A mother's struggle in the case of her son beating his father to death

Half a year has passed, but the pain of losing her husband is still present in the mind of Mrs. Vi Thi Thai (born 1968), residing in Thach Ngan commune, Con Cuong district. This woman's pain is even more excruciating when the murderer who took her husband's life was not a stranger but her own child.

Vi Van Thanh (born 2003) is the youngest of four children of Mrs. Thai and her husband. After finishing 5th grade, Thanh stayed home to help his parents with farm work and work for hire. Whatever money he earned, Thanh asked his mother to save for later. In the locality, this young man is considered by many people to be gentle and respectful.

Defendant Vi Van Thanh appeared in court as a minor. Photo: Tran Vu

Mrs. Thai's family life would have been as peaceful as any other family if the incident had not happened on July 20, 2019. That evening, Mr. Vi Van D. (born in 1969, Thanh's father) came home from herding buffalo while drunk. At that time, Thanh and his brother were butchering a goose in the well yard to prepare for dinner. Mr. D. quietly went to the well yard, took two knives, then went to where his daughter's motorbike was parked, muttering about how the motorbike was broken but he did not take it to be repaired. While saying that, he used the knife to slash the motorbike's rearview mirror.

Witnessing his father's uncontrolled actions, Thanh spoke up: "If you're drunk, go to sleep." Mr. D. took a knife and went to where Thanh was sitting, intending to slash him, but the child ran away. After that, Thanh's brother took the knife from his father's hand and put it away. Mr. D. yelled: "Get lost, don't come back to this house anymore." Thanh got angry when he heard that, picked up a wooden rake, the kind used to rake rice, and hit Mr. D. on the head. The victim collapsed on the ground and died shortly after.

The forensic examination concluded that the victim died from a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage. Because Vi Van Thanh was a minor at the time of the crime, he was released on bail.

One day in mid-January, Vi Van Thanh and his relatives went to the People's Court of Nghe An province to attend the murder trial in which he was the defendant. Thin in build and young in face, Thanh was quite frightened. Before the trial, Thanh received psychological counseling from his mother and siblings to stabilize his mental state.

At the witness stand, the defendant admitted to hitting his father on the head with a wooden rake. The defendant said he did not intend to kill his father, but only accidentally, and expressed remorse for his wrongdoing that caused serious consequences.

Sitting and listening to her son’s testimony, Mrs. Thai often bowed her head, her shoulders shaking with both anger and love. Having to endure two pains at the same time made her heart even heavier. It is known that after the incident happened, the family did not want Thanh to get into trouble with the law, so they kept it a secret.

Speaking in court, the defendant's mother, who is also the victim's wife, asked the jury to reduce the sentence for her child. This woman said that losing her husband is something that cannot be compensated for, but because the perpetrator is her own child, she hopes that her child will have a chance to correct his mistakes so that the family can ease the pain. The siblings who accompanied her also asked the court to reduce the sentence for their younger brother who made a mistake. Hearing the relatives' requests for a reduced sentence, the defendant bowed his head.

Having to endure two pains at the same time makes Mrs. Thai always sad. Photo: Tran Vu

The defendant's defense attorney argued that the case needed to be considered objectively and comprehensively. The victim had repeatedly gotten drunk and cursed the defendant and his family, causing the defendant to feel resentful for many days. Therefore, when his father continued to chase and curse him for no reason, the defendant could not control his actions. Furthermore, at the time of the crime, the defendant was still young, so the sentence should be reduced to reflect the leniency of the law.

According to relatives, the defendant was a hard-working person who loved his family. After dropping out of school, the defendant went to work for hire, and all the money he earned was kept by his mother. After committing the murder, the defendant used the 12 million VND he had saved to pay for his father's funeral. Therefore, at the trial, the victim's representative did not request civil compensation.

The court determined that the defendant’s murder was dangerous to society. The defendant’s remorse, honest confession, and the victim’s family’s petition for a reduced sentence were mitigating circumstances. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Vi Van Thanh to 6 years in prison for murder.

The trial ended, Thanh quietly left with his mother and siblings, awaiting the day of execution. Just because of a sudden outburst of anger, the defendant took the life of his own mother, leaving the young defendant to regret his wrongdoing for the rest of his life. But last but not least, the pain of his wife and mother is not easily overcome.