Tears flowed during the trial of the "doing good, being punished" case.

(Baonghean.vn) - After the verdict was announced, the man who took a homeless person home and fed them suddenly became a murderer. Six other people, unable to control themselves and overwhelmed by the victim's attitude, also became entangled in legal troubles.

The trial for the murder case against Pham Van Lam (born in 1984), residing in Tan Tien Hamlet, Quynh Thien Ward, Hoang Mai Town, and six accomplices was packed with people. They were relatives, neighbors, and friends of the defendants who came to observe the trial.

The trial lacked the legal representation of the victim because, at the time of the trial, authorities had not yet identified the person whom the defendant had beaten to death. However, this did not affect the fairness of those presiding over the case.

Late on the night of August 29, 2016, Pham Van Lam discovered a young man huddled on a chair in front of his house. Out of compassion, he went to check on him. Upon learning that the young man had missed his bus and hadn't eaten, Lam brought him inside and asked his wife to make him a bowl of noodles. Lam's wife, Hai, noticed something bulging in the young man's pants pocket and informed her husband. Lam asked what it was, and the young man pulled a screwdriver from his pocket and gave it to Lam.

The defendants at the trial. Photo: Nhu Binh.

Lam put the screwdriver down on the table and told the young man to be careful because the security situation here was quite complicated. A night train guard passed by the shop, and Lam called him in for a drink. As soon as the customer entered and stood next to the young man, the man suddenly stabbed Lam with the screwdriver. With the other customers intervening, Lam ran outside. The young man then threatened Ms. Hai before running away onto the main road.

Hearing shouts from Lam's shop, many people ran out and joined Lam in chasing the young man. During the chase, the young man used a screwdriver to injure several people. The pursuers caught up and beat him with iron pipes, wooden sticks, bricks, and stones until he lost consciousness. Although he was rushed to the hospital, he died due to the severity of his injuries.

The police launched an investigation, extracting footage from a resident's camera near the scene of the crime and identifying those involved. Knowing they could not escape the law, after arranging a proper funeral for the young man, Pham Van Lam and six others connected to the victim's death surrendered and confessed to their crimes.

At the trial, the defendants argued that the murder occurred because they could not control the young man's ungrateful behavior. In truth, they only wanted to teach the victim a lesson, but unexpectedly became enraged and caused his death. The defendants acknowledged that their actions violated the law, expressed remorse, and hoped for leniency.

Pham Van Lam said: "Because I felt sorry for the victim who hadn't eaten or drunk anything, I took him home and asked my wife to make him a bowl of noodles. But he repaid my kindness by stabbing me. My kindness backfired, and my neighbors were implicated because they defended me and ended up in prison. I deeply regret my actions."

The judges adjourned for deliberation, and the defendants sat with their heads bowed, staring at the floor. From the courtroom, muffled sobs began to rise, then erupted into heart-wrenching cries of grief and grief. Many villagers believed that if the defendants hadn't acted at that moment, someone else in the village would have been injured by the aggressive young man. Above the dock, the defendants' eyes were also red and swollen.

Relatives and neighbors of the defendants burst into tears when the court announced the verdict. Photo: Nhu Binh.

The presiding judge stated that, based on the defendants' testimonies, witness statements, and the investigation results, the victim also bore some responsibility in this case. However, the defendants' use of weapons to beat the victim, leading to his death, violated the law. In this case, with the exception of defendant Pham Van Lam, the other defendants had no prior acquaintance or conflict with the victim, yet they conspired to chase and beat him, causing his death.

The Provincial People's Procuracy's prosecution of the defendants is correct, based on the facts and applicable laws, and warrants a strict sentence to serve as a deterrent. However, after the incident, the defendants respectfully organized the victim's funeral, and during the investigation and public trial, they confessed honestly and showed remorse, thus being entitled to mitigating circumstances as stipulated by law.

Considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel of judges sentenced Pham Van Lam to 6 years in prison, while the remaining defendants received sentences ranging from 24 months of suspended imprisonment to 5 years in prison for the crime of "murder". As the trial concluded, the 7 defendants were escorted to vehicles to be taken back to prison amidst the heart-wrenching sobs of the spectators.

Nhu Binh