A death row inmate pleads for early execution.
(Baonghean.vn) - "Every night I think about how I'm over 50 years old, with graying hair, yet still penniless, not even having a plot of land to place my coffin if I die because my siblings have sold everything, which makes me think negatively" - the testimony of the defendant sentenced to death who wants to "pass away" soon.
Nguyen Khac Trung (51 years old), residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, was brought to trial by the Nghe An Provincial People's Court for the crime of "illegally trading narcotics." Trung wore a short-sleeved T-shirt revealing his tattoos and the words "brotherly hatred."
In court, Nguyen Khac Trung clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with his relatives, claiming they didn't care about him, and that even today no one had come to court.
This is the fifth time Trung has faced legal consequences. During this court appearance, the defendant was aware of the sentence he was about to receive. Nevertheless, Nguyen Khac Trung appeared calm, sometimes even giving hesitant answers to the judges' questions.
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| The defendant at the trial. Photo: Tran Vu |
In 1996, Trung wassentenceHe was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "abuse of trust to misappropriate citizens' property." He was granted amnesty and released early, but less than two years later, Trung was sentenced to 30 months in prison for "illegally trading narcotics." Before he could serve that sentence, he received another 8 years and 6 months in prison, also for drug-related offenses. Combining the two sentences, Trung had to serve a total of 11 years in prison.
After being released from prison in September 2011, nine months later Nguyen Khac Trung was imprisoned for the fourth time, receiving a 10-year sentence for "illegally trading in narcotics." He completed his sentence in August 2019.
With his frequent stints in prison, Trung's married life was far from happy. After his first wife passed away, Trung remarried a woman his age and they had two children together.
Drug addiction also contributed to the marriage not lasting long. The couple separated, and Trung lived with another woman from a different village as husband and wife. He became addicted to drugs and participated in a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
Accordingly, around mid-September 2020, while visiting Ha Tinh, Trung met a woman named Van. She ordered 3 blocks of heroin and 50 packets of methamphetamine for 700 million VND. Trung agreed and paid an advance of 100 million VND. Afterward, Trung went to a mountainous district in Nghe An province and bought drugs from a Laotian national for 400 million VND. On September 30th, while Trung was carrying over 2 kg of various types of drugs to Quang Binh province to deliver to a customer, he was arrested by the Nghe An police.
Before the witness stand, the defendant did not deny the charges but clearly recounted his criminal acts as charged in the indictment. Trung stated that he had been imprisoned many times and therefore understood how strict the law was. When questioned by the court, "So why did you re-offend?", Trung replied, "Because I was in a desperate situation."
Regarding the large sum of money used to buy drugs, Trung confessed that besides the 100 million VND that Van advanced him, the remaining amount was borrowed from the bank by an acquaintance.
Tears of a condemned prisoner
During the court questioning, Nguyen Khac Trung appeared quite calm, admitting to drug trafficking. However, when his family was mentioned, the defendant wiped away tears and showed signs of dissatisfaction.
The defendant stated that in September 2019, after serving his sentence...prison sentenceBecause of drug trafficking, the defendant returned to his hometown. However, the fact that his relatives had sold all the land and houses left by his parents without giving him a single plot of land to call his own left him disheartened and resentful. Without a place to live, he received help from some acquaintances in society. They also provided him with work in an acacia plantation, paying him approximately 3 million VND per month.
The court asked, "You were given a job, why didn't you reform and instead relapse into drug trafficking?" At this point, the defendant, wiping away tears, explained, "I am very grateful to those who extended a helping hand during my difficult times. But every night, thinking about how I'm over 50 years old, with graying hair, and still penniless, without any assets, not even a plot of land to place my coffin if I die, made me think negatively. Desperate, I took a risk and borrowed money to buy drugs."
Throughout the trial, Trung repeatedly expressed his resentment towards his relatives for their mistreatment. Even when facing the death penalty, no one came to see him. Nguyen Khac Trung stated before the court: "Actually, I wanted to reform, but thinking about my bleak future and seeing that my brothers didn't care about me, I ended up like this." The words "resentment towards brotherhood" carved on his hand showed his dissatisfaction with his relatives.
In his final statement, Nguyen Khac Trung did not ask the court for leniency but instead expressed his desire to die. "My life now has nothing left to strive for. During my detention, I went on a hunger strike for a week but didn't die. With encouragement from prison officers, I once had hope of living, but now there is none. I have decided I will soon 'pass away,' or I ask the court to allow me to leave soon," Trung said, then burst into tears.
Committing crimes as a dangerous repeat offender with a bad criminal record and a large quantity of drugs, Nguyen Khac Trung was sentenced to death by the court.
Sentenced to death, Trung shared that he accepts the sentence. The defendant only feels regret for "being at fault with his wife."