The day of sentencing in solitude of the man who killed his sister-in-law's relative

Using shovel and iron pipe to beat people

Lo Van Thai (born in 1992), residing in Son Ha village, Tam Quang commune (Nghe An) is the fourth child in a family of 5 siblings. Not going to school, illiterate, so since growing up Thai has mostly stayed around the village. Due to limited cognitive ability, Thai is not quick at work and communication.

In 2010, Thai lived as husband and wife but did not register their marriage with a woman in a neighboring commune. They had two children together but their finances were unstable, so sometimes they lived with their husband's family, sometimes they relied on their wife's family.

In 2018, after Thai left to work, his wife and children returned to his parents' house. Upon returning, Thai took refuge at his brother's house, Lo Van Sao. Although his brother and sister took care of him, Thai refused to work and often turned to drinking.

On the morning of September 15, 2024, Thai was eating and drinking alone at his brother's house when Mr. Kha Van T. (born in 1975) came to visit. Thai heard Mr. T. tell Mrs. Kha Thi Thanh (Thai's sister-in-law and Mr. T.'s sister) to kick Thai out and not let him stay with them anymore. Sitting inside, Thai heard the story and was angry. Along with the suspicion that Mr. T. had repeatedly badmouthed him and wanted Ms. Thanh to kick him out of the house, Thai committed a cruel act.

The man ran to the construction materials yard, grabbed a shovel with a metal blade and hit Mr. T. many times on his body and head. Being hit unexpectedly, Mr. T. used his legs and arms to defend himself but could not avoid being hit. When the shovel blade fell out, Thai continued to hit Mr. T. in the head with the wooden handle. It was only when Ms. Thanh ran in to stop him and Mr. T. promptly snatched the shovel handle away that Thai ran away.

However, the man continued to chase and hit Mr. T with a metal tube. The victim ran about 25 meters and fell down. Thai hit Mr. T in the head, causing him to fall to the ground and lose consciousness. Immediately afterwards, people present took the victim to many hospitals from the district to the province.

By early October, Mr. T. was able to return home and continue to recover. The total percentage of Mr. T.'s physical injuries at the time of the assessment was 41%. However, after more than 3 months of suffering Thai's beatings, the victim died on January 17, 2025.

During the investigation, Lo Van Thai showed signs of depression and was quiet, so the authorities requested a forensic psychiatric assessment, concluding that before, during, and after committing the crime, Thai suffered from a late-onset neurological disorder due to opium use. At the times mentioned, Thai had full cognitive ability butlimited ability to control behavior.

Sentencing in solitude

With the above crime, Lo Van Thai was prosecuted and brought to trial for murder. Unlike murder trials that are usually attended by many people, no one came to court at this trial. Even the victim’s relatives requested to be tried in absentia and did not request anything regarding the civil part. The defendant’s wife and children were also not present.

Lo Van Thai was taciturn and sparing in his words when asked by the Trial Panel. The defendant nodded and admitted that he had used weapons such as a shovel and an iron pipe to hit the victim. When questioned about why he had beaten the victim for no reason, the defendant stated that “the victim often spoke ill of him to his brother’s and sister-in-law’s families.”

Thai also suspected that the victim had incited his sister-in-law's family to kick him out of the house, so he was upset. "The defendant beat people with the intention of threatening them," Thai testified in court.

"The defendant said he only threatened to beat her, but why did he continue to chase her even though she had run away? The defendant cannot say he only threatened to hit her in dangerous areas like her head." When questioned by the judge, the defendant remained silent.

The legal assistant defending the defendant requested the panel of judges to consider mitigating circumstances for the defendant. The defendant was in difficult circumstances, had no home, and had to live with his brother and sister-in-law. During his life, his sister-in-law's relatives repeatedly spoke ill of him and urged him to leave, which affected his mental state. In addition, his mistress's threat to leave him and marry another man also caused him to feel depressed. The above reasons caused the defendant's mental state to be abnormal, leading to his criminal behavior.

After the heartbreaking incident, the defendant felt very remorseful for his crime. In his final words before the court deliberated, the defendant asked the court to consider reducing his sentence so that he could return to his life soon. The defendant wanted a chance to see his two children again, because since his wife took the children to live elsewhere, Thai had had few opportunities to see them.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant’s actions were dangerous to society, violated the law, and constituted murder. However, it was also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant, such as remorse, honest confession, and limited cognitive ability. Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced Lo Van Thai to 15 years in prison for murder.

The trial ended with a verdict for the defendant, but it was also a warning to many others not to let anger and suspicion lead to unfortunate consequences… causing people to die, others to go to prison when they are still young and the future is still ahead.