In the lounge, Lu Ming was concentrating on writing something.
Li Mingxuan finally couldn't help himself, "Your strategy may be to defeat my robbery point, but in this way, the victim Li Xiaoyan will be more innocent in the eyes of the jury. Don't say that I beat her to death, even if I injured her, wouldn't it be more hateful?"
Lu Ming looked up at him and said, "You are abominable to begin with. Why did she take you with her as her permanent attendant? Because you are lame? Or because you don't take showers? You know the reason very well. This day will come sooner or later. However, you covet an easy life and have a fluke mentality. In my opinion, you deserve the death penalty even if you are sentenced to beheading!"
"You..." Li Mingxuan's face turned pale and he stood up suddenly. However, his eyes lit up and he looked at Lu Ming who was still writing quickly. Then Li Mingxuan sat down and lowered his head to think.
"Qinghua, come here, help me do something!" Lu Ming waved to Chen Qinghua.
Chen Qinghua was cheered up. He always felt that what he had done recently had little to do with this case and he didn't help his boss at all.
But when he took the paper handed to him by Lu Ming and read what was written on it, he was stunned.
His boss asked him to collect information on all accidents involving Lingwei cars. If there were victims, he would also meet with the victim's family to learn more details.
"Hurry up these few days, you don't have to follow up on this case." Lu Ming said.
"Okay..." Although Chen Qinghua was unwilling in his heart, he could not go against his boss's wishes.
"Qinghua, this matter is very important. You must do it well. Be careful and attentive. Do you understand?" Lu Ming looked at him and emphasized, "This may affect whether I, your brother Lu, can stand firm here!"
In fact, Chen Qinghua is probably a few years older than Lu Ming, but the boss calling himself "brother" is naturally a way of showing closeness.
Seeing Lu Ming's serious expression, Chen Qinghua felt relieved and nodded: "Don't worry."
Wang Daan watched this scene and felt helpless. At least Chen Qinghua had something to do, but from beginning to end, he was just a decoration.
At this time, the bailiff knocked on the door gently, "Lawyer Lu, it's time to start."
…
Li Mingxuan sat in the witness stand again.
Liu Hanming walked up to him and said, "Mr. Li Si, are you feeling better now? Can we start?"
Li Mingxuan nodded slightly.
"Mr. Li Si, according to your latest testimony, you hit Ms. Li Xiaoyan on the head with the sculpture that killed her, right?"
"Objection." Lu Ming raised his hand. "When Mr. Li Haoran hit Ms. Li Xiaoyan on the head, this sculpture was not a murder weapon."
Liu Hanming spread his hands. "But it is the murder weapon that killed Ms. Li Xiaoyan, isn't it? Lawyer Lu, if we follow your strict timeline definition, objective things will become very confusing."
Cao Guan nodded, indicating that the objection was invalid and the witness needed to answer questions.
"Yes." Li Mingxuan whispered into the microphone.
"You understand and sympathize with Ms. Li Xiaoyan so well, but in the end, you hit Ms. Li Xiaoyan's head with an iron sculpture that could be fatal?" Liu Hanming sounded surprised, turned around and shook his head at the jury.
The jurors also shook their heads and felt sad for poor Ms. Li Xiaoyan.
Li Mingxuan was silent.
"Was there a third person in the room at that time?" Liu Hanming asked.
"No."
"When you left, did you see a third person enter Ms. Li Xiaoyan's room?"
"No." Li Mingxuan shook his head again.
"So, you left the seriously injured Ms. Li Xiaoyan alone, leaving her struggling in extreme pain?"
Liu Hanming didn't wait for Li Mingxuan to react, "Besides, you hit Ms. Li Xiaoyan's head several times, right?"
"I didn't!" Li Mingxuan looked up.
"Yes, you didn't. You just knew Ms. Li Xiaoyan so well and felt for her. In the end, you hurt her cruelly, leaving her badly injured. You returned to the rental house that Ms. Li Xiaoyan rented for you, admiring those expensive accessories and sighing. Ah, Ms. Li Xiaoyan, what a lovely and pitiful person you are!..."
Liu Hanming bowed slightly to the judge and jury, "I have no questions!"
Leaving Li Mingxuan with a pale face, he turned and walked back to the prosecution seat.
Zhang Jingjing looked at her master in admiration. Unexpectedly, in just ten minutes, the master had thought of a solution and launched a beautiful counterattack, sweeping away the advantage that the defense had just gained.
Lu Ming stood up and walked to the witness stand.
"You know Ms. Li Xiaoyan very well, right?" Lu Ming asked.
“Maybe I understand her a little bit.”
"She can be said to be your benefactor, right?"
"Yes, she hired me and got me a temporary residence permit. I was living with a bunch of homeless people."
"Does she often ask you to drink with her?"
"Yes."
"Do you think you are qualified as a servant? Because, your leg is lame, right?"
Li Mingxuan was silent.
"Why do you think she hired you?"
Li Mingxuan still remained silent.
"Before you were disfigured, do you think you could be described as handsome?" Lu Ming said, "Please show me exhibit No. 19 from Category D."
It was a photo of Li Mingxuan with Li Xiaoyan, a paper cutout from a gossip tabloid. In the photo, Li Mingxuan's original appearance could be clearly seen.
This paper-cut was sent to Cao Guan and the jury.
"By most people's standards, you are still handsome."
"So, as a person with limited mobility who cannot perform the duties of a servant, you really don't understand why Ms. Li Xiaoyan hired you? Especially since she often gives you expensive gifts?" Lu Ming questioned Li Mingxuan.
"I oppose it. I oppose the defense's use of malicious speculation to stigmatize the victim!" Liu Hanming raised his hand.
Lu Ming nodded, "Let me ask my question again."
Looking at Li Mingxuan, "Ms. Li Xiaoyan is a very pitiful woman. You are taking advantage of her loneliness because you don't want to be a homeless person anymore, right?"
Li Mingxuan bit his lip, said nothing, and his face turned pale.
However, he clenched his fists and his body was shaking slightly.
"Witness, please answer my questions!" Lu Ming raised his voice.
"Yes, I was deceiving her!" Li Mingxuan clenched his fists, raised his head suddenly, and was a little hysterical. "I was just hoping for the best, thinking everything would be fine! Because, because she is a kind woman, I know, she won't force me!"
"But I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it!" Li Mingxuan shook his head painfully, "I really didn't expect it..."
"But, I really didn't kill her, I really didn't kill her... Why would I want to kill her?" Li Mingxuan lowered his head and murmured, "I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her..."
Lu Ming sighed softly, "Yes, Ms. Li Xiaoyan, I didn't mean to force you, but because of a misunderstanding, it caused a small conflict between you..."
Liu Hanming raised his hand and said, "I object to the defense's deliberate downplaying of the cruelty of the case. The tragic death of Ms. Li Xiaoyan is not just a minor conflict!"
Lu Ming turned around and said, "I request to call the prosecution's second witness, forensic doctor Liu Kuang."
"Liu Kuang, can you come to the court today?" Cao Guan asked indifferently.
Liu Kuang had already appeared in court yesterday and reported the results of the autopsy, but Lu Ming only asked one question: were any fingerprints found on the murder weapon
Liu Kuang answered no.
If the witness is not available today when summoned to court again, another date will have to be arranged, after all, it is a temporary summons.
This is also the reason why many cases are delayed for a long time.
Liu Hanming was about to stand up and said that the witness was not nearby and further communication was needed. In this way, since several courts might have case trials scheduled, the next one might be three or four days later, giving himself plenty of time to prepare.
But the main thing is that the tragic character of the suspect created by the opposing lawyer in court will be diluted over time.
To some extent, I still feel that I am at a disadvantage in the court today, and I have to respond to each move accordingly.
This young rookie lawyer named Lu Qianxing created pressure for himself. He has been in the legal field in Beiguan for more than ten years, but he has never had such an experience before.
It seemed as if he was facing those superior old lawyers in the East China Sea Region. It was incredible.
Liu Hanming was lost in thought and just stood up to say that he could not contact the witness for the time being.
But at this moment, the large wooden door of the court was pushed open and Liu Kuang hurried in.
Lu Ming immediately smiled and said, "Mr. Liu is here!"
When Liu Hanming turned around and saw it, his eyes immediately froze.
"Why are you here?"
Liu Kuang walked over and Liu Hanming asked with a frown.
"Didn't your office assistant call me and ask me to come here?" Liu Kuang was surprised.
Liu Hanming looked at Lu Ming again and suddenly felt a little uneasy.
This shows that this guy has predicted every step of the lawsuit so far, and is proceeding according to his plan step by step.
This is a bit scary.
"Prosecutor, is your witness ready?" Cao Guan asked again.
"Yes, yes..." Liu Hanming pushed the glasses frame on his nose helplessly. The witness was already standing in the courtroom, so there was no reason not to let him go up to testify. He couldn't suddenly ask him to pretend to be sick. He was a well-known lawyer, and he would not use such tricks until he was at his wit's end.
Moreover, Liu Kuang would not agree. He is one of the most authoritative experts in the Beiguan Forensic Office and would not allow himself to be manipulated.
Liu Kuang sat in the witness stand.
Lu Ming walked up to him and said, "I looked at the autopsy report from your medical examiner's office. Ms. Li Xiaoyan's skull was hit four times, right?"
"Yes." Liu Kuang nodded.
"No fingerprints were detected on the flying eagle sculpture that was identified as the murder weapon, correct?"
"Yes." Liu Kuang nodded again.
"Why, then, do you think, are there no fingerprints?"
Liu Kuang thought for a moment and said, "We forensic doctors talk about evidence and scientific facts, and we don't make any speculations."
"Okay, then, if I say that the murderer wiped off the fingerprints on the sculpture, do you think that's possible?"
"This possibility is very high." Liu Kuang nodded again.
"Mr. Liu Kuang, as far as I know, at the initial appraisal discussion meeting, you had the opinion that the time between the four blows might be very different, especially the heaviest blow, which might be more than three hours apart from the first blow? Is that right?"
Liu Kuang's eyes flashed with surprise, but he was very calm. "In fact, with our current identification methods, we cannot accurately infer the specific time interval between the blows to the victim's skull. Therefore, after discussion, we did not adopt this suggestion."
Lu Ming nodded. "Since current scientific evidence cannot infer the time interval between the four injuries on the victim's skull, that means, based on scientific identification, you cannot rule out the possibility that the first and last injuries were separated by three hours or more?"
Liu Kuang paused.
Liu Hanming's brows immediately frowned.
"Mr. Liu Kuang, please answer my question. You keep saying that you only respect science and evidence. So, please answer my question. Based on scientific identification and existing evidence, can we rule out the possibility that the first and last attacks on Ms. Li Xiaoyan were more than three hours apart? Because one of your colleagues raised this possibility."
Liu Kuang thought about it and said, "It's not impossible, but..."
Lu Ming quickly interrupted him, "Mr. Liu Kuang, there are no fingerprints on the murder weapon, right?"
"Yes, I have already said that." Liu Kuang was a little impatient and wanted to go back to the previous question, "As for the time when the wound was caused..."
"Mr. Liu Kuang, do you think that the four attacks occurred almost simultaneously and must have been carried out by the same person?" Lu Ming asked.
"Yes..." Liu Kuang wanted to explain.
"But you also said there is no scientific evidence to prove the time interval between each attack on the victim in this case..."
"But you insist that the four attacks were carried out in short intervals and were committed by one person."
“Is this your scientific spirit?”
Liu Kuang was stunned and speechless for a moment.
Zhang Jingjing listened blankly. It was obvious that the forensic officer was no match for the rookie lawyer. Not only was he speechless under questioning, but the rookie lawyer even took the opportunity to cleverly turn the victim's attack into a "fourth attack". Listening to it, she felt as if several people had beaten the victim, and the last one was probably the one who killed him.
If I didn't understand the skills of lawyer defense, I would have been led astray by him.
Liu Hanming has already stood up. "Objection. I hope the defense can give the witness enough time to answer questions."
"That is not my obligation. He only needs to answer my questions. If further explanation is required, Lawyer Liu, that will require your cross-examination time."
Liu Hanming frowned. This guy was right. However, in today's courts, there were very few defense lawyers who made the most of all the rules.
Lu Ming turned to look at Liu Kuang, who had a gloomy face, and said, "Mr. Liu Kuang, the medical examiner's office finally concluded that the beatings occurred at about the same time. It seems that there was a certain degree of discussion and inference about the case, so they came to this conclusion, right?"
Liu Kuang had a gloomy face, but he was very careful with his words. "Forensic pathologists are also human beings. We will of course discuss this case, but it will not affect our identification results. All our conclusions are made from a scientific perspective."
Lu Ming nodded: "Since you have analyzed this case, then, a murderer brutally killed the victim with four heavy blows, and then wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon with an unusually clear mind, and then returned to his rental house, without any signs of escaping."
"This man was well aware that many people knew he entered the victim's room, and even after he killed someone, he was seen leaving."
"He wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon in order to conceal the fact that he had committed murder, but he boldly let go of the witnesses and the people who knew about the incident, and went back to his rental house to sleep peacefully?"
“Is this person schizophrenic?”
Liu Kuang shook his head: "This is not my area of expertise, I will not make any judgment."
"He failed to rape, robbed and killed, wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon, and walked home without caring about being seen entering and leaving the victim's room..."
Lu Ming turned his head to look at the jury box and spread his hands. "I think there is only one possibility. He is sleepwalking."
Although it was a very brutal murder case, some jurors could not help themselves and almost laughed out loud, but they lowered their heads to hold it back.
Liu Hanming stood up and said, "Your Honor, I have a psychology expert who can clearly analyze the psychological state of the abuser. I request to summon him to the court to testify."
Cao Guan looked at the time and said, "The court will be adjourned for half an hour."
Lu Ming turned around and said, "In court, because witness number two did not demonstrate professionalism, the chain of evidence in this case has become problematic. Therefore, I would like to ask the prosecution's witness number one to reappear in court to testify. I have a few questions for him. He is in the audience now."
Witness No. 1 is Du Laifu, the manager of Jincheng Hotel and the victim's cousin. He is a key witness who testified that he saw Li Mingxuan enter the victim's room and leave Li Xiaoyan's room.
He really loves to join in the fun. Originally, the prosecution had no plans for him to testify in court today, but whenever it comes to this case, he will come to listen, and now he is in the audience.
Cao Guan looked at Liu Hanming and said, "Then your expert witness will appear next. Let's hear the testimony of witness number one first."
Looking at Du Laifu sitting at the back of the audience, Liu Hanming was furious. Seeing him attend every trial, he had long wanted to scold him. He was like a fool, always wanting to join in the fun. He was a witness in a murder case, but he also loved gossiping? His head must have been caught in a door when he was a child. He was really a weirdo.