Le Thanh Van

Background

Le Thanh Van was a 49-year-old woman from Ho Chi Minh City. She was described as using poison to kill multiple people and as a “black widow poisoner.” She used her “lovely face,” “sweet voice,” and good command of medicine to gain access to victims.

Van lived in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10. She was a mother of two and did not work outside the home. She appropriated money and goods from victims after poisoning them.

Van was also suspected of involvement in eight other cases of poisonings in which three people died and thirteen others were injured, but there was no sufficient evidence showing she was involved in those cases.

The offence

Le Thanh Van poisoned 13 people with cyanide. The victims were from Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai, and the killings took place between January 1998 and August 2001.

Van murdered victims by putting cyanide into drinks and food. The 13 victims had similar symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches before dying. Many hospitals could not determine the cause of death, and some hospitals speculated that some victims may have suffered from pneumonia and others from coronary thrombosis.

Van also poisoned her mother-in-law and a brother-in-law partly due to family conflicts.

The state-run Phap Luat newspaper said Van faked her victims’ wills and other documents to steal their possessions. Investigators said Van took advantage of rich people by making friends with them and then fooling them into drinking water or eating foods containing cyanide. Another account also said police alleged that she took all the victims to hospital after administering poison in an attempt to cover up her involvement.

Van’s boyfriend and alleged accomplice, her 31-year-old husband without a marriage certificate, was named Dinh Danh Quang. Quang was accused of aiding her crime spree and was described as being on trial alongside her.

Van and Quang were accused of murdering 13 people and stealing their possessions and money, including family members. The list of victims included Van’s brother-in-law and Quang’s mother.

Investigation

In July 2000, Van was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder cases when investigators of Binh Duong Province’s Police Department found 2.8 grams of cyanide in her handbag.

The Criminal Science Sub-institute under the Ministry of Public Security said cyanide was a highly poisonous chemical compound and that a small dose of 0.15–2.0 grams could kill a person.

Van was later released for lack of further evidence after investigators used the cyanide found in her handbag to experiment on animals; investigators could not detect the poisonous chemical when the animals died. Investigators from the Ministry of Public Security later became involved in the investigation.

Arrest

Van was arrested in July 2000 after cyanide was found in her handbag.

Van had also been arrested twice between 1998 and 2000 and was later released for lack of evidence.

Trial

Van stood trial at the People’s Court of southern Binh Duong province. The trial included charges of murder, robbery and illegal possession of toxic chemicals.

Le Thanh Van, 48 in one account and 49 in another, lived in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10. She was accused of murdering 13 people by putting cyanide into their drinks and food in order to steal possessions valued at 300 million VND in total in one account.

The indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy said the murders took place in HCMC and the southern provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai from early 1998 to August 2001.

Prosecutor Chau Thi Nga questioned Van during the trial. Van and Quang had previously admitted to the crime when arrested, but both retracted their confessions when questioned by prosecutor Chau Thi Nga at the court on Wednesday.

Van said she was forced by police to confess.

“Serial killer” woman stands trial August 26, 2004
A 48-year-old woman accused of killing 13 people stood trial for murder, robbery and keeping and using a poisonous chemical at the People’s Court in Binh Duong southern province yesterday August 25.
Le Thanh Van, living in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10 was accused of murdering 13 people by putting cyanide into their drinks and food in order to steal their possessions valued at 300 million VND in total.
Her boyfriend Diu Dang Quang, 31, and born in Dong Nai Province was also on trial for his suspected involvement in the murders.
Van said that she was forced by police to confess.
The murders took place in HCMC and the southern provinces of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai from early 1998 to August 2001, according to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy.
In July 2000, Ms. Van was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder cases when investigators of Binh Duong Province’s Police Department found 2.8 grams of cyanide in her handbag.
According to the Criminal Science Sub-institute under the Ministry of Public Security, cyanide is a highly poisonous chemical compound and a small dose of 0.15-2.0 grams can kill a person.
But, she was later released for lack of further evidence when investigators used the cyanide found in her handbag to experiment on animals.
They could not detect the poisonous chemical when the animals died, thus there was no evidence to prove that the cyanide had killed the victims.
The 13 victims all had similar symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches before dying.
But, most hospitals could not determine the cause of the death.
Some hospitals speculated that some victims may have suffered from pneumonia and others from coronary thrombosis.
During the trial, Van said the cyanide found in her purse was given to her by a friend of her father’s, Dr. Lam Thien Truong in Dong Nai Province.
“Dr. Truong asked me to bring it to HCMC for forensic tests.” she said.
“I did not even know what the substance was until investigators told me that the yellow-color chemical found in my handbag was cyanide,” added Ms. Van.
“Dr. Truong has a friend working at the Binh Thuan Province’s Police Department who had an acquaintance poisoned with the chemical.
The friend asked for Dr. Truong’s help and the doctor asked me to help,” she affirmed.
But, the accused could not give an explanation when prosecutor Nga asked, “Why couldn’t the provincial-level police department do forensic tests?
Also, if the police couldn’t do it, Dr. Truong has the right to ask relevant agencies to do such tests and wouldn’t need to ask the accused to help out.”
The trial continues today.
Ms. Van is also suspected of being involved in eight others cases in which 16 people were poisoned and three of them died.
But, there is no sufficient evidence showing that Ms. Van is involved in the cases.

In another account, Nguyen Thanh Tung, an official with Binh Duong People’s Court, said Van admitted killing victims so she could steal their possessions and money, including her mother-in-law, brother-in-law and foster mother.

The state-run Phap Luat newspaper said she faked her victims’ wills and other documents.

Another report said Van admitted killing victims and that she faced the death sentence if convicted for the killings.

Sentencing

Le Thanh Van was sentenced to death on 1 September 2004.

Appeals

A court of appeal in Vietnam upheld the death sentence for Le Thanh Van.

The People’s Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City upheld the verdict passed by the People’s Court of southern Binh Duong province last September.

Outcome

Le Thanh Van’s death sentence was upheld.

Her accomplice, her 31-year-old husband without a marriage certificate named Dinh Danh Quang, was given a jail term of 21 years for helping her kill a motorbike taxi driver.

Investigators continued to look into the case due to suspicions of involvement in eight other poisonings.