Six men have been proposed death sentences for murder, kidnap, and rape a woman at an on-going trial held in the northern province of Dien Bien.
Six men are on December 27 proposed death sentences for murder, kidnapping, and raping a woman in Dien Bien Province.
At the end of the court on Friday morning, a representative of the Dien Bien Provincial People's Procuracy, Vi Hong Son announced the proposed sentences for nine defendants in the murder of a local woman, Cao My Duyen, 23, in February.
According to a report released at the court, Duyen, a university student who was helping her mother sell chickens at a local market during the Tet Holiday, went missing while delivering 13 live chickens to a customer on the afternoon of February 4.
Duyen's mother, Tran Thi Hien reported to police her daughter’s disappearance later the same day after multiple failed attempts to reach Duyen on her phone.
A search for Duyen was launched and her body was discovered three days later at a pigpen at an abandoned house an hour’s drive from her home.
Duyen’s body was found half-naked with her face covered by a helmet. The autopsy showed the young woman was strangled.
Following investigations, eight suspects were arrested, including Vi Van Toan who was described as the mastermind behind the murder.
At the Friday court, Toan said that he used to join a drug smuggling ring and in 2009, Tran Thi Hien bought two heroin cakes priced at VND300 million (USD13,043) and owed him the money. He was then arrested and served a nine-year-and-a-half sentence until May 2017. Toan then met Hien and urged her to repay the debt but she refused.
So he discussed with some other defendants to kidnap Duyen as a way to force her mother to repay the debt.
Vi Van Toan speaks at the court on December 27
Toan said he did not intend to kill her, but six other men in the gang raped her until she fainted and after that they killed her.
The procuracy's representative said that Toan and his gang had committed a brutal and "extremely serious murder" which had aroused public anger.
The procuracy proposed a death sentence to Vi Van Toan for murder and kidnapping. Five of his accomplices including Bui Van Cong, Vuong Van Hung, Pham Van Nhiem, Luong Van Hung, and Luong Van La also faced death charged with murder, kidnap and rape.
Pham Van Dung, and Cam Van Chuong were proposed a nine-year- sentence for rape.
Bui Thi Kim Thu who is Bui Van Cong's wife was proposed a three-year sentence for failing to report criminals.