Huynh Nhat Linh, a 17-year-old boy from Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, who was under 13 years old, out of jealousy. The court also ordered Linh to pay the victim's family VND238 million (US$9,360) in compensation. On the morning of December 28, 2023, Linh arranged to meet his girlfriend at a shrimp farm hut near their homes. However, he overheard her being invited by another man to hang out, which made him jealous. In a fit of anger, Linh restrained the girl, smothered her with a blanket inside the hut until she lost consciousness, and then dumped her body in a river, staging the scene as a suicide. The victim's body was discovered by local residents, and an autopsy confirmed that she died from drowning. Linh was 16 years, 5 months, and 18 days old at the time of the crime, while the victim was 12 years, 5 months, and 26 days old. Despite expressing remorse and apologizing to the victim's family, Linh received a fitting punishment due to the severe consequences and significant loss and suffering caused to the victim's family [4760c510].
This incident adds to a series of recent violent crimes, including knife attacks in Suzhou, China, and Hong Kong. In Suzhou, a Chinese woman named Hu Youping died while trying to stop a knife attack on a Japanese school bus. Her bravery was recognized by the Japanese Embassy in China and the government of Suzhou, who honored her as a 'Righteous and Courageous Role Model'. However, some online posts sought to defame her and stir up anti-Japanese sentiment, prompting Chinese social media platforms to take action against extreme nationalism. In Hong Kong, a woman was arrested on suspicion of killing her husband with a fruit knife before attempting to commit suicide. The woman had been suffering from severe depression. Additionally, Hong Kong police are searching for two suspects in connection with a knife attack on a man in Kowloon. The motive for the attack is unknown [85cfd855] [c7a78421].
In another tragic incident, a 12-year-old girl in Tennessee has been charged with murder for smothering her eight-year-old cousin as the younger girl slept. The incident occurred on July 15 in Humboldt, Tennessee, and was captured on a security camera. The footage shows the older child using bedding to suffocate her cousin, and after the child died, she cleaned up the victim and repositioned her body. The girls had been arguing over an iPhone. The 12-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The prosecutor plans to petition a judge to prosecute her in adult court for a lengthier sentence [c473f278].