On 9/1, the Ha Nam Provincial People's Court sentenced defendant Ge to 15 years in prison for "intentional homicide" during an appellate hearing. The sentence was reduced from life imprisonment after the defendant paid 245,000 yuan (approximately 860 million VND) in compensation and received a request from the victims to drop the charges.
The tragedy began in 2/2023. Fearing theft, Ge installed a surveillance camera in his family's sheep pen area. One night, while checking his phone, he was shocked to witness his wife, Ms. Tian, being intimate with their neighbor, Mr. Xu, inside a shed next to the livestock pen.
Unable to reach his wife, Ge rushed home that same night. Under his questioning, both admitted to having a secret affair since 2016, taking advantage of times when Ge was away tending or selling livestock. Xu, his wife's lover, was 7 years older than her and already a grandfather.
For the sake of his children, Ge agreed not to divorce but demanded that both Xu and Tian completely end their relationship. Under pressure from the potential exposure of their affair, Xu and Tian vowed to break up.
However, their repentance proved to be a pretense. In 6/2024, Ge accidentally read messages on his wife's phone, discovering that the two were still in close daily contact. Deceived for a second time, Ge took a knife and went to Xu's house to confront him.
There, instead of showing remorse, Xu mocked and provoked him. Losing control, Ge lunged at his love rival. In a frenzy, he injured Xu, Xu's wife, and their son when they tried to intervene. The incident only stopped when Xu's daughter-in-law knelt and pleaded with him, and neighbors arrived to intervene.
The case concluded with a severe sentence but also sparked much debate. On China News, many readers expressed sympathy for the hardworking husband who was pushed to the brink. Others argued that while betrayal is painful, violence is never a solution, and 15 years in prison is a steep price for a moment of lost control.
Bao Nhien (According to China News)
