Girlfriend asked to break up, angry young man stabbed 12 times

On May 11, the Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial against Pham Van Quy (born 1999), residing in Chi Khe commune, Con Cuong district, for the crime of murder.

Defendant Pham Van Quy in court. Photo: Nhu Binh

According to the indictment, on the afternoon of November 29, 2017, Pham Van Quy and Ms. Pham Thi H. (born in 2000) went to Pu Mat National Park to play. There, the two had a conflict over Quy borrowing money at high interest rates to gamble. Ms. H. asked to break up and leave. Quy held a sharp knife to her neck and threatened to kill her, but Ms. H. did not stop. Quy grabbed his lover's hand and pulled her back, then stabbed her repeatedly in the chest, neck, and back, causing the victim's death.

After committing the crime, Pham Van Quy hid the victim’s body in the bushes and threw the murder weapon away in the river. Late that night, the young man used a piece of broken glass to cut himself 11 times in the stomach, arms, neck and forehead, then went to the river to commit suicide. He then swam to shore and went to an acquaintance’s house to ask to spend the night.

Not seeing their daughter return, Ms. H's parents and relatives went looking for her and reported to the police.

On the morning of November 30, Quy's relatives came to take this young man to the hospital to treat his injuries. The Con Cuong District Police Investigation Agency summoned Quy to clarify information related to the disappearance of Ms. H. Here, Quy confessed to the entire act of murder and showed where the victim's body was hidden.

Autopsy results showed that victim Pham Thi H. was stabbed 12 times, including stabs that punctured her heart and lungs, leading to respiratory failure, circulatory failure, and death.

After the incident, Quy's family agreed to compensate the victim's family more than 196 million VND.

At the trial, Quy confessed to all of his crimes. Considering that the defendant's actions were particularly serious, he intentionally committed the crime to the end, however, after the incident occurred, Pham Van Quy pointed out the location of the crime and hid the victim's body before the investigation agency discovered his crime.

Therefore, Pham Van Quy enjoys the mitigating circumstance of being a “confessed offender”. During the investigation, Quy confessed honestly, repented, and his family voluntarily compensated the victim for part of the damage.

Considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the panel sentenced Pham Van Quy to life in prison.