The Vinh Phuc Province People’s Court on Friday sentenced 21-year-old Phung Manh Tuan to death for leading a group of hooligans that killed a local man by beating him violently and then throwing him to a canal, out of a minor conflict in March. Of Tuan’s five accomplices, two got life sentences and the others received sentences ranging from 12 to 20 years in prison.
The court ordered the six defendants to pay more than VND300 million (US$14,150) to the family of the dead victim, Nguyen Tuan Anh, who died at the age 27. In addition, these defendants must make monthly payment of VND600,000 to the family for bringing up Anh’s two children until they reach 18 years old, the court said. The court also sentenced Nguyen Duy Hiep, Anh’s brother-in-law; to 30 months in prison for not reporting the crime and gave a 3-year sentence to Nguyen Anh Tuan for conceal a criminal. According to the indictment, on March 14 Tuan and his friends had a minor conflict with Anh at an eatery in Hop Thinh Ward, Vinh Yen City. Tuan’s group then beat Anh black and blue and threw him into a canal nearby. Hiep witnessed the assault but he did not interfere and did not report the case to police or Anh’s family. Anh’s body floated in the canal on March 17 and was recovered by his family, which later brought his coffin to the center of Vinh Yen Town and stayed there for two days, demanding an investigation. The family accused Tran Khanh Dung, the son-in-law of Phung Quang Hung, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, was involved in the murder, since all the six assaulters were Dung’s employees. The chair denied the accusation. At court yesterday, the lawyer of the victim’s family asked the court to clarify whether Dung had involved in the murder, but the court confirmed that there were no relation between Dung and the assaulters. Dung was not present at the scene of the killing and there were no contact between the killers and Dung after Anh’s death, the court said. The victims’ family said they would appeal the court’s judgment.