Nick Reese found his boss Terrell.
"You are not going to charge him with intentional injury, but instead charge him with attempted first-degree murder?" Terrell frowned and continued: "This is an extremely serious crime. Although it is an attempt, once convicted, the defendant will You will also face at least several years in prison. Are you sure you do this?"
Prosecutor Reese nodded: "I wanted to use public opinion to guide the jurors before, but the plan failed, so I had to find another way."
"Tell me what you're thinking now." Terrell crossed his legs and looked like he was listening.
“I will first give the defendant a more serious charge and make him realize during the trial that he may really be convicted of attempted first-degree murder. Then I will negotiate with the defendant to drop the charge of attempted first-degree murder. Conditions, let him admit intentional injury and assaulting the police." Prosecutor Reese said.
"Are you going to use this charge of attempted first-degree murder as a bargaining chip? Is our evidence that sufficient?" Terrell asked.
"We really don't have enough evidence to directly accuse him of attempted first-degree murder. But I will amplify the role of this bargaining chip. Just like bargaining when buying something, I need to take the initiative, and everything will be much easier to handle next. Specific negotiations. When he was charged, I would also propose that as long as he was willing to plead guilty, I would shorten the sentence appropriately, which was a very tempting exchange condition," Reese said.
Terrell shook his head: "As far as I know, the defendant hired Attorney Wilfrid, who is the best criminal lawyer in the United States. With Attorney Wilfrid's rich experience, your kind of You can’t hide any little tricks from him.”
"I know that Lawyer Wilfrid is very powerful, but he did not take advantage when we fought before." Reese smiled slightly and continued: "Although I am not 100% sure to convince the jury, I It can make the defendant feel that he is likely to be convicted of attempted first-degree murder. Then the next step is to gamble on the possibility of sentencing. I think the defendant dare not bet on the possibility of being convicted of attempted first-degree murder, because He is a rich man! And if we go to negotiate at this time, I will be in a more advantageous position."
"Indeed, what you said makes sense. When there is a possibility of being found guilty, rich people do not dare to bet on the outcome of the verdict." Terrell crossed his hands on his chest and asked, "What did you just say? , you want to amplify the effect of that bargaining chip, do you already have a plan?"
"Yes, I think I have found a breakthrough point that I can use. When I get to court, I will leave them speechless! I will definitely win this lawsuit!" Terrell showed a confident expression.
…
Wilfrid Law Firm.
"Mr. Li, the situation has changed. In addition to charging you with damaging public property and assaulting a police officer, the prosecutor will also charge you with an additional charge of attempted first-degree murder." Lawyer Wilfrid said.
Dai Li was shocked when he heard the word "murder". He obviously understood that this was a serious crime.
So Dai Li frowned and asked, "What's going on? Didn't you say you were going to sue me for intentional injury? How come you just attempted first-degree murder? This should be much more serious, right?"
"Mr. Li, you don't have to worry. From what I know about Nick Reese, this is just a trick he usually uses. He first prosecutes a more serious crime, and then makes the defendant worry that he will be convicted of a felony, and then withdraws it." In exchange for a felony prosecution, the defendant pleads guilty to other charges. I think that in your case, there is not enough evidence to prosecute attempted first-degree murder, so you must not get into trouble, let alone go to see the prosecutor alone. Officer, no matter what they say or do, leave it to me." Lawyer Wilfrid warned.
"Okay, if the prosecution or the police come to me, I will remain silent until I see you." Dai Li said.
Wilfrid nodded with satisfaction. He picked up the document in his hand and continued, "Mr. Li, let's first sort out the charges the prosecutor has charged you with. The first is damage to public property, which here refers to your shooting. The gun left several bullet holes in the police car. I don’t think we need to waste time and energy on this. We can ask the police to send the repair bill and we will compensate according to the price. If they want to impose additional fines Yes, I suggest you just pay the fine directly, it’s only one or two thousand dollars at most.”
"No problem, I have no objection." Li Dai agreed immediately.
"The next step is to attack the police. Although you fired at the police, your original intention was to call the police in this way, not to actually attack the police. Moreover, you did not cause any physical harm to the police, so I think , we have sufficient reasons to deny this accusation." Wilfrid sighed lightly, and then said: "Mr. Li, you know, you made a very correct decision at that time.
"What decision?" Li Dai asked.
"After you fired at the police, you did not stay at the exhaust vent. This decision was really right. As far as I know, after you fired and exposed your position, a sniper immediately targeted the platoon. If you show your face again, you are likely to be killed by police snipers. In the assault cases I have come across, let alone shooting at the police, even if you dare to point a gun at the police, it is impossible. Show up in the dock," Wilfrid said.
"Why?" Dai Li didn't understand the meaning of Wilfrid's words at first.
"They were all shot to death by the police. Even if they were not killed on the spot, they would still be lying in the hospital without the possibility of appearing in court." Wilfrid spread his hands and continued: "The law gives the police the power to shoot. But more often than not, this power is abused. Sometimes, the police shoot not to subdue criminals or protect themselves, but to demonstrate the police's authority."
After Wilfrid finished speaking, he turned the document in his hand to a new page and continued: "Finally, let's talk about attempted first-degree murder. Mr. Li, I don't know how much you know about this charge, but I I still have to explain to you that most states in the United States divide murder into two levels, namely first-degree murder and second-degree murder.”
"First-degree murder includes premeditated murder, negligent homicide resulting in the death of a plurality of persons, and homicide in the course of a crime. Second-degree murder includes homicide in other circumstances other than first-degree murder, such as unpremeditated murder, temporary intentional homicide, and non-criminal homicide. Killing in the process, manslaughter other than causing multiple deaths, causing death with intent to seriously injure others, etc.”
Dai Li frowned when he heard this, and he asked: "Lawyer Wilfrid, based on your description of first-degree murder, I feel that what I did does not meet the definition of first-degree murder. I don't know what happened. How should I understand my attempted first-degree murder from a legal perspective?"
"You were premeditated when you shot Mr. Gardner. I think Prosecutor Reese wanted to use this to make a big fuss. He will classify your shooting of Mr. Gardner as first-degree murder." The actions are linked together, but from a legal perspective, he does not have sufficient evidence. As I said before, this is just a bargaining chip for them to use. He wants to scare you first, and then force you to accuse someone of intentionally injuring someone or assaulting the police. Plea guilty to the charges." Wilfrid said with certainty.
At this moment, the secretary knocked on the door and walked in.
"Lawyer Wilfrid, there is a call from a prosecutor named Nick Reese. He hopes to make an appointment with you. He said that it is about a case and evidence needs to be exchanged before the trial." The secretary said.
Wilfrid immediately showed a smile that said "Sure enough," and he said to Dai Li: "Mr. Li, you see what I said is right! That guy really came to negotiate."
…
"Lawyer Wilfrid, I still suggest that you seriously persuade your client to plead guilty as soon as possible. As long as he is willing to plead guilty, I can withdraw the charge of attempted first-degree murder and only charge him with intentional injury and assault. Police, and I will also fight for a suspended sentence for him. Maybe your client will face a slightly larger fine, but the case can be concluded as soon as possible, which is good for both you and me." Nick Reese is very organized said.
Wilfrid laughed: "Prosecutor Reese, your suggestion only shows me that it will be good for you, but I don't see any good for my client."
"How could it be? Your client no longer has to be charged with attempted first-degree murder. Isn't this a very beneficial thing for your client?" Reese said.
"My client is innocent." Wilfrid shook his head firmly.
"In this case, we have to meet in court." Reese stood up and was about to leave, but before leaving, he added: "Lawyer Wilfrid, please be careful with this suggestion of mine. Consider it, or ask your client for his opinion. My suggestion will remain in effect until the judge makes a trial."
…
Reese walked out of Wilfrid's law firm. The outcome of this meeting was completely within Reese's expectation. Wilfrid was the best criminal lawyer, so it was naturally impossible for him to be betrayed by Reese. Si threatened him and made a compromise.
Reese took out his cell phone and dialed the cell phone of the Los Angeles Police Chief.
"Chief, I'm afraid that the matter I mentioned before will really go to court. Several police officers will appear as witnesses. In order to win this case, I hope they will cooperate with me when they appear in court."
"No, no, of course it's not perjury. Perjury is illegal. We can't break the law. What I mean is that the police officers who want to testify in court can be more biased towards our side when providing confessions. Don't worry, I I will also guide them when asking questions.”
…
This was Dai Li's first time in a lawsuit and his first time in court.
"I didn't expect that when I came to the court for the first time, I would be standing in the position of the defendant." Dai Li shook his head helplessly. He looked at the witness box, where a middle-aged man was sitting.
This middle-aged man was a policeman and one of the first two policemen to feel the scene that day. He ran forward and helped up Sam Gardner, who was hit by Li Dai, and then joined another policeman. Hidden behind the car.
"Officer Lowry, please briefly describe what happened that day." Nick Reese said.
The policeman organized his language and said: "On the day of the incident, my partner Pane and I received instructions from the alarm center and went to the scene of a shooting. When we arrived at the scene, we found an injured person lying on the ground. , the injured told us that he had been shot, my partner Pane was on guard, and I went up to confirm the condition of the injured."
"I walked up to the injured person, helped him up, and on the way back, I was shot again. After hearing the gunfire, the three of us fell down at the same time, and then Pane asked me to hide behind the car. , so I immediately helped the injured person and hid in the back of the car. Then Pane told me that the tire was punctured, so we immediately asked the headquarters for additional personnel. Then the headquarters sent a professional anti-terrorist force, and I was also among other police officers. He retreated to the back under the cover of the police officers.”
Nick Reese listened very seriously and nodded while listening. After Officer Lowry finished telling his story, he immediately asked: "Officer Lowry, after you and your partner arrived at the scene, did you know that the gunman was still hiding?" Nearby?"
"I don't know. We don't know if the gunman is still nearby, so my partner is responsible for the security." Officer Lowry replied.
"Then you don't know the shooter's location?" Reese then asked.
"We don't know." The police officer replied without hesitation.
"In other words, you were attacked without knowing anything about the gunman?" Reese asked immediately.
"Yes." The police officer nodded.
Reese cast an encouraging look at the police officer, and then asked: "According to what you said, you were attacked when you were helping the injured person and trying to rescue him, right?"
"Yes." The police officer replied without hesitation.
"So Officer Lowry, what was the first thought in your heart when you heard the gunshot?" Reese then asked.
"The first thing I thought of was that someone attacked the police." The police officer replied immediately.
"I object!" Lawyer Wilfrid stood up immediately: "The witness's thoughts are just a manifestation of his personal subjective will and have nothing to do with this case! I object to the prosecutor raising questions that are irrelevant to this case."
Reese immediately said tit for tat: "Your Honor, this witness was a witness at the scene and also the police officer responsible for handling the matter. As a professional, his professional judgment was based on the situation at the scene. It can be used as a reference for this case.”
The judge thought for a moment and nodded: "The objection is invalid. As the first police officer to arrive on the scene in this case, Officer Lowry's opinions are professional and can be used as a reference for the facts of this case."
A victorious expression flashed across Reese's face, and he then asked: "Officer Lowry, when you asked for additional troops, did you explain that someone was attacking the police?"
"Yes, my partner Panay clearly mentioned this when he requested additional personnel from the headquarters. I heard it clearly from the side." Officer Lowry replied.
"After that, did the gunman shoot at the police again?" Reese then asked.
"Yes, that was when the reinforcements arrived. The gunman fired several shots at the reinforcements. I heard the gunshots at that time." Officer Lowry replied firmly.
At the defense lawyer's table, Wilfrid kept writing down key points one by one on his notepad.
"Reese has been insisting on the word 'assaulting the police'. It seems that he intends to put the hat of assaulting the police on my client's head through the mouth of the police witness. However, this idea is too naive. To deal with that A rookie lawyer might be able to use it against me, haha, that's too whimsical... "