Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 247 - 245: A Familiar Pattern, Has the Defendant Truly Lost Their Memory? (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 247: Chapter 245: A Familiar Pattern, Has the Defendant Truly Lost Their Memory? (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

(For the last three days of the month, the double votes for monthly tickets campaign is ongoing, and I, Author Germ, won’t say much more. Do please cast your monthly tickets for a rush for the top hundred rankings, please~)

PS: To sincerely ask for monthly tickets, there will be at least one additional Chapter each day for the last three days of the month. If we reach 3000, 3500, 4000 monthly tickets... I will add even more Chapters. Dear readers, please give me face and cast a monthly ticket~

...

The following day, at noon.

Inside the preparation room of Nandao City Court.

"In today’s trial, we will mainly be observers. We need to respond to the prosecutor’s maneuvers, you just have to sit there without talking, can you do that?"

"No problem, I consider my composure not any worse than my two brothers!"

"That’s good... wait, are you sure you’re comparing yourself to the right people?"

Zhang Wei looked at Lin Xiangwan with slight astonishment.

Who are you comparing yourself to, if not to the "two foolish sons" in Elder Master Lin’s eyes?

"Anyway, you just need to show the 12 jurors that you remain unflustered in the face of the prosecution’s murder charges. Compared to a defendant who is easily swayed by emotions, a jury will trust a calm defendant more."

"If you can maintain absolute calmness in the face of the prosecution’s serial strategies, they will start to think, how could a person as rational as you commit a murder impulsively? There must be something else going on."

"Do you remember the questions I asked the jury during the preliminary hearing yesterday?"

Lin Xiangwan recalled for a moment.

What questions did Zhang Wei ask.

He fabricated a late-night news story, and several people were fooled by him.

Then he said he had stolen their wallets, and several people fell for it, believing it and checking their pockets.

Although Zhang Wei explained a lot, Lin Xiangwan still felt that Zhang Wei was a bit unreliable.

She herself was a businesswoman, a successful one at that, and she knew much about the commercial world.

Compared to someone like Zhang Wei who plays outside the rules, she preferred to deal with people who were "honest".

On the court this time though, her relatively honest counterparts were her opponents, Lu Zhengting and his daughter Lu Wenwen.

"Well, I remember your questions..."

After thinking for quite a while, Lin Xiangwan replied.

"That’s good. Based on those questions, I found 6 jurors who are likely to change their positions. You can consider them as the jury for our defense."

"Similarly, I could only eliminate 6 jurors, but Prosecutor Lu Gao also pulled in 6 jurors who are convinced you’re the murderer and have relatively fixed wills. You can think of them as the jury for the prosecution."

While saying this, Zhang Wei held up one finger on each hand and gestured: "If we’re to speak of our only advantage in the court, it would be the 12-person jury system in criminal court."

"Murder charges are different from other criminal offenses. To convict you of second-degree murder, all 12 jurors need to cast a guilty vote. On the contrary, as long as we prevent all 12 jurors from believing you are guilty, we can win the case!"

Lin Xiangwan nodded. She was clear on this point.

After all, the Lin Family had the support of Jincheng Law Firm, and she was familiar with some court proceedings and cases.

"Alright, let’s proceed to the court. Just remember, it doesn’t matter about the ’prosecution’s jury’, but we must keep the ’defense’s jury’ on our side."

The two of them talked as they left the preparation room and walked into the courtroom.

On the prosecution’s bench, Lu Wenwen and her assistant Wei Min had already arrived.

Seeing Zhang Wei appear, Lu Wenwen even nodded to him as a greeting.

"You’re very confident, greeting your opponent like that, it shows you’re very self-assured!"

In a courtroom confrontation, if one is at a disadvantage, they would not be this polite. Usually, they would either have a cold expression or a scowling face.

Only those who feel that they hold an advantage are courteous like this. This behavior has a professional term, it’s called the pity of the strong.

Clearly, Lu Wenwen felt that she was in a superior position.

Zhang Wei comforted Lin Xiangwan a few more words, asking her to be calm.

Similarly, after greeting Zhang Wei, Lu Wenwen also spoke a few words to Wei Min.

A few minutes later, the time for the court session arrived.

"All rise, please welcome the honorable Judge Lu to the bench!"

Following the Court Guard’s announcement, Lu Zhengting, dressed in a judicial robe, entered the courtroom.

He signaled around the courtroom, nodding to both the prosecution and defense, exchanging brief looks.

Looking around, Lu Zhengting noticed that there were quite a few media representatives present today.

Similarly, in the front rows of the spectator seats, there were quite a few familiar faces from within the judicial system present to observe.

The pressure was enormous!

He sighed inwardly and gestured with his hands, "Everyone, please take your seats!"

The whole court took their seats.

"The court now announces that Lin Xiangwan is accused of murdering her husband Jia Shiqing. The trial now enters the prosecution phase!"

"Would the prosecution please prepare and proceed with the opening statement!"

"Thank you, Your Honor,"

Lu Wenwen rose to her feet, bowed to the bench, and then walked up to the podium.

"Ahem, before the trial begins, I would like to say something. Murder is different from other criminal offenses. It is a very, very serious accusation. To illustrate how serious it is, I can explain briefly."

"For general criminal offenses, if we want to convict the defendant, only 10 to 11 votes out of the 12 jurors are needed for a guilty verdict."

"But for a murder charge, all 12 jurors must vote guilty. Even if there is just one less vote, the charge will not stand!"

Having said this, Lu Wenwen glanced at the defense bench and her gaze lingered on Zhang Wei for a moment.

"So I ask the jury to open your eyes wide, observe every moment of this trial, look at the woman sitting in the defendant’s seat, look at her closely!"

"Next, we, the prosecution, will step by step unveil her true face. When we prove that she is a murderer, a cold-blooded killer, do not hesitate, do not be merciful, and do not be beguiled by the defense’s sophistry. Cast your vote for guilt decisively!"

"I know some of you may easily be swayed by the defense, believing their client to be a weak woman through the defense’s arguments. In their narrative, perhaps the deceased Jia Shiqing is portrayed as an abuser, a villain threatening their client. Ultimately, they push all the blame onto a dead person who obviously can’t stand up to argue."

"At this moment, if you even slightly sympathize with the murderer, the defense will have achieved its goal!"

"Therefore, I would like to remind everyone, be wary of the defense’s tactics, polish your eyes, do not be charmed by their sweet words, and do not be misled by their attempts to shirk responsibility. The law and justice need the help of you 12 jurors to be fully realized!"

Lu Wenwen’s speech was impassioned and even anticipated and countered some of Zhang Wei’s tactics.

"Why do I feel like I’ve seen this move somewhere before?"

Watching the prosecution use the opening statement to preempt his subsequent moves, Zhang Wei felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Lan Zhengye!

Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.

The same tactics, an almost identical opening gambit, surely a move from Lan Gaojian of Dongfang Capital!

After Lu Wenwen finished speaking, the corners of her mouth curled into a cold smile.

I’ll avenge my senior brother Lan as his junior!

After yesterday’s preliminary hearing ended, they had spoken over the phone for several hours. Lu Wenwen could say she had gone over the details of Lan Zhengye’s and Zhang Wei’s confrontation several times.

Now was the time for that phone call to make an impact.

"The prosecution calls the first witness, Dr. Wei from the Criminal Investigation Department Forensic Office. He examined the body of the deceased Jia Shiqing!"

At Lu Wenwen’s summons, a man in a suit approached the witness stand.

This was a male forensic examiner, his complexion somewhat pale, his eyes slightly dull, giving off an aura of gloominess.

That’s just how it is with forensic examiners.

Dealing with the dead every day, it would be odd if they were spirited.

"Dr. Wei, good day to you. I understand you are a forensic pathology expert and the coroner for this case. Could you please recap the cause of Jia Shiqing’s death?"

"Of course!"

Dr. Wei didn’t overthink it and matter-of-factly recounted, "Jia Shiqing suffered a severe blow to the head. The impact site was semi-circular in shape, which caused internal bleeding, motor disturbance, followed by concussion, loss of consciousness, among other adverse reactions..."

"His body lost balance from the blow and fell into the sea. The loss of consciousness caused him to be unable to control his limbs or call for help in the water, let alone save himself, eventually leading to him inhaling a large amount of seawater and suffocating to death..."

Hearing this, Lu Wenwen nodded and gestured to Wei Min in the prosecution bench.

The latter immediately began to play the slides. A photograph of a fire extinguisher appeared on the projection screen behind the witness stand.

"Dr. Wei, could you confirm whether this item is the weapon used to attack the victim?"

"Yes, we found cerebral tissue cells, DNA, and blood traces of the deceased Jia Shiqing on the surface of this fire extinguisher, which fatally cracked his head upon impact."

"Then could you tell us what else was discovered on the fire extinguisher?"

"We also found the fingerprints of the defendant Lin Xiangwan!"

As he spoke, Dr. Wei raised his hand to point towards Lin Xiangwan in the defense bench.

Though this was already known to all, it still caused a stir when declared openly in court.

Among the 12 jurors, those whom Zhang Wei considered on the defense side each had varying reactions.

In contrast, the prosecution jurors selected by Lu Wenwen appeared unfazed, as if nothing could bother them.

Expecting this, Zhang Wei was not surprised.

"Have the witness reinforce the impression on the jury, huh? If I’m not mistaken, the next witness should be an officer from the investigative department, right?"

He didn’t even need to guess, he already knew Lu Wenwen’s tactics.

"Thank you, Doctor Wei, for your testimony in court. I have one last question for you, at the time of his death, did Mr. Jia Shiqing suffer?"

"Of course!"

Doctor Wei thought for a moment and said, "While the heavy blow caused him to momentarily lose consciousness, once he fell into the water, water would keep flooding into his lungs. At that time, his instinct to survive would stimulate his body, and he would momentarily regain consciousness due to the stimulation. However, because the blow to his head had deprived him of the coordination and control of his body, he could only watch helplessly as he gradually moved away from the surface and ultimately drowned alive. It is an extremely painful way to die!"

"Thank you for the explanation, Doctor Wei. I believe the jury will understand the immense pain Mr. Jia Shiqing experienced at the time of his death, and that the defendant, as the initiator, was nearby and there were life buoys on the yacht..."

"Objection, inflammatory remarks!"

Before Lu Wenwen could finish, Zhang Wei stood up.

Judge Lu Zhengting had no choice but to respond, and after glancing at his daughter, nodded, "Objection sustained!"

"Please ask the jury to disregard the prosecution’s last statement, and it shall not be considered as criteria for your final verdict!"

After addressing the jury, Judge Lu Zhengting felt it wasn’t safe enough, so he turned to the corner and said to the court clerk, "Court clerk, please delete the prosecution’s last statement from the record, as the court will not accept the final question!"

Only after seeing the court clerk start to work did Judge Lu Zhengting turn to Zhang Wei.

After all these measures, you should be satisfied, right?

Zhang Wei let out a chuckle, but he wasn’t actually satisfied.

Because the jury doesn’t heed what the judge says; they only believe what they have just heard, Dr. Wei’s statement.

All they know now is one thing: Jia Shiqing’s death was full of agony, far from peaceful!

"Your Honor, the prosecution has finished questioning the witness."

Having finished speaking, Lu Wenwen glanced toward Zhang Wei, signalling it was his turn.

"Your Honor, the defense has no questions for this witness."

Zhang Wei didn’t even stand up; he simply waved his hand to indicate he had no questions.

Doctor Wei was stunned for a moment, but then he promptly got up and left.

Being a regular in court and having served as a witness countless times, he knew his duty was over since the defense had no questions.

The fact that Zhang Wei didn’t ask any questions surprised both Lu Wenwen and Judge Lu Zhengting.

Don’t you see that the court’s mood is unfavorable to you?

"Lawyer Zhang, why didn’t you question the witness?"

Similarly, Lin Xiangwan noticed something amiss, turned her face slightly, and whispered her question.

"That doctor looked like an old regular in the witness stand. I’m not an expert in forensic pathology; what kind of questions could I possibly ask?"

"Who knows, maybe he was even prepared to trap me during questioning. Rather than taking a risk, I’d prefer to let him step down."

"Besides, a medical examiner just talks about what the deceased would have endured. They have their professional integrity; as long as they don’t speak nonsense in court, you can’t catch them on anything."

Zhang Wei said reassuringly, and thus, the matter with the first witness was settled.

"Your Honor, the prosecution calls the second witness to the stand, a senior officer from the Criminal Investigation Department who was in charge of investigating this case!"

Soon, the second witness came to the stand.

This time, the person entering was a man in plainclothes, in his forties, of average build, with a calm and experienced demeanor.

"Senior Officer Gao, hello!"

"Hello, prosecution!"

The two nodded to each other in greeting.

"Senior Officer Gao, as the lead investigator for this case from the investigative team, could you please recount the sequence of events regarding the whole incident?"

"Of course!"

Without hesitation, Senior Officer Gao started his narration, "We received the report on the morning of the 10th, when a male corpse was discovered on the beach near Bright Moon Harbor, the largest port in Bright Moon District."

"Upon receiving the report, our team took it very seriously, immediately dispatched personnel to secure the scene, and with the help of our colleagues in the forensic team, we began investigating the scene."

"We found that the deceased was the husband of Mrs. Lin Xiangwan, a well-known personality in Nandao City. Following protocol, we approached Mrs. Lin for routine questioning, and it was in her home that we found the yacht that was the scene of the crime, as well as the fire extinguisher used to attack the deceased."

Lu Wenwen nodded and glanced at the defense bench.

"Senior Officer Gao, did you have Mrs. Lin’s consent for the investigation?"

"Of course, our investigation began after receiving Mrs. Lin’s consent. There was also a housekeeper present at the time who can testify to this, and Mrs. Lin even led us to the deceased’s bedroom for our inquiries."

"And what was Mrs. Lin’s reaction after finding the fire extinguisher and the yacht?"

After recalling the event, Senior Officer Gao said, "She was very surprised at the time, and also very scared..."

"Objection, leading question!"

Having realized that the witness’s response was not good, Zhang Wei immediately rose to his feet.

"Objection..."

After glancing at Lu Wenwen, Lu Zhengting hesitated only for a second, "Objection sustained!"

Lu Wenwen gave Zhang Wei a meaningful look, but the corners of her mouth still curled up slightly.

That the defense would object was not beyond her expectations.

Although she couldn’t proceed with that line of questioning, she had other means at her disposal.

"Then may I ask, how did Madam Lin react upon seeing the bloodstains on the fire extinguisher and the signs of a struggle on the yacht?"

"She said she couldn’t remember anything!"

As these words were uttered, the entire courtroom was in an uproar.

She couldn’t remember!

I don’t know anything!

This sounded like a classic evasion of responsibility.

Not just on the listeners’ bench, but even among the jurors, some looked convinced that Lin Xiangwan was the murderer.

"As frustrating as it is, what he said is actually the truth!"

Zhang Wei was also helpless because that was Lin Xiangwan’s response.

That’s exactly what she told the other party at the time; she couldn’t remember anything.

Although Zhang Wei found it odd that she couldn’t remember anything from just one night before; yesterday, she had fiercely hit her husband’s head with a fire extinguisher, and the next day she couldn’t remember a thing?

But Lin Xiangwan truly hadn’t lied, at least Zhang Wei couldn’t see any hints of deception.

If Lin Xiangwan were indeed acting, she would have won an Oscar by now.

"The defendant claimed she couldn’t remember anything?"

Lu Wenwen smiled again and continued, "What did you do afterward?"

"Afterward, we relied on the evidence collected to apply for a search warrant and arrest warrant from the court, and proceeded to arrest the suspect Madam Lin according to due process. You all know what happened next."

"All right, Senior Officer Gao, I have one last question!"

Lu Wenwen glanced again at the defense bench and asked in a low voice, "Could you please tell me the probability that in cases of married individuals’ death, the spouse is the murderer?"

"Over 70%!"

This answer meant that if one spouse dies, there is a very high likelihood that the other spouse is the murderer.

Even if not the direct killer, they could potentially be the one who hired an assassin.

"I have no more questions!"

Lu Wenwen walked back to the prosecution’s bench, and Zhang Wei couldn’t hold back any longer; he approached the witness stand.

"Senior Officer Gao, I don’t have as many questions as the prosecution, and I also reviewed the case summary. I know that all the procedures you followed were correct," Zhang Wei stated.

Senior Officer Gao looked at Zhang Wei with an expressionless face, not responding.

"I just want to ask you a few simple questions. First, what was my client’s response when you interrogated her about the bloodstains and the murder weapon?"

"I already said, she said she couldn’t remember anything."

"Based on your years of investigation experience, do you think she was lying?"

"This..."

Senior Officer Gao looked at Zhang Wei in surprise, then turned his gaze toward the prosecution and to the judge.

Seeing that they did not speak out, he had no choice but to respond, "Her microexpressions did not seem to me like those of a person who is lying."

"So, are you saying that my client indeed couldn’t remember anything?"

"We can’t rule out that possibility."

"Okay, now for my second question, did you find evidence of a struggle on the yacht?"

"Yes."

"So, is it possible that the deceased, Jia Shiqing, attacked my client on the yacht, forcing her to defend herself and subsequently causing his death?"

"This..."

"Objection, the defense attorney is leading the witness to speculate!"

Lu Wenwen, of course, knew Zhang Wei’s intentions—evidently, it was what she had warned about from the start, shifting the blame onto the deceased.

Therefore, she certainly wouldn’t let Zhang Wei get his way.