Fifteen-year prison sentence upheld for man who murdered someone based on a single statement.
(Baonghean.vn) - Just because of a disagreement over a few words, Mr. N. slapped and punched Thiet in the face. In response, Thiet used a knife to stab and kill Mr. N. At the appellate trial, the defendant insisted that his act of murder was not as violent as the lower court had declared.
On August 7th, the Hanoi High Court held an online appellate hearing."Murder" case"Regarding the defendant Vu Van Thiet (24 years old), residing in Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town, Nghe An province.
According to the case file, on the afternoon of September 8, 2022, during a drinking session, a friend in Thiet's group mentioned a conflict with Mr. Ho Sy N. (residing in Quynh Tan commune, Quynh Luu district). Thiet called Mr. N. and invited him out for a beer. When Mr. N. refused, Thiet taunted him to get him to come.
While waiting for Mr. N. to come out, Thiet went into the restaurant's kitchen and took a knife, hiding it in his pants pocket. When he arrived at the restaurant, Mr. N. immediately asked who had just called him "xách mé" (a derogatory term), and Thiet admitted it was him.
Mr. N. rushed in and struck Thiet on the head and body. Injured, Thiet pulled out a knife and slashed at Mr. N., but missed. Afterward, Thiet stabbed Mr. N. once in the stomach.
Seeing N. and Thiet fighting, their friends joined the brawl. Although the victim was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment, he died that same afternoon due to a stab wound that severed his liver.
At the first-instance trial, the defendant admitted to the murder and expressed remorse. After the incident, the defendant's family compensated the victim with 400 million VND. The first-instance court sentenced Vu Van Thiet to 15 years in prison for "Murder". The panel of judges also sentenced three other defendants to prison terms ranging from 3 years suspended to 4 years for "Disrupting public order".
Subsequently, Thiet filed an appeal requesting a reduction in his sentence. At the appellate hearing, Thiet argued that the lower court's conclusion that he committed murder with a violent and brutal nature was inappropriate.
The defendant claimed that he had no prior conflict with the victim. He only became angry because the victim assaulted him first, leading to the act of murder.
The appellate court ruled that the defendant's act of murder was dangerous to society and showed a thuggish nature. Therefore, the sentence handed down by the lower court was deemed appropriate.
At this trial, the defendant did not present any new evidence compared to the first-instance trial; therefore, there was no basis for considering leniency. Consequently, the appellate court rejected the defendant's appeal and upheld the 15-year prison sentence for "murder" against Vu Van Thiet.
