Husband says he regrets killing someone when his ex-wife came to collect debt

Recently, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Nguyen Quoc Khanh (51 years old), residing in Van Son commune, Do Luong district, for the crime of "Murder".

This case caused a stir in public opinion because of the defendant’s cold-blooded actions. Khanh’s stabs not only killed one person on the spot but also left another young man with a disability of 45%. Therefore, the trial of Nguyen Quoc Khanh attracted special public attention.

Nguyen Quoc Khanh was sentenced to life in prison at the first instance trial. Photo: Tran Vu

Meeting his ex-wife in court, the two did not say anything to each other even though they had been together for nearly 30 years. In 1990, Nguyen Quoc Khanh and Nguyen Thi Xuan (48 years old) became husband and wife. During their time together, they had two children. Although the children were grown up and ready to settle down, Khanh and his wife had irreconcilable conflicts.

After many unsuccessful attempts at mediation by the People's Court of Do Luong district, the two officially went their separate ways in mid-2018. Regarding the division of assets after the divorce, the court ordered Khanh to pay Ms. Xuan more than 53 million VND. That amount of money was also the cause of the tragic murder case.

According to Khanh's testimony in court, after the court's verdict, because he had not been able to get the money, the defendant repeatedly asked his ex-wife for an extension to pay the debt. As for the wife, because she could not collect the debt, she hired Mr. Nguyen Kim D. (born in 1987, residing in Yen Son commune, Do Luong district) to intervene. In April 2019, Mr. D. and Ms. Xuan came to ask for the debt several times but Khanh did not pay.

Therefore, on May 18, Mr. D. and Ms. Xuan went with Nguyen Cong Giang (born in 1986) to Khanh's house to collect the debt. At this time, in addition to Khanh's son and wife, there was also his wife in the house. Hearing the dog barking, knowing that someone was coming, Khanh immediately prepared 2 knives.

Ms. Xuan talks about the amount of more than 53 million VND that her ex-husband owes her. Photo: Tran Vu

When Mr. D. had just stepped up the steps, Khanh rushed forward and slashed him many times. Mr. D. put his hand up to block and stepped back, picked up a stick and hit Khanh in the arm, then ran out into the garden. Khanh chased after him with a knife and slashed Mr. D. repeatedly, causing the victim to collapse and die.

Seeing his friend being slashed, Giang immediately ran to stop him, but Khanh chased him and slashed him repeatedly on the head, body, elbow, hand, cheekbone, etc. Giang was taken to the emergency room and treated at Nghe An General Hospital with a 45% injury rate on his body.

The forensic examination results concluded that the cause of death of Nguyen Kim D. was acute circulatory failure, perforated skull fracture, fracture of the left humerus and left fibula.

In court, Khanh stated that he was constantly pressured to pay his debt. Furthermore, the fact that Ms. Xuan came to his house to take away 10 bags of rice made him angry and he could not control his actions. When asked by the court why he slashed the victim many times even though they had not done anything to him, Khanh justified that he was afraid of being beaten so he attacked first. The court said that the defendant's actions were hooliganism, he had the heart to slash the victim many times even though they had not done anything.

What does the defendant think about his actions? In response to the court's question, Khanh replied: "The defendant is very remorseful. During the days in detention, the defendant thought a lot. Many nights the defendant was haunted, unable to sleep because of his wrongdoings. The defendant is very sorry to the victim and the victim's family."

Attending the trial as a witness in the case, Ms. Xuan always showed a cold attitude towards her ex-husband. When speaking in court, she presented the debt between her and her ex-husband and asked the defendant to pay the remaining amount.

During the deliberation, the ex-wife hurriedly left. Meanwhile, a woman with a northern accent tried to approach the defendant. This person said that she had met Khanh during the time the defendant went to the North to work. Sympathizing with each other's situation, the two moved in together even though they had not registered their marriage.

Khanh's mistress recounts the incident. Photo: Tran Vu

On the day of the incident, she was also present at the scene, but because the incident happened so quickly, she was unable to intervene. Meeting her husband in court, this woman told Khanh to reform well.

For the crime of “Murder”, Nguyen Quoc Khanh was sentenced to life in prison. The court ordered the defendant to compensate the victim more than 191 million VND.