Wife holds 3 young children to trial of neighbor who stabbed husband to death

More than 3 months have passed but the pain seems to still be deeply engraved in the minds of Pham Thi M. (born 1983) and her children, residing in Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district, after the painful death of her husband due to a knife wound from a neighbor. In just a moment, the 37-year-old woman became a widow, her 3 children were orphaned, living in poverty in every way. It was even more heartbreaking when the perpetrator was none other than her family's neighbor.

Ms. M. speaks in court. Photo: Tran Vu

When she went to the provincial court to attend the murder trial as a representative of the victim, she wore a white scarf and held the portrait of her deceased husband. Her face showed obvious fatigue, she sat silently with her eldest son. Two of the victim's three children were underage so they had to stand outside the courtroom. Every now and then, the two children would approach the door to look at where their mother and brother were sitting.

Inside the courtroom, the representative of the Procuracy read through the indictment, causing Ms. M's heart to bleed once again. The woman sat silently, occasionally raising her arm to wipe away tears.

According to the indictment, Ms. M's family and defendant Duong Van Chuong (48 years old) are neighbors. On the evening of April 9, after finishing a stressful day at work, Mr. Nguyen Van T. (born in 1977), Ms. M's husband, Mr. Chuong and a friend sat down to drink alcohol. During the toast, Mr. T. asked Mr. Chuong about his promise to give land to build a cemetery but now he did not keep his promise, leading to an argument. Mr. T. declared that he was "not afraid of anyone" and slammed his bowl down on the tray. Chuong replied: "I came home from work and you did not respect me." Mr. T. said, "I am not afraid of ten men, except for one."

Two of the victim's three children were underage so they had to stand outside the courtroom. Photo: Tran Vu

Thinking that T. did not respect him, Chuong ran to get a knife to stab T. but missed. While T. bent down to pick up the bowl, Chuong stabbed him again, hitting the victim's right chest. Seeing the victim collapse, Chuong ran outside and asked someone to take T. to the emergency room. However, because the stab wound hit a vital area, T. died. When he learned that T. did not survive, Duong Van Chuong went to the police to confess his crime.

In court, the defendant Chuong stated that he did not intend to kill anyone. He was only angry at the victim's words about the cemetery land, so he could not control his actions, leading to the heartbreaking incident. After committing the murder, the defendant felt very remorseful. With the desire to compensate for some of the victim's family's mental loss, the defendant asked relatives to compensate the victim's family with more than 150 million VND.

Speaking in court as the legal representative of the victim, Ms. M. asked for a reduced sentence for the defendant. Regarding civil matters, she requested the court to handle the case according to the law. She stated: My husband is the pillar of the family. Since he passed away, the life of my four children and I has become more difficult. Therefore, I request that regarding civil matters, the court handle the case according to the law.

It is known that Ms. M. and her husband have 3 children together. While the eldest son is in high school, the youngest daughter is just starting primary school. When the children are at the age of eating, studying, needing the guidance and teaching of their father, Mr. T. passed away forever, leaving the burden on his weak wife.

Since her husband passed away, Ms. M. has been working hard to raise her three children alone. However, the whole family can only rely on a few fields, making their already difficult life even more difficult. Now, what this woman worries about most is the future of her children when her own health is not good.

Defendant Duong Van Chuong in court. Photo: Tran Vu

The panel of judges determined that the defendant Chuong’s murder was a hooligan act and therefore needed to be dealt with severely. However, it was also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant such as: honest confession, first-time offender, actively influencing the family to compensate the victim’s family for losses.

Considering the case in its entirety, the court sentenced Duong Van Chuong to 18 years in prison for murder. The defendant was ordered to pay more than 199 million VND in compensation to the victim’s family and provide 1 million VND/month for each of Mr. T’s 3 children until they reach adulthood.