Trial of son who used rice rake to beat father to death
(Baonghean.vn) - Angry because his father chased him with a knife and cursed him because his motorbike was broken, Vi Van Thanh took a rice rake and hit his father on the head. The victim died from a fractured skull.
On January 14, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial of Vi Van Thanh (born 2003), residing in Thach Ngan commune, Con Cuong district, for the crime of "Murder". This was a closed trial because the defendant was under 18 years old.
According to the indictment, at around 7:30 p.m. on July 20, 2019, Vi Van Thanh and his brother butchered a goose at home. During the work, Mr. Vi Van D. (born in 1969, Thanh's father) returned from herding buffalo.
D. silently went to where his son was butchering the goose, took two knives and went to where his daughter's motorbike was parked, muttering: "Your parents, you always let your motorbike break down and never fix it", while using a knife to slash the motorbike's rearview mirror.
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| Defendant Vi Van Thanh committed the crime when he was underage. Photo: Tran Vu |
Thanh saw that and said, "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 older brother took the knife from his father's hand and hid it on the water tank. Mr. D. did not chase after him but said, "Go away, don't come back to this house anymore." Hearing that, Thanh got angry and hit Mr. D. on the head with a wooden rake, the kind used to rake rice. The handle cracked and fell off the rake blade.
The victim was taken to the emergency room but died at 10pm the same day. Not wanting their son to go to jail, the family lied to Mr. D. that he had an accident.
Discovering unusual things from Mr. D's death, the police started investigating. The forensic examination concluded that the victim died from a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage.
At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. The defendant said that his father was a drunkard and threatened to beat him, so he could not control his actions. The defendant expressed remorse and asked for a reduced sentence so that he could return home to take care of his elderly mother. Attending the trial, the defendant's mother, who was also the legal representative of the victim, asked for a reduced sentence for the defendant and did not request civil compensation.
The court determined that the defendant’s murder was dangerous to society. Because of a petty conflict, the defendant deprived his father of his right to live. However, it is also necessary to consider the fact that the defendant committed the crime while still a minor. Considering the entire case, the court sentenced Vi Van Thanh to 6 years in prison for murder.