Blind Love
At the trial, the mother of the defendant Nguyen Van Tung knelt down and turned to the victim’s father to beg, but he was also crying. The murder arose from the illicit love affair of the two children.
Tung was the only one who seemed calm. "Mom, don't do that. I was foolish because I loved her so much. I'll take all the blame," the 28-year-old defendant told his parents.
On the afternoon of October 7, after a 4-hour trial, the Hanoi People's Court determined that Tung's actions were those of a thug, determined to the end, with a motive and plan to kill his lover in advance, so he sentenced him to death for the crime of "Killing", according to Point n, Clause 1, Article 123, Penal Code.
When the van carrying Tung to the detention center disappeared behind the court gate, Ms. Hong, Tung’s mother, was still sitting in the middle of the yard, wiping away tears and watching. Mr. Lan, the victim’s father, also walked slowly home, gently patting Ms. Hong’s shoulder as he passed by, but did not look at Ms. Hong.
Both of them wished that their son and daughter had not met and gotten into an illicit relationship, then this suffering would not have happened.
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| Nguyen Van Tung at the trial on the morning of October 7. Photo: Danh Lam |
It all started 2 years ago when Tung met Lan, 23 years old, Mr. Lan's daughter, who also worked as a night shift taxi driver. The two lived in two neighboring communes in Thuong Tin district and quickly fell in love, even though they both had their own families. Tung rented a house as a meeting place.
The indictment determined that in early January, Tung thought Lan no longer loved him, so they often argued. The couple argued constantly. Lan wanted to end the relationship, but Tung threatened to "kill the whole family."
At around 9am on January 8, the two agreed to meet and talk at Dua Bridge in Thuong Tin Town, but continued to argue over the old conflict. Tung grabbed Lan's motorbike lock and threw it under the bridge, then went back to the motel, took a kitchen knife and returned to the same place.
Seeing that Ms. Lan had asked for help unlocking the car and driving home, Tung chased after her, forced her to fall to the ground, and stabbed her 22 times. The victim died on the spot. Tung fled, but was arrested the next day, about 25 km from the scene.
At the trial, Tung quickly confessed to his actions, saying "because I was so blinded by love". Before that, the defendant promised to marry and live with Ms. Lan, but the two had not yet divorced. "Lan suddenly wanted to end things, so the defendant was very angry and could not control himself. The defendant was wrong, I take responsibility for everything", Tung said, affirming that he only brought the knife to threaten.
This testimony made the members of the jury indignant. The presiding judge analyzed that the extramarital relationship alone was wrong, and the defendant also forced and threatened Ms. Lan when she wanted to return to her family. This was "unacceptable".
"Don't use love as an excuse. The defendant's actions were not only wrong, but also too brutal. The defendant destroyed two families, leaving four children helpless. Do you think you are an irresponsible man?", the judge asked. Tung did not answer, but below the courtroom, three people burst into tears: Lan's father, Lan's husband, and Tung's mother.
Mr. Lan said that at 10 o'clock on the day of the murder, he was busy cooking rice in the kitchen and preparing to pick up his grandchild when the phone rang. Lan's voice was hoarse and said: "Tung threw the car key into the river, I have a spare key, please bring it to Cau Dua for me." He said no, but reassured his daughter: "Wait, I'll be right out. Is everything okay?" His last sentence was mixed with Lan's "yes" and the sound of the phone being hung up hastily.
But it wasn't until that day that Mr. Lan and his son-in-law learned about Lan and Tung. Several months before the murder, Lan suddenly called her husband repeatedly and told him: "You run away, Tung wants to kill you." As drivers living in the same commune, Mr. Ngoc knew Tung, but he didn't understand why Tung wanted to take revenge on him. When asked, Lan refused to say anything.
Both husband and wife drove taxis, one on the day shift, the other on the night shift, so they didn't have much time to talk. Being busy with work, Ngoc said he didn't pay much attention to what his wife said. But just a few days later, Tung suddenly came to his mother's workplace, holding a knife and threatening her: "If you don't let Lan go with me, I will kill your whole family, your children and grandchildren."
Ngoc knew about it and Lan confessed everything. She apologized and said she wanted to end it with Tung and return to her family. Ngoc said that at that time she was very angry with his wife, but she loved her more. "It was partly my fault for letting her lack affection," he said and said that he advised her not to see Tung again but his wife insisted on "settling things once and for all."
On January 8, Ngoc was on a long trip away from home. Knowing that his wife would be meeting her ex-lover, and knowing that Tung was ready to act rashly, he told her to wait until they got home before going to meet him. Lan reassured him: "We'll only talk for a few minutes in a crowded place. Tung won't dare do anything to you." That was also the last thing Ngoc heard from his wife.
At noon, there were continuous phone calls to his wife asking about the situation but there was no answer. Ngoc received a call from his brother-in-law, saying "come home immediately, Lan was stabbed to death by Tung".
Crying as he recounted his story in court on October 7, Mr. Ngoc asked the jury to give his rival the harshest sentence. "My wife was wrong but she did not deserve to die so painfully."
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| The defendant's mother knelt down and cried, begging the victim's husband for forgiveness after her son was sentenced to death, at noon on October 7. Photo: Hai Thu |
In the opposite row, Tung's mother heard Ngoc propose the heaviest sentence for her son and could not contain her emotions, constantly admitting her mistakes. Due to conflicts in their old age, she and her husband separated many years ago. She worried about Tung getting married and then went away to work far away for 5 years.
Returning home after her husband passed away and learning about her son's affair with a married woman, Ms. Hong blamed herself for neglecting her children. "This is my fault. My son is gentle, but this happened because I did not raise him well."
*Character names have been changed