Lost at 17: The high price of a moment of anger.

A moment of anger can turn into a crime.

In the courtroom of the Nghe An Provincial People's Court, the 50-year-old mother sat silently beside her husband, clutching a photo of her son – her eyes weary from the pain of losing him. They never imagined their 17-year-old son would die because of the reckless actions 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 province) was out playing when he encountered a group of young men from Xuan Lam commune (formerly Nam Dan district), including Nguyen Van Tinh (born in 2006, the victim's name has been changed). Due to...conflictEarlier, someone in Xuan Lam's group shouted and chased after H.

Seeing his friend being chased and beaten, H.'s companion quickly informed Dau Dinh T. (born in 2006, residing in Dai Hue commune) and Dau Dinh Luc – the owner of the stone workshop where H. worked. Upon learning that the group of young men were sitting at a lemonade stand, H. invited T. to come along. Luc also drove his car to follow. Upon arrival, H. took two iron pipes from Luc's car trunk and gave them to T., then they both rushed into the stand. Seeing this, the group of young men from Xuan Lam fled.

Unable to find their "rival," the two returned to the workshop, and at around 10:40 PM, they continued searching. When they spotted Tinh hiding, H. shouted, "I found him, come here!", then swung the iron pipe and struck him forcefully, causing the victim to collapse.

Seeing his friend injured, T. panicked and called Mr. Luc. Mr. Luc took the victim to the commune's health station for examination, but was sent home because "no injuries were detected." In the early morning of June 8th, Mr. Tinh suffered a severe headache, and his family took him to the hospital, but he did not survive after six days of treatment. Forensic examination determined the cause of death to be a fractured skull, hemorrhage, and brain edema.

At the time of 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. The 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 infliction of injury.

Pain on both sides

Dissatisfied with the initial verdict, the victim's family appealed, requesting a harsher sentence and a review of the role of Dau Dinh Luc. At the appellate hearing, they were still choked with emotion: "My son didn't cause any trouble, yet he died unjustly. The family cannot accept this truth."

Before the court, defendant H. admitted to the crime, stating that due to being recently arrested, he was in a state of panic and his statements were inconsistent. "I have realized my mistake, I am very remorseful and apologize to the victim's family, hoping for leniency so I can rebuild my life," H. said, his voice choked with emotion.

The parents of the two defendants also bowed their heads and apologized to the victim's family, admitting their fault for not supervising their children closely enough. They stated that they had partially compensated the victim's family for the emotional distress.

The court determined that the defendants' actions were dangerous, violated the lives of others, and disrupted public order and security. Biện Văn H. was identified as the instigator and directly used a weapon to attack the victim, but without the intention of taking his life. Regarding Lực, the court determined that he was present but did not participate in the crime, and there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.

After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel of judges rejected the appeal of the victim's representative and upheld the sentences: Bien Van H. received 5 years and 6 months in prison, and Dau Dinh T. received 2 years and 6 months in prison.

The trial concluded in silence. The mother, clutching a photograph of her child, left the courtroom, tears streaming down her face in despair. Across from her, the parents of the two defendants bowed their heads, burdened with grief. One had lost a child, the other the entire future of their teenage child because of a moment of impulsive anger.

This case serves as a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of youth violence. A single moment of recklessness can cost young people their future, leaving behind irreparable losses. Every family, school, and community needs to pay attention to, guide, and help young people learn to control their emotions and behave civilly so that there are no more tearful court cases like this.