Police in the southern province of Long An have confirmed that the headline-grabbing murder of a former reporter is still under investigation, and not abandoned as rumored, Phap Luat TPHCM reported Tuesday.

 

However, police didn’t confirm if the deadline for investigations into the death of Le Hoang Hung, a former 51-year-old reporter of Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, will be extended or not, according to the newspaper.

 

Hung was found on fire while he was sleeping at home in Tan An Town on January 19, and died ten days later from severe burns.

 

Currently his wife, 41-year-old Tran Thi Lieu, is in custody for investigations after admitting to killing him in February. Lieu claimed that she acted alone and that she killed Hung in an attempt to sell their family home to cover her gambling losses.

 

Hung’s family accused that Lieu had an affair with Nguyen Van Tam, a market management official in the provincial Thanh Hoa District. Tam was suspended from his post during the investigations.

 

According to newswire Nguoi dua tin, Duong Ngoc An, an official from Long An’s Party Unit’s inspectorate, said they have asked investigators of the murder to provide them with evidence of the alleged extramarital affair.

 

During the first months of this year the case has drawn a great deal of public attention, as local newspapers conducted their own investigations, revealing details and complications, including the allegations of the affair.

 

Lieu’s admittance also caused a stir among the press and public alike, because previously Lieu insisted on her innocence, repeatedly denying all suspicions that had centered around her.