Aussie News: Handyman guilty of hammer murder

July 14, 2010 - 12:34PM

A Sydney handyman, Dong Jian has been convicted of murder for using a hammer to beat a father-of-two to death. Jiang Ming Hai, 27 had been found dead in the bathtub at a property he owned in the north-western suburb of North Ryde on January 13 last year. According to the Crown prosecuter, John Pickering, the argument arose between them as Mr Jiang refused to pay an outstanding amount of $1500 to Dong for the renovation in the house as he is not satisfied with the quality of works. "[Dong] struck him numerous times, up to nine times, on the head with the hammer," Mr Pickering said. "The accused dragged the deceased along the tiled hallway of the house towards the bathroom, running a bath. He believed that the deceased was dead at that stage." Dong then fled Sydney, embarking on a road trip that took him through South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, until he was arrested near Townsville almost six weeks after the killing. However, Dong claimed that his action was in defence as Mr Jiang had been choking him. Besides, he recalled striking Mr Jiang with hammer only once and had no recollection of putting his body in a bathtub. Dong hardly recollected the event. He confessed to the court that his mind went blank. Dong's matter will however be mentioned again on July 21 when parties are expected to make submissions on sentencing.

Critique:

By merely judging from what they said in the news, I am uncertain whether Dong's behaviour was in defence or not. But I am rather disagreed with Dong. If his behaviour was in defence, then why did he runaway in the first place? Sometimes, I wonder how could human be so cruel? Doesn't we claim that human is the only creature that with feelings and thereby, can act accordingly? Aren't the murderers mankind also? Then how could they be so cold-blooded and stone-hearted? Perhaps, feeling is the factor that determines human to the road of humanity or the other way around. Anger triggers Dong to beat Mr Jiang. This is due his feeling. The fact might be that his angriness was too strong that it blinded his hidden humaneness.

Being a human, we must appreciate and utilise what have been presented. Feeling is the uniqueness that we possess. We must master the knack of suppressing our feelings so that it does not control us instead.