Man chases neighbor with knife over... a duck with a lame leg.
Enraged by his neighbor's suspicion that he had injured a duck by breaking its leg, Tran Huu Minh chased after his neighbor with a knife, inflicting serious injuries.
On August 21st, at the Nghe An Provincial People's Court, the Hanoi High People's Court opened an appeal trial for defendant Tran Huu Minh (62 years old), residing in Quynh Chau commune, Quynh Luu district, on the charge of "murder". The victim in the case was Dinh Minh T. (born in 1972), his neighbor.
According to the case file, on November 16, 2023, while taking a nap, Mr. T. heard ducks quacking by the pond near his house, so he got up to check. He discovered a duck with a lame leg, while his neighbor was sweeping the alley. Mr. T. then assumed that Tran Huu Minh had injured the duck.
At this point, Mr. T. spoke up to admonish them, which led to a conflict, loud arguments, and a physical altercation. With the intervention of others, both sides returned to their homes.
A short while later, Mr. Minh picked up a machete with the intention of cutting elephant grass for his cows. As he went out, he encountered Mr. T. still standing by the pond. Already angry, Mr. Minh immediately ran up and slashed his neighbor multiple times in the head and left arm.
Mr. T. escaped and was taken to the hospital by nearby residents. Thanks to timely medical attention, the victim survived the critical condition; however, the disability rate at the time of assessment was 43% with 13 stab wounds.
At the first-instance trial, the defendant Minh admitted his crime and apologized to the victim's family. The defendant claimed that his actions stemmed from a sudden outburst of anger, caused by numerous conflicts in his life that led him to temporarily lose control of himself.
The trial court sentenced defendant Tran Huu Minh to 8 years in prison for murder. Regarding the civil aspect, the court ordered the defendant to compensate the victim's family for the remaining amount of 100 million VND.
Following the initial trial, the defendant did not appeal, but the prosecution filed an appeal requesting an increase in the defendant's prison sentence.
At the appeal hearing, the defendant confessed honestly, repeatedly wiping his face with his hand in remorse. The defendant stated that after the initial trial, he had influenced his family to compensate the victim with an additional 20 million VND. The victim had submitted a request for a reduced sentence for the defendant.
The appellate court noted that new circumstances regarding the defendant, such as the family's efforts to provide additional compensation to the victim and the victim's request for a reduced sentence, should be considered. The defendant confessed honestly and acknowledged that his actions were wrong; therefore, increasing the sentence was deemed unnecessary.
Therefore, the appellate court upheld the first-instance sentence, sentencing defendant Tran Huu Minh to 8 years in prison for murder.
