Man sentenced to death for stabbing homeowner to death.
Believing that Ms. H. was using him to borrow money and that she had a defiant attitude, Tran Van Nang stabbed her to death. Afterwards, Nang took her belongings and used her motorbike to flee.
On August 21st, at the Nghe An Provincial People's Court, the Hanoi High People's Court opened a retrial hearing for defendant Tran Van Nang (born in 1962), residing in Nhan Hoa commune, Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong city, on two charges.Killing" and "Robbery". The trial was opened due to an appeal filed by the defendant.
According to the investigation results, on July 14, 2023, due to their acquaintance, Tran Van Nang traveled from Hai Phong to visit Ms. PTH (born in 1969), residing in Tan Ky district, Nghe An province. That evening, Nang slept in the outer room, while the female homeowner slept in the inner room.
Nang pondered over Mrs. H.'s attitudes and behavior towards him over the years. He concluded that this woman had no feelings for him and was only using him to borrow money, so he conceived the idea of killing Mrs. H.
At around 4 a.m. the following day, Nang took a knife from the kitchen, went into Mrs. H.'s bedroom, and stabbed her once in the chest while she was sleeping. Mrs. H. woke up and asked why he did that. Nang replied, "You're cruel to me," and then swung the knife, stabbing the victim 14 times.
Seeing Mrs. H. collapse, Nang took the victim's handbag containing two phones and some cash, then used the homeowner's motorbike to leave the scene.
That same morning, relatives discovered Ms. H. deceased and reported it to the police. Five days later, Tran Van Nang was arrested by the police.
At the first-instance trial, the defendant admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. Considering the defendant's actions were exceptionally dangerous, the court sentenced Tran Van Nang to death for "Murder" and four years imprisonment for "Robbery," with a combined sentence of death.
Subsequently, the defendant appealed for a reduced sentence. At the appellate trial, the defendant argued that the victim had tricked him into lending him money. When the defendant went to the victim's house to demand repayment, the victim used harsh and insulting language, causing the defendant to become upset and act impulsively.
Regarding the robbery charge, the defendant claimed that he did not intentionally rob but took the motorbike to leave the scene out of panic. The defendant asked the court to reduce his sentence, giving him a chance to live and rebuild his life.
The appellate court ruled that the defendant did not present any new evidence at this trial compared to the first-instance trial. The defendant's act of murder was brutal and violent. Therefore, the court rejected the defendant's appeal and upheld the death sentence for Tran Van Nang.
