August 23
VIETNAM:
Vietnam to Try Woman Serial Killer
Vietnam is set to try a 48-year-old woman who confessed to poisoning 13
people in what might be the country's 1st prosecution of a serial killer.
Le Thanh Van, who will face a court on Aug. 24, told police she used
cyanide to murder her victims -- who included her mother-in-law and
brother-in-law as well as her foster mother -- in order to steal their
possessions, state media reported on Monday.
The other victims included Van's acquaintances as well as lovers.
The killings took place between 1998 and 2001, said the state-run Phap
Luat (Law) newspaper. Police are also investigating whether Van, a mother
of 2 who did not work outside the home, murdered her businessman husband.
Serial killers are practically unheard of in Vietnam, where newspapers
have eagerly published accounts of Van's alleged crimes.
The newspaper report said Van took all the victims to hospital after
administering the poison in an attempt to cover up her involvement.
After the victims died, she faked their wills and other documents to steal
their possessions, estimated at a total of 300 million dong ($19,073), the
report said.
Van will appear in a court in southern province Binh Duong along with her
boyfriend, who is 20 years younger and who is accused of aiding her crime
spree.
They are charged with murder and robbery, both punishable by death by
firing squad.
(source: Reuters)
