The pain of a woman who lost her child and whose husband received the death penalty.

Confession of the man who killed two people

More than six months have passed, but the people of Bai Son commune, Do Luong district, are still haunted by the case of Le Dinh Ngoc (born in 1980, residing in Bai Son commune) who stabbed his daughter and her boyfriend to death. The pain and shock remain, but behind the case lies a heartbreaking story.the tragedy of a family.

Therefore, at the trial of defendant Ngoc for murder, a large crowd of people gathered in the courtroom. In the witness section, a woman was constantly weeping. She was the defendant's wife and the mother of the victim, Le Tam N. (born in 2005). It seemed that the pain of simultaneously losing her daughter and witnessing her husband's imprisonment had caused Ms. Nguyen Thi Th. (37 years old) to break down.

Defendant Le Dinh Ngoc was sentenced to death. Photo: Tran Vu

According to Ms. Th.'s statement, N. is the eldest daughter of the couple. While in high school, she dropped out to be with her boyfriend, Ho Quoc A. (born in 2004, residing in Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district). Her family strongly opposed her dropping out, but the rebellious teenager refused to listen to her parents. Furthermore, the fact that she borrowed money from many people to spend during her time away from home angered her parents.

The pent-up conflict, coupled with an argument at a farewell dinner, led to the tragedy that occurred on the evening of July 4, 2022. That day, Ngoc hosted a farewell dinner for relatives who were leaving for work in the South. Her daughter and her boyfriend, Quoc A., were present. Ngoc mentioned her daughter and boyfriend's upcoming departure, which sparked an argument. Seeing her daughter being disrespectful and defiant, Ngoc attempted to slap N., but others intervened. Shortly afterward, Quoc A. drove his girlfriend away from the farm.

At around 9 PM that same day, Ngoc rode her motorbike to find her daughter and her boyfriend to talk to them. Upon spotting Quoc A. and his daughter going in the opposite direction and turning onto another road, Ngoc blocked their path. At this point, the couple abandoned their motorbike and ran into a house along the road. Ngoc opened the motorbike's storage compartment, took out two knives, and chased after them.

Afterward, Ngoc kicked down the door and stormed into the neighbor's house, stabbing Quoc A. once in the chest and also stabbing his daughter multiple times. After committing the crime, Ngoc informed her relatives about the incident and then committed suicide by drinking pesticide. All three were taken to the hospital, but doctors were only able to save Ngoc.

Throughout the day-long trial, the defendant admitted to all the crimes. Ngoc testified that she was angry because her daughter had dropped out of school to be with her boyfriend, and despite repeated advice from the family, she refused to change. Furthermore, Ngoc was upset that her daughter had borrowed money from many people while she was away from home.

Ngoc also testified that she later "backed down" and agreed to let her daughter date her boyfriend, but advised her to get a job at a company near home so they could plan for marriage at the end of the year. However, her daughter disobeyed and wanted to work far away, which displeased her and led to an argument. The defendant was afraid when her daughter's boyfriend threatened to call "gangsters" to deal with her, leading to the murder. In addition, the defendant stated that she had been drinking that day and therefore was not in control of her actions.

Several witnesses at the trial recounted that the defendant, Ngoc, often confided in them about her daughter running away and ignoring her parents' advice. They also confirmed that Tam N. had borrowed money from their son for personal expenses.

The tragedy of a family

Speaking in court, the defendant's wife repeatedly broke down in tears. She admitted to failing to fulfill her duties as a mother, not promptly guiding and correcting her daughter. Ms. Th. also admitted knowing that her daughter had borrowed money from many people. On one occasion, she secretly gave her daughter money when the daughter contacted her asking for it.

The defendant's wife repeatedly broke down in tears, admitting that she had failed to discipline their child in a timely manner. Photo: Tran Vu

“My husband and I work on the farm, so we were too busy to guide our children properly. The fact that she dropped out of school and went with her friends has made us very sad. I've advised her several times to come home and apologize to her father, but she refuses,” Ms. Th. explained, weeping.

The mother also admitted that she only knew her daughter and her boyfriend had moved to Vinh to live, but she didn't know exactly where they were or what kind of work they were doing. She and her husband had never taken a bus to the city to look for their daughter.

Attending the trial as the legal representatives of the victim Quoc A., the victim's parents requested 9 billion VND in compensation and the highest possible criminal penalty for the defendant. At the trial, the defendant offered his apologies to the family of the victim Quoc A. and his relatives.

The court determined that the case was of an exceptionally serious nature, the defendant's criminal act was extremely dangerous, directly depriving two people of their lives, including the defendant's own child. The defendant's actions were thuggish, showing disregard for the law, and although the defendant was aware that his crime would result in a severe sentence, he still carried out the act to the end.

Considering the extremely dangerous nature and severity of the defendant's crime, the court sentenced Le Dinh Ngoc to death for murder. Regarding civil matters, the court ordered the defendant to compensate Quoc A.'s family 261 million VND (minus 79 million VND already paid).

When her husband received the harshest sentence, the wife burst into tears and collapsed onto the chair. It was an overwhelming pain for a woman to lose both her child and her husband at the same time.