Tran Thi Thuy Lieu Confesses to Setting Husband on Fire
Caroline Lorraine
Feb 23, 2011, 14:08
Tran Thi Thuy Lieu, 40-year-old wife of a Vietnamese journalist, has been arrested for allegedly murdering her husband, Le Hoang Hung. Police say Tran Thi Thuy Lieu has now confessed to setting her husband on fire as he slept.
Tuoi Tre newspaper reports that Lieu told police she bought a liter of gasoline two days before the attack and hid it in a bedroom wardrobe in a plastic bag. Around midnight on January 19, Lieu allegedly sprayed the gasoline on Hung while he was in his bed. She then returned to a bedroom where she was sleeping with her children and pretended she didn't know what had happened, it said.
Twenty per cent of his body was covered in third-degree burns, and he died in a Ho Chi Minh City hospital 10 days later.
MSN reported, "Police were still investigating to determine whether Lieu acted alone. Her sister's husband, who lives next door, has been summoned for testimony, Tien said."
A rope was found hanging from a balcony near Hung's bedroom window, making it appear as though an intruder was to blame.
It was been reported by state-controlled media outlets that Lieu lost over 1 billion dong, equal to $47,000 USD, during December gambling trips to Cambodia.
Reports indicate that Lieu urged Hung to sell their house, but he refused.
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