Do Van Hoang, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment and 24-year-old Vu Van Trung to 23 years for their roles in the murder.

Hai Phong City’s People’s Court heard the three men killed Major Sinh while he was on routine patrol at Hai An District’s Dinh Vu Island at around 9 p.m. on July 14, 2007.

The court sentenced Chuong’s 21-year-old brother, Nguyen Van Doan, to two years in prison for harboring the criminal.

Trung’s girlfriend, Nguyen Thi Lan Phuong, received a 12-month suspended sentence for not reporting the crime.

After being arrested last August, Chuong, Hoang, and Trung admitted their crime, saying they had killed Sinh for his motorcycle.

They said Sinh was wearing a raincoat because it was a rainy night and they thought he was a civilian.

Major Sinh managed to fire three shots in his defense, but did not hit anyone.

He died in hospital an hour after the attack.

During the court hearing, only Trung and Phuong stuck to their confessions.

The three other defendants rejected the indictment, saying they had been forced to admit the crime during police interrogations.

The court dismissed their rejections.

Chuong said he had been on the way from Hai Phong City to his hometown, Hai Duong, on July 14 last year.

Witnesses who at first confirmed Chuong’s return that day later could not recall the exact day he had arrived in his hometown.

Reported by Pham Hai Sam