On 26/8, Chi, 30, and Duong Thi Hang, 25, were sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court for attempted murder. Five accomplices received sentences ranging from 8 to 12 years.
The court stated the defendants' actions were extremely dangerous, and the victim's survival was purely accidental. Chi, the instigator, and Hang, who wielded the knife, received the harshest sentences.
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Defendant Phan Thi Que Chi (left) with Duong Thi Hang (far right) and accomplices in court. Photo: Binh Nguyen |
Defendant Phan Thi Que Chi (left) with Duong Thi Hang (far right) and accomplices in court. Photo: Binh Nguyen
The defendants expressed remorse during the trial. Chi admitted to acting rashly, while Hang claimed intoxication led to her loss of control.
The court heard that Chi had previously dated Hung but they had broken up. In 5/2023, upon learning Hung had a new girlfriend named Y, Chi contacted Y via Facebook, identifying herself as Hung's ex. This sparked a conflict between Chi and Y.
From 15/6/2023 to 19/6/2023, Y received harassing and threatening messages from Facebook accounts belonging to Duong Thi Hang and Pham Duy Loc, Chi's friends. Y confided in her friend Khuyen, asking for help to resolve the conflict. Khuyen arranged a meeting with Chi's group at her house on Phan Huy Ich Street, Go Vap District, but Y did not attend.
On the evening of 19/6, Chi, Hang, Loc, and 4 others drove to the meeting point armed with two machetes and several knives. Hang, Loc, and two others, each brandishing a knife, entered the house and demanded, "Is Y here?".
Khuyen and her friend Hong emerged from the living room, replying that no one named Y was present. Hang stabbed Hong in the shoulder, and Khuyen suffered a hand injury.
Hong collapsed unconscious in the living room and was stabbed repeatedly by Hang. Chi joined the attack, hitting Hong with a teapot. Others in the house intervened, but Hang's group threatened them with knives before fleeing.
Hong survived the attack after emergency medical treatment, but sustained a 26% disability. Khuyen, with minor injuries, declined medical assessment.
Binh Nguyen
