Man kills lover, puts wife and child in jail
After killing his lover and fleeing for 14 years, when he became seriously ill, the man returned home to be cared for by his wife and children. Out of love for his husband and father, his wife and children hid him, leading to him being imprisoned.
On November 25, the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City opened the first instance trial of defendant Nguyen Van Xe (53 years old, residing in Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) for the crime of "Murder".
Xe's wife and children, Tran Le Hanh (58 years old) and two sons, Nguyen Quoc Thoi (36 years old) and Nguyen Dan An (33 years old), were also brought to trial for the crime of "Concealing a criminal".
According to the indictment, although he had a wife and children, in 1998, when he went to Dong Nai to do business, Xe had a relationship with Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim D. (born in 1954, residing in Vinh Cuu district, Dong Nai). During that time, Xe borrowed money from his lover many times.
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| Defendant Nguyen Van Xe |
On the evening of January 24, 2005, Xe took Ms. D. to Ho Chi Minh City, rented a room at a hotel on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 11 to stay and have sex.
However, at around 3pm the next day, Ms. D. asked Xe to make their relationship public, but Xe refused, causing a conflict and argument between the two. Angry, Xe got dressed and was about to leave when his lover grabbed a wooden chair from the hotel room and hit him. Xe grabbed the chair, turned around and hit Ms. D. many times on the head, then used his hands to hit Ms. D. many times on the face, neck, chest, stomach, and hips.
Seeing Mrs. D. lying down, bleeding profusely from her head, Xe pulled his lover onto the bed, covered her with a blanket and used a towel to wipe the blood, then closed the door, took his motorbike and left the hotel.
At around 1:30 p.m. the next day, hotel staff checked the room and discovered that Ms. D. had died, so they quickly reported it to the police.
On February 4, 2005, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department issued a decision to prosecute the case, prosecute the accused, and simultaneously issued a decision to search for Xe for murder. Because Xe had not yet been arrested, on October 5, 2005, the authorities issued a decision to temporarily suspend the case, temporarily suspend the accused, and simultaneously issued a decision to search for Xe for murder.
As for Xe, after leaving the hotel, the defendant hid in many places and worked as a motorbike taxi driver, using the name Tam Xe.
Since 2006, Xe has been in regular contact with his family and occasionally returned home to sleep overnight. In 2016, due to end-stage renal failure, type 2 diabetes, and hepatitis C, he returned home on Thong Nhat Street, Ward 15, Go Vap District to be cared for by his wife and children.
Through investigation, the police determined that the murderer had returned to the area, so on February 18, 2019, they raided and arrested him.
Because of covering up for the murderer, the defendant's wife and children were also prosecuted for "Concealing a criminal".
In court, Xe admitted to killing Ms. D., but the defendant said that because the victim hit him from behind with a chair, he could not control himself and hit back, unfortunately killing Ms. D.
Ms. Hanh and her two children also admitted that they knew Xe had killed someone and was wanted, but when Xe returned, they did not report to the police but took him to the hospital for treatment and care.
Considering that the defendant’s actions were particularly dangerous, and the aggravating circumstance was that he escaped, a different sentence was needed to serve as a general deterrent. After consideration, the panel decided to sentence defendant Nguyen Van Xe to life in prison. Xe’s wife, Ms. Hanh, received 18 months of suspended imprisonment, and their two sons, Thoi and An, received 12 months of suspended imprisonment.
In civil matters, the Court ordered Xe to compensate the victim's family 80 million VND for funeral expenses and 100 months of basic salary. A total of 244 million VND.