A costly lesson learned after a murder stemming from a perceived "disrespectful stare."
Simply because they thought the people at the next table were giving them dirty looks, a group of young men challenged each other, leading to a conflict. This was followed by a late-night brawl that resulted in one death.
Carrying a pig-slaughtering knife to "have a talk"
Those who witnessed the recent criminal trial for murder and concealment of crime at the People's Court of Nghe An province must have been shocked. Simply because they thought the people sitting at the next table were giving them "dirty looks," these young men decided to settle things with knives. And then, one person lost their life to the cold-blooded knife blows of the young man.
The murder occurred at a pub in Hung Nhan commune, Hung Nguyen district, on the evening of May 8, 2023. That day, Ho Ngoc Sao (39 years old) and Nguyen Van The (30 years old), both residing in Hung Phuc commune, Hung Nguyen district, went out for beer. When they were getting tipsy, a group including Nguyen XH (born in 1980, residing in Hung Thanh commune, Hung Nguyen district) also arrived to have coffee.
Believing that the people at the next table were giving him dirty looks, Nguyen Van The said to Mr. H.: "Why are you giving me those dirty looks?" At this point, someone in Mr. H.'s group replied: "Nothing, uncle." Just when it seemed the matter would end there, Mr. H. and a friend came over, armed with a pipe and plastic chairs, intending to attack The. Seeing this, Ho Ngoc Sao intervened but was beaten, causing Sao and The to flee.
On their way home, The and Sao called their group of friends, including Nguyen The Vu (23 years old) and Nguyen Viet Cuong (25 years old), residents of Hung Phuc commune, to pick them up. When they met, Sao told everyone that he had just been beaten up by a group from another commune at a pub, forcing him to leave his motorbike and phone there, and asked his friends for help to retrieve his belongings. Before leaving, Sao, The, and their group of friends all carried weapons, including pig-slaughtering knives.
On their way, Sao's group encountered the owner of a roadside eatery and were told that "there are a lot of people on the other side." Hearing this, his friends, out of fear, wanted to stop. At this point, The repeatedly urged his companions: "Are you going or not? Don't be afraid of those guys."
After saying that, The, holding two knives in each hand, and Sao, holding one knife, led the way, followed by several friends who had also come to the pub. However, after walking a short distance, the group stopped, leaving only The and Sao to continue moving.
At that moment, Mr. H.'s group was standing in front of the shop. Seeing Sao and The approaching with weapons, they panicked and shouted to each other to pick up stones to throw while running away. Nguyen Van The, holding a weapon, said, "If you're brave, come out here," then chased after Mr. H.'s group with a knife, but it was too late.
Meanwhile, Ho Ngoc Sao went into a pub. Seeing Sao running in with a knife, Mr. H. ran up to him and wrestled with him, but Sao stabbed him three times in the thigh. Taken by surprise, the victim ran a short distance before collapsing. Although he was rushed to the Nghe An Provincial Friendship General Hospital for emergency treatment, Mr. H. died from acute hemorrhagic shock due to the wounds that punctured an artery.
Regarding the perpetrator, after stabbing the victim, Sao recounted the incident to his friends. At this point, Vu threw his pig-slaughtering knife and the knife Sao had used in the crime into the canal. Cuong also took The's pig-slaughtering knife and threw it into the canal to destroy the evidence.
In addition, Cuong also lent The and Sao his motorbike to flee abroad. On July 5th and 7th, 2023, Ho Ngoc Sao and Nguyen Van The surrendered to the police, confessing to the murder.
Paying the price for thuggish behavior.
For their actions, Ho Ngoc Sao and Nguyen Van The were prosecuted and brought to trial for murder. Defendants Nguyen Viet Cuong and Nguyen The Vu were prosecuted separately for concealing a crime.
At the trial, the defendants all admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. The two defendants charged with murder testified that they had been drinking that day and acted impulsively, losing control of their actions. Defendant The admitted to instigating the incident by turning to question the victim's table because he felt he was being stared at disrespectfully. However, he himself could not explain to the court what "staring at disrespectfully" meant. After being hit with a chair by someone in the victim's group, the two defendants fled the restaurant in fear. They claimed they later called a group of friends to come and pick up their belongings. However, when questioned by the court about why they brought multiple knives with them when they only came to pick up belongings, both remained silent.
As the defendant directly responsible for the victim's death, defendant Sao expressed remorse. He testified that he was intoxicated that day and couldn't control his actions. Only after the incident did he come to his senses. Out of fear, he and The fled to Cambodia. After more than two months on the run, realizing his actions were illegal, he surrendered to the authorities.
Before the trial, the defendants had their families partially compensate the victim's family for the emotional distress caused. The victim's family attended the trial and requested that the court try the defendants according to the law.
At the trial, the panel of judges reminded everyone, especially young people, to remain calm when resolving conflicts and not to resort to violence for unjustified reasons, as this can lead to serious consequences. Aware of their wrongdoing, the defendants all requested the court to consider mitigating circumstances so they could have a chance to return to rebuild their lives and partially compensate the victim's family for their losses.
The trial panel determined that the defendants' actions were thuggish, using dangerous weapons to attack the victim's vital areas. This behavior not only caused injury to the victim but also seriously affected public security and order. Therefore, isolating the defendants from society is necessary, demonstrating the strictness of the law. In this case, the main role belonged to defendant Ho Ngoc Sao. Therefore, the court sentenced Sao to 19 years in prison for murder.
For the same crime, defendant Nguyen Van The received a 15-year prison sentence. For the crime of concealing a crime, defendants Nguyen Viet Cuong and Nguyen The Vu received sentences ranging from 7 to 9 months in prison.
The trial concluded with a fitting lesson for the defendants and also served as a wake-up call for everyone regarding their behavior and interactions in society. All conflicts can be resolved through reason and compassion; don't let impulsiveness, a desire to win, or anger override reason, resorting to violence and causing regrettable consequences, ultimately leading to years in prison.