Updated Apr 1, 2019 - World

Kim Jong-nam killing: Suspect escapes death penalty with guilty plea

Doan Thi Huong smiles as she's escorted by police after a court session for her trial.

Doan Thi Huong smiles as she's escorted by police after a court session for her trial in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Photo: Mohd Samsul Mohd Said/Getty Images

A Vietnamese woman accused of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother says she's accepted a lower charge of causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, Channel NewsAsia reported Monday local time.

Details: Kim Jong-nam died after liquid VX nerve agent was smeared in his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017. Doan Thi Huong and her co-accused, Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah, say they didn't kill him and believed they were in a TV prank. Only Huong's in custody, but her lawyer said she could soon be freed now she's pled guilty to the lower charge, downgraded from murder — the maximum penalty for which is hanging.

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