The pain of 2 wives after the murder at the wedding
(Baonghean.vn) - One husband died, one husband went to jail, causing two wives to face each other in court with their own sufferings. Although in pain over her husband's death, in court, the victim's wife did not say harsh words but accepted the defendant's wife's apology.
One day in mid-January, Ms. Hoang Thi Nguyen, a resident of Cat Van Commune, Thanh Chuong District, and her two children came to the People's Court of Nghe An Province as a representative of the deceased's relatives. Small in stature, her face showing obvious grief, she sat quietly in her seat. Although 7 months had passed, perhaps the pain of losing her husband was still deeply imprinted in this widow's mind.
Her husband - Mr. Nguyen Van L. (born in 1962) during his lifetime, in addition to farming to support the family, also held the position of police officer of Cat Van commune, Thanh Chuong district. Due to the nature of his job, Mr. L. often had to be on duty and work under the direction of the commune police chief.
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| Defendant Nguyen Duc Hong in court. Photo: Tran Vu |
On May 25, 2019, in order to ensure security and order on the inter-commune road, especially the wedding venue, Mr. L. was assigned to Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh's house to carry out his duties. The incident would not have happened if there had not been a conflict between Mr. L. and Nguyen Duc Hong (born in 1969, residing in Cat Van commune).
Accordingly, because Hong and the homeowner had a close relationship, that night Hong and his friend rode a motorbike to the family that was holding a wedding. When they arrived at Mr. Thanh's gate, because both sides of the car were parked tightly, Hong parked along the road. Mr. L. came to remind Hong to park the car neatly. Hong did not agree because she thought the parking lot was already full. After that, an argument broke out between the two sides. Fearing that things would go too far, the friend who was with her dragged Hong into Mr. Thanh's house.
At this time, Hong went into the kitchen, took a knife from his waistband, and walked out to the gate. Not seeing his motorbike, Hong asked Mr. L. "Where is my motorbike?" Mr. L. said "It's been moved, go look for it in the middle of the parking lot." After that, Hong and Mr. L. argued again.
During the argument, Mr. L. challenged Hong: "You hit, you slash". As soon as Mr. L. finished speaking, Nguyen Duc Hong took out a knife he had hidden on him and stabbed his opponent in the chest. Some witnesses immediately hugged Hong, then took the knife that the subject was holding in his hand. Although the victim was taken to the emergency room by everyone, he died. The forensic examination concluded that Mr. Nguyen Van L. died of "circulatory failure, acute respiratory failure due to a puncture wound to the lung".
As for the perpetrator, after committing the murder, he turned himself in to the police and admitted his crime. Having lost the breadwinner of the family and having to take care of three children (the eldest born in 1995, the youngest born in 2005) alone, Ms. Nguyen Thi Linh - Hong's wife - still tried to borrow money to compensate Mr. L's family 60 million VND in hopes of reducing her husband's sentence. She said that this was the money she earned from selling goats and borrowing from relatives to compensate the victim's family.
Throughout the trial, she sat quietly in the back with her daughter, as if avoiding the victim’s wife’s gaze. Only when the panel of judges asked her did Ms. Linh stand up and answer as briefly as possible. In court, this woman apologized to the victim’s family on behalf of her husband, hoping to receive their forgiveness.
At the trial, defendant Nguyen Duc Hong admitted to the crime. The defendant stated that the argument was due to both parties being a little drunk. The victim’s challenge to “go stab” caused the defendant to lose control of his actions. Defendant Hong also stated that he did not intend to kill anyone, it was just an accident. When given the final say, Nguyen Duc Hong apologized to the victim’s family and hoped to receive leniency from the law to start a new life and make up for the victim’s family.
The deliberation that day was different from usual as there was a conversation between the defendant, the defendant’s wife and the victim’s wife. While the defendant and his wife apologized to the victim’s wife, this woman not only accepted the apology but also encouraged the defendant to reform. Ms. Nguyen hoped that the defendant would realize his mistakes so that he could reform, return to start a new life soon and help the victim’s family in the days to come. Hearing those words, the defendant lowered his head, his eyes filled with tears.
The panel of judges determined that Nguyen Duc Hong’s actions were extremely serious, and that the crime was of a hooligan nature. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Nguyen Duc Hong to 18 years in prison for “Murder”. The defendant was ordered to compensate the victim’s family 124 million VND and provide monthly support of 500,000 VND to the victim’s mother until her death.
The trial ended, the defendant Hong silently went to the car to return to the prison. Ms. Nguyen and Ms. Linh also quietly left the court with their children. The two women were facing many difficulties without their husbands, having to shoulder both the roles of father and mother to earn money to take care of and raise their children.