The downward spiral of a male student addicted to video games.
From carefree moments of entertainment, Phạm Việt Tú, a male student, gradually became addicted to games, neglected his studies, and even stole property from his grandmother. When she resisted, Tú pushed her, causing her death. In court, all that remained was remorse and belated tears.
The mysterious death of the elderly woman.
Mrs. Tran Thi T. (born in 1948), residing in Minh Chau commune (Nghe An province), is known for her gentle and virtuous nature. She lives alone, and her children and grandchildren often visit her home daily to care for and look after her.
At dawn on June 28, 2024, as usual, Pham Viet C., the son, arrived at his mother's house. Seeing the door closed, he assumed his mother was asleep and went inside. But after calling out several times without receiving a response, he approached closer and was shocked to discover Mrs. T. dead in bed, with blood flowing from her head.
Panicked, he quickly called relatives to report the incident to the local police. Upon receiving the report, the investigating agency conducted a scene investigation and an autopsy on the victim to determine the cause of death.
During the investigation and from information provided by the family, the police learned that the victim had lost a pair of gold earrings. Connecting this information, authorities suspected the murder might be related to robbery. However, tracking down the perpetrator proved difficult as the victim had passed away. During her time living in the area, the victim had no conflicts or disagreements with anyone.
But through investigative measures, the clues to the case were gradually unraveled. By the afternoon of the same day, the suspect who robbed and killed Mrs. T. had surrendered to the police. What shocked many was that the perpetrator was none other than the victim's grandson, Pham Viet Tu (born in 2006, residing in Dien Chau commune, Nghe An province). Tu is the son of Mr. Pham Viet C. - the first person to discover the incident. From here, the cause of the incident was revealed.
The grandson stole his grandmother's property.
Pham Viet Tu is an engineering student at a prestigious university in Nghe An province. After leaving home and entering student life with many ambitions and temptations, Tu succumbed to the pitfalls of online gaming. His addiction to games significantly impacted his studies and daily life.
Because of his addiction to online games, Tú sold his laptop for 5 million VND. When his mother questioned him about the laptop, fearing he wouldn't have the money to buy it back, he considered asking his grandmother for money. Tú even thought of a second option: if his grandmother refused, he would steal other belongings and sell them to buy a new laptop.
With that in mind, late on the night of June 28, 2025, Tú walked to his grandmother's house. Upon arriving, finding the door closed, Tú loudly called out to her, asking to sleep in. While the two were lying in bed, Tú claimed he needed money for tuition to borrow some, but his grandmother said, "I'm out of money." Unable to get money, Tú resorted to his second plan: robbery.
While his grandmother was fast asleep, Tú sat up and used his hand to remove one of her gold earrings. As Tú continued to remove the other earring, his grandmother woke up and asked, "What are you doing?" His grandmother held his hand tightly, Tú apologized while continuing to remove the other earring. At this point, the elderly woman sat up, grabbed Tú's clothes, and shouted. Tú unexpectedly pushed her forcefully, causing his grandmother to fall off the bed, hitting her head on the floor and losing consciousness.
Seeing that the woman was unconscious, Tú called her name several times, but found no reaction. He then carried her back to bed, turned off the lights, and went home to sleep. Afterwards, Tú took the stolen gold to a gold shop in the old city of Vinh and sold it for 8.9 million dong. On the same day, Tú bought back the computer he had sold and used the money for other expenses.
Because the incident happened late at night, no one knew about it. It wasn't until the next morning, when Mrs. T.'s son, who is also Tu's father, came to the house and discovered his mother dead with unusual circumstances.
Late regrets
For the aforementioned crimes, Pham Viet Tu was prosecuted and brought to trial for "Robbery". At the recent trial, the defendant admitted to all of his criminal acts, showing remorse for his mistakes.
When questioned about his motive for the crime, Tú confessed that he sold his computer because he was addicted to games. When his mother questioned him, out of fear, he stole her earrings and sold them for nearly 9 million dong. He used the money to buy a new computer and pay off debts. He expressed deep remorse after his mother's death and repeatedly apologized to his family, relatives, and extended family.
Attending the trial as both the legal representative of the victim and the father of the defendant, Mr. C. was visibly distressed. Torn between conflicting emotions, he choked back tears and spoke sparingly. Suffering the double pain of losing his mother and having his son imprisoned simultaneously left him devastated. At the trial, he pleaded with the court to consider reducing his son's sentence and giving the defendant a chance to atone for his mistakes. The legal representative of the victim also did not request any civil compensation from the defendant.
Tú's father's speech brought him to tears several times. The remorse and guilt made his eyes red and swollen. Because of his addiction to virtual games, he had caused real pain to his own family. A pain that the victim's family may never heal.
This case is not only a heartbreaking warning, but also a testament to the dangerous link between gaming addiction, lifestyle deviations, and law violations. Gaming addiction not only harms physical health but also distorts personality. Once dependent on the virtual world, many people resort to various means to obtain money to buy game accounts, leading to theft, fraud, online gambling, and even murder, as exemplified by the case involving the defendant Tú.
Returning to the case, after lengthy deliberation, the panel of judges determined that the defendant had an aggravating circumstance in committing the crime against a person aged 70 or older. However, several mitigating circumstances were also considered, such as surrendering to the authorities, making a sincere confession, and receiving a request for leniency from the victim's representative. Considering all aspects of the case, the court sentenced Pham Viet Tu to 18 years in prison for "Robbery."
An 18-year prison sentence has forced this male student to bury his youth in prison. If only the defendant had known how to control himself and not fallen into the trap of video games, perhaps he would now be studying with his friends in university. The sentence also serves as a cautionary tale for many other young people: know when to stop, and don't let virtual games become real-life pain.