Hoang Minh Hao at a trial in Hanoi, Sept. 18, 2024 (photo credit: VnExpress)

VIETNAM: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING, RAPING HANOI WOMAN

September 24, 2024:

A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman who worked as an apartment manager in Hanoi.
The Hanoi People's Court on September 18, 2024 sentenced Hoang Minh Hao, a native of the northern Bac Giang Province, for "rape, murder, theft, and robbery."
Hao conceived the idea of stealing from other people to cover his expenses, as he neither attended school nor held a job.
On Feb. 16, Hao returned to Hanoi from Ha Tinh and searched for a new rental online. He found a listing posted by 21-year-old Le Thi Thuy Linh, an apartment manager, for a room on Cau Giay Street.
He arranged to view the room at 5 p.m. that evening.
After Linh opened the room's door, she sat outside in the hallway, distracted by her phone.
Taking advantage of the situation, Hao crept up behind her, strangled her, and pushed her into the room. After she lost consciousness, he raped her.
Upon realizing that Linh had died, Hao hid her body in a kitchen cupboard. He stole her phone, motorbike key, and other belongings, locked the door, and fled.