Canberra man who stabbed partner to death in family kitchen pleads guilty to murder
A 72-year-old Canberra man has pleaded guilty to murdering his partner at their north Canberra home during a brief appearance in the ACT Supreme Court today.
Van Thanh Vu was helped by an interpreter as he told the court "I plead guilty".
Police and emergency services had rushed to the couple's house in the suburb of Bruce in October 2023 after they were alerted by family.
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They found Thi Thuy Huong Nguyen, 65, unresponsive on the kitchen floor.
She had been stabbed multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vu was also injured and rushed to hospital where he was revived.
Days later he appeared in court via video link from his hospital bed, and was formally charged with murder.
He was to face trial this week.
But that has now been abandoned because Vu has pleaded guilty.
Before the guilty plea, prosecutor Trent Hickey told the court he had flagged a plea of not guilty by reason of mental impairment.
Mr Hickey said each side had already received psychiatric reports, with Vu likely to seek a further report ahead of sentencing.
Vu's lawyers told the court he had received a diagnosis about his health, and his health records would also need to be subpoenaed before the sentence.
The court has set aside October 20 for sentencing to allow time for any experts to be examined.
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