Police officers examine the scene at Kinloch Crescent in Bruce in October 2023. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to family violence and suicide.
The horrific murder of a woman in her own home deprived her daughter and grandchildren of their mother and grandmother, a judge said before jailing the man who killed her for two decades.
Van Thanh Vu repeatedly stabbed his 65-year-old ex-wife, Thi Thuy Huong Nguyen, to death before he was sentenced to 20 years’ jail by the ACT Supreme Court.
The 73-year-old was also handed a 14-year non-parole period.
“The circumstances of the murder are particularly grave,” Justice Belinda Baker said on Monday (23 February).
“Her final moments would have been ones of intense pain and terror.
“This was a furious attack in a family violence context of an unarmed woman in her own home.”
Court documents have previously revealed that Vu and Ms Nguyen, both born in Vietnam, continued to live in a house on Kinloch Crescent in Bruce despite their separation, although they slept in separate bedrooms.
On the morning of 23 October 2023, they caught the bus to Westfield Belconnen before they returned home separately by 11 am.
Sometime later, they were in the kitchen when he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her five times in the head and neck, as well as nine times in the torso, including to her brain and heart.
After stabbing her, he apparently tried to take his own life. Their daughter arrived at the home around 5:30 pm and found her mother dead on the floor.
Justice Baker said Vu and Ms Nguyen had argued a lot and the former claimed his ex-wife was abusive to him.
“There is no objective evidence of the accused’s complaints and the prosecution does not concede there was any truth in his allegations,” the judge said.
Justice Baker said Vu’s versions of the murder were entirely at odds with the forensic evidence of the location and number of stab wounds.
But, as a medical professional thought, his memory of the events might have been subconsciously altered in order to shield himself from “the full horror of his actions”.
He wrote a letter for his sentencing hearing, in which he said, “I was completely in the wrong”.
Justice Baker was satisfied Vu wanted to kill his ex-wife, but said the offending was spontaneous.
She also said he has a range of physical health conditions as well as a near-certain prostate cancer diagnosis.
If he remained untreated for cancer, his life expectancy was four years. But even if he is treated, his life expectancy is five to six years due to his other health conditions.
Vu originally wanted to fight his charge, but eventually pleaded guilty to murder in the week he had been scheduled to face a trial, then faced his sentencing hearing this year.
He hung his head through most of his sentencing and did not visibly react when he heard he would remain in jail for up to two decades.
With time served, he would become eligible for parole in October 2037.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
Colin Vivian nuisance View