evening of December 6, 2010, Mach Loc Dao used a motorbike to take Nguyen Van Hai to Mrs. Que's house, then returned home. Hai alone sneaked into a hidden corner of Mrs. Que's house and waited. When it got dark, Hai went around to the back and entered the kitchen. Under the dim light, seeing Mrs. Que sitting on the bed, Hai pushed Mrs. Que to the floor and used a piece of wood to hit the back of her neck. When Mrs. Que struggled to get up, Hai pressed her down and strangled her to death. When he finished, Hai called Hang and Dao. Both husband and wife came to pick up their younger brother and bring him home. That night, the three of them did not sleep together and discussed a plan to deal with the police. All three agreed with Mach Loc Dao's plan. If discovered, Hang would be the one to take the blame on behalf of her younger brother....

Late Tears

The file on the murder case was quickly completed by the Police Investigation Agency and transferred to the Procuracy and then to the Nghe An Provincial Court. Realizing that this was a typical case with cruel behavior, lacking all morality and ethics, which needed to be strictly handled and widely publicized to the masses, on May 10, 2011, the Nghe An Provincial Court decided to bring the case to Nghi Thai commune for a mobile trial. That day, from early morning, thousands of people from Nghi Thai, Nghi Phong, Phuc Tho communes and even Vinh City went down to the Nghi Thai commune hall to attend the trial. The sun was blazing, the hall was too small, people had to stand outside the gate of the Commune People's Committee and listen to the trial through loudspeakers.

Hundreds of people attended the mobile trial.

Sitting alone among hundreds of people, Mrs. Le Thi Bon (63 years old), the mother of Mach Loc Dao, who is disabled in one arm, tried to listen to every statement of her greedy son and his wife. Since the day Dao and his wife were arrested, their two young grandchildren have taken refuge in her house. The disabled woman, who is near death, tried to stand up and ask the court to reduce the sentence for her two children, but was rejected by the court because their actions were too cruel and heartless. In her final words, Mach Loc Dao turned his eyes to his old mother and just sobbed. It took a long time for Dao to say the words "I'm sorry". Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Hang, still in shock, said that after committing the crime, Hang was confused, scared and hurriedly took the blame for her husband. When she was arrested and in detention, Hang was haunted by the bruises on her aunt who considered her as her daughter-in-law. “The defendant knows his mistake. We committed the crime because we were so desperate and desperate. My younger brother also got into trouble with the law,” Hang said, wiping away tears. At the end of the trial, the jury sentenced Dao and Hai to life in prison, and Hang to 23 years in prison.

The case happened 3 years ago, but the people of Nghi Thai commune still remember every detail of the mobile trial. They feel sorry for the old lady as much as they hate Dao and his wife. At that time, the land fever in Phuc - Thai - Tho communes was raging, every day there were tycoons from Vinh driving billion-dollar cars to ask to buy land, causing a stir among the people in the commune. Talking about the murder case, until now, many people in Nghi Thai commune still sigh in frustration. Some people think that because of the land and money fever, the barefoot farmers who work hard all day like Dao, Hang, Hai have lost all humanity and lost all morality!

Article and photos: Nguyen Khoa