​Tears in the trial of 'doing good, getting punished'

(Baonghean.vn)- The sentence was announced, the man who brought the homeless man home to feed suddenly became a murderer. 6 other people, no longer able to control themselves, were so upset by the victim's attitude that they got into trouble with the law.

The trial of the murder case against Pham Van Lam (born in 1984), residing in Tan Tien block, Quynh Thien ward, Hoang Mai town, and 6 accomplices was packed with people. They were relatives, neighbors, and friends of the defendants who came to follow the trial.

The trial did not have a legal representative of the victim because at the time of the trial, the authorities had not yet determined the identity of the person beaten to death by the defendant. However, this did not affect the fairness of those responsible for trying the case.

Late at night on August 29, 2016, Pham Van Lam discovered a young man curled up on a chair in front of his house, so he took pity on him and went to visit him. When he learned that the young man had missed the bus and had not eaten anything, Lam brought him into the house and told his wife to make him a bowl of noodles. Hai, Lam's wife, discovered a bulge in the young man's pocket and reported it to her husband. Lam asked, and the young man pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket and gave it to Lam.

The defendants at the trial. Photo: Nhu Binh.

Putting the screwdriver on the table, Lam told the young man to pay attention because the security situation here was quite complicated, he had to be careful. A night train guard passed by the shop, Lam called him in for a drink. The customer had just entered, standing next to the young man when he suddenly picked up a screwdriver and stabbed Lam. After the customer stopped him, Lam ran outside. The young man also threatened Ms. Hai and ran out onto the main road.

Hearing the shouts from Lam's shop, many people ran out and chased the young man with Lam. During the escape, the young man used a screwdriver to stab and injure many people. The group caught up and used iron pipes, wooden sticks, bricks and stones to beat the young man until he lost consciousness. Although he was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment, the young man died due to the severity of his injuries.

The police got involved, extracted the camera of a house on the street right at the scene of the murder and discovered the people involved. Knowing that they could not escape the law, after organizing a proper funeral for the young man, Pham Van Lam and 6 people related to the victim's death turned themselves in, confessing their crimes.

At the trial, the defendants argued that the murder occurred because they could not control the young man’s “ungrateful” attitude. In truth, the defendants only wanted to teach the victim a lesson, but unexpectedly got caught up in anger and caused his death. The defendants all realized that their actions were against the law, expressed remorse, and hoped to receive leniency from the law.

Pham Van Lam said: “Because I felt sorry for the victim who had not had anything to eat or drink, I took him home and told my wife to make him a bowl of noodles. But he used the sentence to repay his kindness and stabbed me. I hurt someone and implicated my neighbors who defended me and ended up in prison. I am very remorseful for what I did.”

The jury deliberated, the defendants sat with their heads bowed, looking at the floor. From the audience, sobbing began to sound, then burst into mournful, tearful sobs. Many villagers believed that if the defendants had not acted at that time, someone else in the village would have been injured by that violent young man. Above the bar, the defendants' eyes were also red.

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

The presiding judge determined that, based on the testimony of the defendants, witnesses and the investigation results, the victim was partly at fault in this case. However, the defendants’ use of weapons to beat the victim, leading to the victim’s death, was a violation of the law. In this case, except for defendant Pham Van Lam, the defendants did not know or have any conflicts with the victim, but together they chased and beat the victim, causing the victim’s death.

The prosecution of the defendants by the Provincial People's Procuracy is the right person, the right crime, the right law, and must be strictly handled with a deterrent sentence. However, after the incident, the defendants together organized a thoughtful funeral for the victim, and during the investigation and public trial at the court, they confessed honestly, repented, and were therefore entitled to mitigating circumstances according to the provisions of the law.

Considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced Pham Van Lam to 6 years in prison, the remaining defendants received sentences ranging from 24 months suspended to 5 years in prison for “Murder”. The trial ended, the 7 defendants were led to the prison car amid the heartbreaking sobs of the audience.

Nhu Binh