Cold-blooded killer used knife to slash couple to steal gold earrings

(Baonghean.vn) - 11 days have passed but many people are still shocked and angry about the brutal behavior of the perpetrator when mentioning the murder case of 2 people in Que Phong that left the wife dead and the husband seriously injured.

Hunting a couple at night

According to the investigation agency's records, at nearly 9:00 p.m. on May 28, Nghe An Provincial Police received information about a murder case that occurred in Co Noong village, Muong Noc commune, Que Phong district. Lieutenant Colonel Cao Anh Hong - Deputy Head of the Department of Investigation of Social Order Crimes (PC45) directly accompanied the Major Crimes Team No. 3 to travel hundreds of kilometers to the scene that very night.

Crime scene.

After examining the scene, the authorities determined that the victim Vi Thi Loan (born in 1955) died lying face down on the floor with about 15 stab wounds. At this time, from the hospital, Mr. Sam Van Dan (Mrs. Loan's husband) whispered that the perpetrator was Vi Van Thang (born in 1993), a resident of the same village.

Determining the extremely serious nature of the case, the perpetrator committed the crime in a very brutal and dangerous manner. Therefore, the officers and soldiers of the major crime squad were determined to solve the case as quickly as possible at all costs, despite the difficult traffic conditions at the crime scene.

The major crime squad was divided into several groups, one group organized the investigation, collected hot traces at the scene, the other group took statements from the victim and witnesses to consolidate the case, and narrow down the suspect. Among the witness statements was Ms. Vi Thi Hue, a neighbor of the victim's house, who said that at about 9:00 p.m. on May 28, she heard Mr. Sam Van Dan screaming for help in front of the alley. Running out to see, Ms. Hue saw Mr. Dan holding a wound and having many knife wounds on his body. The victim also recounted that Thang had murdered her and her husband in order to steal the gold earrings from Ms. Loan's ears.

After screening the suspects, the investigation agency put Vi Van Thang as the number 1 suspect to focus on building a portrait and tracking his escape route. The working group continued to split into many groups, in which one group checked all the relationships with Thang's siblings, relatives and friends, the other group continuously moved to the houses of Thang's relatives to search.

The sky in Western Nghe An was pitch black, the soldiers had to constantly use flashlights to walk at night. When they arrived at the house of Thang's father, Mr. Vi Van Thuyen, and the house of Mr. Vi Van Thai (Thang's maternal grandfather) in the same commune, the suspect was not present. The area was expanded by the reconnaissance.

At around 8am on May 29, when the police arrived at the house of Vi Thi Minh and Sam Van Kich (living in Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district), they discovered Vi Van Thang was inside the house. Thang was standing inside the house looking down the street and when he saw the police, he rushed into the bathroom to lock the door.

Certain that the suspect might commit suicide, the task force broke open the door and rushed in to subdue him while he was using a knife to cut his neck. The suspect was immediately transferred to Que Phong District General Hospital for first aid before being transferred to Nghe An General Hospital. The knife that Thang used to commit suicide was also determined by the investigation agency to be the same knife that the suspect used to commit the crime.

The case shocked the poor countryside.

Kill someone to steal a pair of earrings

Major Le Anh Tuan (Serious Crime Team No. 3) said that suspect Vi Van Thang bowed his head and admitted his crime. According to Thang's statement, in the early afternoon of May 28, Thang wore long clothes and put a sharp knife more than 20 cm long with a handle made of horn in his pocket. This was the knife that Thang carried with him every day when he left home for self-defense purposes.

Walking about half a kilometer, Thang arrived at the house of Mr. Sam Van Dan and his wife, who were familiar with the village because they had visited many times before. At home, Thang told Mr. Dan to go buy a bottle of wine, and he would go into the forest to find bee pupae to use as bait. After dividing the work, Thang walked for about an hour and found a beehive to bring back, at which time the homeowner also brought the bottle of wine.

Only Thang and Mr. Dan were at the party. Ms. Vi Thi Loan was home but did not participate. At 4:00 p.m., after finishing a bottle of wine, Mr. Dan went to bed, while Thang also lay down on the floor of the homeowner's house. At around 6:00 p.m. that same day, Thang woke up and looked out the porch and saw Ms. Vi Thi Loan sitting on a wooden chair, her back turned to the house. Ms. Loan's gold earrings were sparkling, making Thang think of murdering the victim to rob her.

Thinking and doing, Thang took out the sharp knife he was carrying and suddenly attacked the old woman, leaving the victim unable to resist and only able to scream a few words. A few steps away, Mr. Sam Van Dan woke up when he heard his wife's screams. When he saw the perpetrator swinging the knife at Mrs. Loan and removing her gold earrings, Mr. Dan intended to grab a wooden chair to rescue her. But before he could do anything, the old man was attacked by the perpetrator with a knife and fell face down on the floor.

According to the suspect, after leaving the victim's house, he went to his father's house, Mr. Vi Van Thuyen (born 1967), to wash his hands and feet, then continued walking to Kim Son town to sell the evidence for 3.2 million VND. With this money, Thang went to a pawn shop to redeem the Wawe motorbike that he had previously pawned for 300,000 VND to buy drugs. The principal and interest for the motorbike were 400,000 VND. After getting the motorbike, he drove to a gas station to fill up with 50,000 VND for gas; then continued to a phone store to buy a phone with a sim for 470,000 VND.

The perpetrator then rode his motorbike to the house of Mr. Vi Van Thai (born 1949, residing in Muong Noc commune) to take a bath and change the clothes he wore at the time of the crime and put them in the trunk of the motorbike. After taking a bath, he rode his motorbike to the suspension bridge area in Muong Noc commune. On the way, he took the clothes he used to commit the crime and threw them into the stream on the side of the road, but still kept the knife. At the suspension bridge area, Thang met a strange man to buy drugs for 800,000 VND.

Having drugs, he satisfied his addiction immediately, before dawn, Thang rode his motorbike to the house of his aunt Vi Thi Minh and Mr. Sam Van Kich residing in Tien Phong commune to stay. Ms. Minh and Mr. Kich themselves did not know that their nephew had committed the crime.

Subject Thang while receiving first aid at Que Phong District General Hospital.

“I was very surprised because I didn’t think the victim Dan was dead. And I didn’t think I would be caught by the police so soon,” the perpetrator told investigators that his motive for committing the crime was to have money to buy drugs and redeem his motorbike. Thang is currently identified as the only suspect in the crime.

According to the records, Vi Van Thang is the youngest of three siblings. Thang dropped out of school early, lived a vagrant life, worked as a hired hand, then married Vi Thi Thanh (born in 1995) and had a daughter who is nearly 2 years old. Three years ago, Thang got into drugs and became an addict, he "spent" much of the family's assets to satisfy his addiction. Thang's wife also left home to live separately before Thang committed the crime. Thang's biological mother, Vi Thi Kim (born in 1966), has 2 previous convictions for drugs and is currently being held at Prison No. 6 (Ministry of Public Security).

Regarding the health of the victim Sam Van Dan, today Dr. Nguyen Huu Nam (Head of Thoracic Surgery Department - Nghe An General Hospital) said that the patient's wound is progressing well. It is expected that Mr. Dan will be discharged in the next few days. The investigation agency also said that it has requested the appointment of a defense lawyer for Vi Van Thang.

Anh Thu