Gas lighter seized in human torch journalist case
Print 
Police searched the house of Tran Thuy Lieu Tuesday afternoon and seized a gas lighter used to burn her husband - a vocal journalist to death after she was mired in gambling debts and extramarital affairs, probably with several men.
Police in the southern province of Long An scrutinized the house at Street No 8, Dai Duong residential area, ward 2, Tan An city.
They also seized other objects related to the crime.
On the same day, police accepted a request from Hung’s mother - 74-year-old Nguyen Thi Kim Nga - to represent her murdered son in court proceedings.
Investigators also issued a license to lawyer Nguyen Van Duc to defend Lieu free of charge in case she does not hire lawyers.
Lieu, 40 earlier confessed to police she herself killed Le Hoang Hung, 51, a reporter of Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.
According to her confession, she committed the crime because Hung many times shouted at her and beat her when he discovered that she had extramarital affair.
Police said she could have been involved with several men.
Another reason she told police is that Hung refused to sell the house to settle the debt for her. Police say she lost some VND1 billion (US$50,000) from gambling in Cambodia.
Premeditated murder?
According to police findings, Lieu herself bought a rope and VND20,000 worth of petrol held in a plastic bag on the morning of January 17.
At noon when no one was at home, Lieu tied a rope to the balcony on the second floor and hid it in a dark corner.
At 0 h two days later (January 19), Lieu dropped down the rope onto the ground so as to make investigators believe that someone else climbed onto the floor and carried out the act.
She then poured the petrol bought earlier onto Hung’s body while he was sleeping.
Seeing the flame, Lieu quickly ran into another room and lay down as if nothing happened.
