On the morning of 22/8/2024, the head of Ung Duc village in La Nguyen district, Fuzhou city, Fujian province, received a call from the local police station inquiring about the whereabouts of Cung Tran, the village committee's accountant. Upon confirmation that she was present, the police arrived at the village office without revealing any further details.
Mr. Ta, the Ung Duc village secretary, recounted that upon arrival, the police presented a younger photo of Tran, gave her a short time to hand over her work-related USB drive and passwords, and then took her away. "At that time, we were completely unaware of what was happening," Mr. Ta said.
Upon hearing the news, Tran’s husband, Trinh Huy, made inquiries and learned that his wife was connected to a major crime.
On 25/8, when Mr. Ta went to the police station to give his statement, he was informed that Cung Tran was suspected of murder outside the local area.
News spread quickly throughout the rural community. In early 9/2024, the Chibi City Public Security Bureau in Hubei province announced Cung Tran's arrest.
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The road from Cung Tran's house to the Ung Duc village committee. Photo: Hongxing Xinwen |
The road from Cung Tran's house to the Ung Duc village committee. Photo: Hongxing Xinwen
26-year manhunt
On 24/4/1998, a man surnamed Chu was found murdered in his rented room in a village in Ximagang, Puqi city (now Chibi city). Through on-site investigation and interviews with local residents, police identified Cung Tran, the victim's ex-wife, as the prime suspect. She disappeared immediately after the crime.
Due to limited leads and technical resources at the time, despite mobilizing a search effort, the police were unable to locate her. The investigation stalled.
Over the past 26 years, the Chibi City Public Security Bureau prioritized the case, repeatedly forming special investigation teams. Police continuously monitored for any sign of Cung Tran, discreetly surveilling her family members, especially during holidays and her daughter's wedding.
Cung Quoc (Cung Tran’s younger brother) told the media that for over 20 years since the murder, he was summoned almost annually to participate in police search operations. It wasn't until 2022, through a polygraph test, that the police confirmed he genuinely didn't know his sister's whereabouts.
In 7/2024, the case saw a significant breakthrough. With assistance from the Hubei Provincial Public Security Department, through analysis and deduction, the Criminal Investigation Team of the Chibi City Public Security Bureau discovered Cung Tran was residing in La Nguyen district, Fujian province. A task force coordinated with local police to apprehend Tran on 22/8/2024 and escorted her back to the Chibi City Public Security Bureau a few days later.
According to reports, Cung Tran confessed to the crime during police interrogation. She stated that after their divorce, her ex-husband, Chu, continuously harassed her and her family due to unresolved relationship conflicts. On the morning of 24/4/1998, Tran had a heated argument with Chu at his rented accommodation. During the altercation, she killed him with a kitchen knife.
Fugitive becomes village official
After committing the crime, Tran fled to various locations, including Wuhan and Ezhou in Hubei province, and Yunnan province.
In 2000, through an acquaintance, Tran met and married Trinh Huy, a 35-year-old man in La Nguyen, Fujian. Tran moved to La Nguyen with her husband and had two children. She used her sister Cung Nghi’s identification card to conceal her identity.
"At the time, my family wasn't well-off, my parents were old, and I was lucky to find a wife. I didn't ask much about her past," Huy said. Early in their marriage, Tran occasionally displayed a quick temper, and they argued frequently.
Over their 20 years of marriage, Huy considered Tran to be hardworking and diligent. During her free time after harvest season, Tran often worked at a nearby quarry, helping with transport and packaging to earn extra income, regardless of the hot weather and strenuous work.
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Cung Tran's kitchen. Photo: Hongxing Xinwen |
Cung Tran's kitchen. Photo: Hongxing Xinwen
In 2009, the educational level of those remaining in the village was generally not high. The Ung Duc village secretary at the time found Cung Tran "very intelligent" and with good handwriting, so he offered her the accountant position.
To facilitate her work, Tran taught herself how to use a computer in her 50s and learned the local La Nguyen dialect to communicate effectively with the village elders.
Cung Tran held the position of village committee accountant in 2010 and began concurrently serving as village chairwoman and chairwoman of the village women's association in 2013. In 2021, due to her age, Tran stepped down from her other roles, retaining only the accountant position.
Murder after relationship conflict
According to the indictment from the Ham Ninh City People's Procuratorate, Tran and Chu registered their marriage on 17/12/1994. Both had been previously married.
On 16/5/1997, due to relationship problems, they filed for divorce. On 8/3/1998, Tran moved out of Chu's house and rented a room elsewhere. However, after the divorce was finalized on 24/3 of the same year, Chu frequently stayed at Tran's rented accommodation.
A female colleague of Tran's reported that after the divorce, Chu repeatedly visited Tran's workplace, expressing a desire for reconciliation, but Tran remained indifferent. At the time, Tran confided that she couldn't live harmoniously with Chu due to personality clashes, and that he had mental health issues.
A retired police officer involved in the original investigation also described Chu as having "some mental instability."
That year, after the murder, Chu's father mentioned the reason for his son's mental health struggles in his statement. According to him, late at night on 1/4/1998, while Chu and Tran were sleeping, a male colleague of Tran's, surnamed Chau, knocked on the door, called Tran out to get a key, and then left. Afterwards, Chu began questioning Tran about their relationship.
"Unable to deny it, Tran admitted her relationship with Chau, confessing to having had sexual relations with him. From then on, Chu experienced severe mental and psychological distress, leading to schizophrenia, occasional limb spasms, memory loss, and speech impairment," Chu's father wrote.
In her statement, Tran corroborated Chu's father's account of her ex-husband's condition: "Chau's sudden appearance on the night of 1/4 triggered Chu's schizophrenia. He started arguing with me and demanding compensation. Left with no other option, I sought out Chau to resolve the issue. He agreed to cover all of Chu's medical expenses and apologize directly."
Chau's involvement exacerbated the conflict between Chu and Tran.
"I didn't expect that after agreeing, Chau wouldn't pay a cent, causing Chu to harass, coerce, and berate me day and night. From the night of 1/4 until the incident, he didn't let me sleep for days. Especially in the last few days, whenever I dozed off, he would stare at me and put his hand on my neck, but I pushed him away each time," Tran stated.
Tran's former colleagues recounted witnessing Chu grabbing Tran by the neck and pushing her against a wall at her workplace, but Tran didn't retaliate. Facing colleagues who tried to intervene, Chu threatened to "kill" not only Tran, but also her sister and nephew.
The night before the murder, Chu went to Tran's rented room in heavy rain, and they argued again.
The indictment states that around 2 a.m. on 24/4/1998, Chu argued and fought with Tran at her rented room because Tran had sexual relations with another person. Tran used a kitchen knife to inflict a total of 16 wounds on Chu's head, back, arm, and other body parts. After she stopped attacking her ex-husband, Tran did not provide any medical assistance. Around 6 a.m. that day, Tran locked the door and fled the scene.
According to the autopsy report, Chu died from hemorrhagic shock due to multiple sharp force injuries.
Tran told her lawyer that she was repeatedly beaten and strangled by Chu that night and used the knife in self-defense because she couldn't breathe. However, this claim has not been verified by the court.
In May, the Ham Ninh City People's Procuratorate indicted Cung Tran, alleging that she repeatedly stabbed another person with a knife, resulting in death, and should bear criminal responsibility for intentional homicide.
The court has not yet tried the case.
Tue Anh (Hongxing Xinwen)
