Defendant Nguyễn Ngọc Đạo, 35, at the trial in Quảng Trị on September 9. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG TRỊ — The People’s Court of Quảng Trị Province on Wednesday sentenced Nguyễn Ngọc Đạo, 35, to death for killing a taxi driver and his mother-in-law, and seriously injuring his father-in-law in a violent attack stemming from marital disputes.

Đạo, a resident of Đặng Hóa Village, Kim Điền Commune, was convicted of murder, robbery, and illegally manufacturing, possessing and using military weapons.

According to the indictment by the provincial People’s Procuracy, Đạo married Phan Thị Diễm Hương in 2020. The couple had two children and lived with their family in the central city of Đà Nẵng, where Đạo worked as a tour guide and his wife was self-employed.

The couple subsequently developed marital problems. Đạo suspected his wife was having an affair and repeatedly asked her parents to intervene. Conflicts between Đạo and his wife’s family continued to escalate, leading him to harbour an intention to kill his parents-in-law and then take his own life.

On the morning of March 26, 2026, Đạo decided to carry out the plan using a homemade gun he had assembled from components purchased since 2024. He carried the gun, ammunition and a knife before hiring a taxi driven by Biện Thái Sơn, born in 1986 and residing in Hòa Khánh Ward, Đà Nẵng, to take him from Đà Nẵng to his parents-in-law’s home in Kim Điền, Quảng Trị Province.

At around 9pm, when the taxi reached a eucalyptus plantation in Liêm Hóa Village, Kim Phú Commune, Quảng Trị Province, Đạo ordered Sơn to stop. He then threatened the driver with the gun in an attempt to seize the taxi.

When Sơn turned and tried to flee, Đạo shot him in the head, killing him at the scene. He dragged Sơn’s body into a nearby plantation before driving the taxi to his parents-in-law’s home.

At around 10pm, Đạo arrived at the home of Phan Văn Huyên, born in 1960, and Đinh Thị Thanh Toán, born in 1962, in Tân Bình Village, Kim Điền Commune. He broke into the house and shot Huyên, seriously injuring him.

Đạo then chased Toán and fired several shots at her. Although she tried to flee, she was shot and died at the scene.

After the attack, Đạo returned to the house looking for his wife but could not find her. He then drove away. About 1km from the scene, he used his phone to livestream on Facebook, recounting his family circumstances and the reasons he had committed the crimes.

Đạo subsequently attempted to take his own life, but the gun had run out of ammunition. He then held a Thai knife to his neck with the intention of killing himself. After police officers and his family persuaded him to surrender, Đạo handed over the gun, knife and phone and went to the police station, where he confessed to his crimes.

The attack left taxi driver Sơn and Toán, Đạo’s mother-in-law, dead, while Huyên, his father-in-law, sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Việt Nam–Cuba Friendship Hospital in Đồng Hới for emergency treatment.

At the trial, the provincial People’s Procuracy said Đạo’s conduct was particularly serious, directly violating the right to life of multiple victims and causing grave consequences, as well as severe disturbance to public security and social order.

The prosecution said Đạo had prepared weapons and other means in advance and acted with determination during the attack, deliberately depriving the victims of their lives and demonstrating an especially dangerous nature.

The court sentenced Đạo to death for murder, 12 years in prison for robbery, and one year in prison for illegally manufacturing, possessing and using military weapons, which were ultimately combined into capital punishment. — VNS