the Christmas Praise concert in Aso Rock

A court in Binh Phuoc on Thursday, December 17,
handed down a death sentence to two men who
killed six members of a wealthy family in the
southern province of Vietnam.
The trial took place outdoors in a large
abandoned land plot in Chon Thanh District.
Thousands of local residents flocked to the site
of the trial to watch the final chapter of a story
that has shocked the country ever since the
brutal murder first grabbed headlines.
The court convicted Nguyen Hai Duong, 24, the
ex-boyfriend of one of the slain, of orchestrating
the murders and Vu Van Tien, Duong’s 24-year-
old friend, of being his accomplice. Both men
were sentenced to death for murder.
Duong was also sentenced to 8 years and Tien 7
years on robbery charges.
Tran Dinh Thoai, Duong’s 27-year-old friend, was
sentenced to 16 years for buying a knife for
Duong to kill Linh’s family members and for not
reporting the conspiracy to commit murder.
The court also said the three men must
compensate a total of VND480 million for the
victims’ family. Duong is the ex-boyfriend of Le
Thi Anh Linh, the 22-year-old daughter of Le Van
My, 48, who owned a timber processing company
in Chon Thanh District.
After Linh broke up with him in March, Duong
devised a plan to kill the family and rob them, he
told the court. Early in the morning on July 4,
Duong asked Thoai to help him rob the family.
But when they arrived at the house, Du Minh Vy,
My’s 14-year-old nephew, did not open the gate
for them, so they were forced to leave.
Thoai then refused to continue with the plan.
Duong asked Tien to replace Thoai, and he
agreed.
To prepare for the crime, Duong, with Thoai's
help, bought two knives, a stun gun, a BB pistol,
gloves, masks, plastic cable wire and duct tape.
At 8 p.m. on July 6, Duong again called Vy, the
homeowner’s 14-year-old nephew, and asked him
to open the gate for him so he could sneak in to
steal something. Duong promised to give Vy some
money.
At around 1:30 a.m. on July 7, Duong and Tien
drove a motorbike to My’s house, located off of
National Highway 13. According to police, the
two men killed Vy as soon as the boy opened the
gate. They then set their sights on the rest of the
family, killing Linh, her father, My, her 42-year-old
mother, Nguyen Le Thi Anh Nga, her 15-year-old
brother, Le Quoc Anh, and her 18-year-old cousin,
Du Ngoc To Nhu.
Police said the victims sustained fatal stab
wounds to their necks and chests.
Vy, the first victim, was found in the front yard
while the other five were found tied up in their
rooms. However, the life of My's and Nga's
youngest daughter, an 18-month-old baby, was
spared.
Duong told the court he was fond of the baby
during the time he was still Linh’s boyfriend.
Duong and Tien then left the house at around
4.30 a.m. on July 7 with about VND4 million (US
$180) in cash, five smartphones, a tablet and a
laptop.
The family’s housekeeper discovered the bloody
murder scene about three hours after the killers
had left. She immediately informed police.
Duong was arrested at 3 p.m. on July 10 at a
funeral for the victims in Binh Phuoc. Tien was
arrested at 10 p.m. the same day in his rented
room in Ho Chi Minh City’s Hoc Mon District
while Thoai was detained August 9 in his rented
house in the city’s District 12.