Lost 17: The High Price of a Moment of Anger
Just because of a conflict with a group of young people from a neighboring village, two teenagers in Nghe An caused a tragedy: one person died, two others went to jail. The trial ended, leaving heartbreaking pain for both families.
Moment of anger turns into crime
In the courtroom of Nghe An Provincial People’s Court, the 50-year-old mother held her son’s portrait and sat quietly beside her husband – her eyes were haggard with the pain of losing her son. They never expected that their 17-year-old son would die because of the rashness of a group of young men from a neighboring village.
On the evening of June 7, 2023, Bien Van H. (born in 2007, residing in Kim Lien commune, Nghe An) was hanging out when he met a group of young people from Xuan Lam commune (formerly Nam Dan), including Nguyen Van Tinh (born in 2006, the victim's name has been changed). Due toconflictBefore, a person in Xuan Lam's group shouted and chased H.
Seeing his friend being chased and beaten, the person accompanying him quickly informed Dau Dinh T. (born 2006, residing in Dai Hue commune) and Dau Dinh Luc - the owner of the stone factory where H. worked. When he learned that the group of young men were sitting at the lemon tea shop, H. invited T. to come. Luc also drove the car along. When they arrived, H. took two iron pipes from Luc's trunk and gave them to T. before rushing into the shop. Seeing that, the group of young men from Xuan Lam ran away.
Unable to find their “opponent”, the two returned to the workshop, and at around 10:40 pm continued searching. When they discovered Mr. Tinh hiding, H. shouted: “I found him, come here!”, then swung the iron pipe and hit him hard, causing the victim to fall.
Seeing his friend injured, T. panicked and called Mr. Luc. This person took the victim to the commune health station for examination, but was released because "no injuries were detected". In the early morning of June 8, Mr. Tinh had a severe headache, his family took him to the emergency room but he did not survive after six days of treatment. Forensic doctors determined the cause of death to be a fractured skull, hemorrhage and cerebral edema.
At the time of committing the crime, Bien Van H. was only 15 years, 6 months, and 24 days old, and Dau Dinh T. was 17 years, 4 months, and 28 days old. Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced H. to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and T. to 2 years and 6 months in prison for the crime.Intentional injury.
Pain on both sides
Not accepting the first instance verdict, the victim’s family appealed, requesting an increased sentence and consideration of Dau Dinh Luc’s role. At the appeal hearing, they still choked up: “My son did not cause any trouble, but he had to die unjustly. The family cannot accept this truth yet.”
Before the jury, defendant H. admitted to his crime, stating that because he had just been arrested, he was in a state of panic and his testimony was inconsistent. “The defendant has realized his mistake, is very remorseful and apologizes to the victim’s family, and hopes to be lenient so he can start his life over,” H. choked up.
The parents of the two defendants also bowed their heads to apologize to the victim’s family, admitting their fault for not controlling their children properly. They said they had partially compensated the victim’s family for their emotional damage.
The panel of judges determined that the defendants’ actions were dangerous, infringing on the lives of others and causing disorder. Bien Van H. was determined to be the initiator and directly used a weapon to beat the victim, but did not intend to take his life. Regarding Mr. Luc, the court determined that he was present but did not participate in the crime, and there was not enough basis to prosecute him.
After comprehensively reviewing the case, the panel of judges rejected the appeal of the victim's representative, upholding the sentence: Bien Van H. 5 years and 6 months in prison, Dau Dinh T. 2 years and 6 months in prison.
The trial ended in silence. The mother held her child’s portrait and left the court, tears streaming down her face. On the opposite side, the parents of the two defendants bowed their heads, heavy with grief. One lost a child, the other lost the future of their teenage child because of a moment of rash anger.
The case is a painful reminder of the consequences of violent behavior by young people. Just one minute of lack of restraint can cost them their future, leaving behind irreparable losses. Every family, school and community needs to care, guide and help young people control their emotions and behave in a civilized manner so that there will be no more tearful trials like this.
