Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 248 - 246 Reasonable Doubts Set Aside, The Prosecution’s New Witness

Chapter 248: Chapter 246 Reasonable Doubts Set Aside, The Prosecution’s New Witness

Courtroom scene.

At the judge’s bench, Lu Zhengting looked at both the prosecution and the defense, but this time he decided to stand by his daughter’s side.

"This Court deems the defense’s questioning to be leading and unsupported by any evidence, so the objection is sustained!"

Since Lu Zhengting had said so, Zhang Wei didn’t intend to dwell on it.

He knew, though the presence of a father-daughter relationship made the judge have to consider its impact.

But Zhang Wei couldn’t exploit this issue to constantly restrain Lu Zhengting; that wouldn’t be realistic.

After all, Lu Zhengting was a judge in Nandao City Court, and he had his own professional ethics.

Similarly, Lu Wenwen’s lips curled up slightly.

"Just as I expected, this Zhang Wei really plans to pin the blame on the deceased, Jia Shiqing!"

She put on an "I saw it coming" expression, full of confidence.

There was indeed nothing more satisfying than outsmarting an opponent.

Similarly, Wei Min next door couldn’t help but nod repeatedly, eyes full of admiration, almost as if "Prosecutor Lu Gao is so impressive" was written on her face.

"Defense, do you have any further questions?"

"Of course, Your Honor!"

Since Lu Zhengting had urged him on, Zhang Wei had to steel himself and approach Senior Officer Gao.

"Witness, do you realize that because of your testimony just now, you’ve portrayed my client, Madam Lin, as a murderer?"

Senior Officer Gao was stunned. Wasn’t that the fact?

The murder weapon only had her fingerprints on it; wasn’t it her that struck the deceased’s head with a fire extinguisher?

You, a defense attorney, have the audacity to disregard so much evidence and blatantly speak nonsense?

"I don’t understand. What’s your question?"

"It’s simple. My client says she doesn’t remember. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do!"

Senior Officer Gao appeared a bit exasperated but explained, "However, I’ve been in the Major Crime Squad for over ten years, and I’ve seen many suspects whose first words are always ’I don’t know,’ ’I don’t remember,’ or ’I didn’t...’"

"Didn’t commit murder, right?" Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you’re a criminal defense lawyer, so you should understand, right?"

"I don’t understand!"

Zhang Wei’s voice turned cold as he abruptly countered Senior Officer Gao.

"Your Honor, are they chatting?"

Lu Wenwen rose to her feet again, seeing the two chat in the courtroom.

Chatting in front of the judge, the prosecutor, the jury, and over a hundred people in the gallery—do you have no shame?

Lu Wenwen couldn’t stand it; if you keep this up, I’ll have to call for order!

"Ahem, defense attorney, please be more serious. This is a courthouse, not the tea house where I could attend hearings as a child!"

"My apologies, Your Honor, my mistake!"

Zhang Wei immediately apologized, with an undeniably sincere attitude.

But then, he looked again at Senior Officer Gao on the witness stand.

"Senior Officer Gao, let’s not beat around the bush. I just want to ask you one thing: when my client said she couldn’t remember anything, did you ever truly believe her?"

"Yes, because my experience tells me that Madam Lin might be problematic. As I said before, when one spouse is in trouble, the likelihood that the other spouse is the perpetrator is very high. So, from the moment I confirmed the victim’s identity, she has been my prime suspect!"

"When my client mentioned she had memory issues, did you follow up on that?"

"Of course, I arranged for a psychologist to assess her. The Doctor told me that Madam Lin’s psychological state was fine, just some minor shock and over-exhaustion causing her to feel weak. It was precisely the Doctor’s report that made me even more certain that Madam Lin was problematic, so I immediately applied for an arrest warrant!"

"No problems at all?"

Zhang Wei muttered, then pressed on, "So after that, you designated my client as the sole suspect in this case, right?"

"Yes!" Senior Officer Gao nodded affirmatively.

"Senior Officer Gao, while I’d like to say you did a fair job, I believe you’ve overlooked another suspect!"

"Who?"

Senior Officer Gao was shocked; who had he overlooked?

He had also asked the neighbors in the community; on the night they set off, someone had seen only two people on the yacht.

That would be the victim and the defendant.

On the vast sea, could someone have possibly boarded the ship halfway through the journey?

"I would like to ask the witness, have you conducted an investigation and analysis of the signs of a struggle on the yacht?"

"The signs of that struggle, according to the forensic investigation on the scene, are believed to just be a common scuffle!"

"In that case, according to what you’ve said, you’ve overlooked the most crucial suspect!"

Senior Officer Gao was at a loss for words. Who on earth could it be?

"It is the victim Jia Shiqing, the husband of my client!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei say this, everyone in the room was rendered speechless.

You thought you had a big move up your sleeve, only to bring up the victim Jia Shiqing again.

Are you trying to pass the buck?

The prosecution had reminded everyone several times already; they had figured it out a while ago.

"Objection!"

Seeing that Zhang Wei was truly intent on "smearing" the victim, Lu Wenwen naturally had to interrupt.

You think you can just pass the blame, but I won’t let you succeed!

Zhang Wei, since he dared to ask this question, of course, had prepared himself mentally.

He looked toward the bench as well, seriously stating, "Your Honor, I want to raise a reasonable doubt!"

"This..."

Lu Zhengting saw the solemn look on Zhang Wei’s face and was momentarily at a loss.

However, after seeing many reporters at the back of the hearing room picking up their notebooks, ready to write something, he grew concerned.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Zhengting nodded, "Objection overruled. The court grants the defense’s request to proceed with the question!"

Seeing her own father not supporting her again, Lu Wenwen could only sit down helplessly.

"Thank you, Your Honor, for your understanding!"

After expressing gratitude, Zhang Wei asked again, "Senior Officer Gao, have you considered the possibility that my client is actually the victim and that Jia Shiqing was the person who initiated the attack?"

"This..."

Senior Officer Gao was baffled; how are we supposed to prove this?

The man is dead, and his body is still in the morgue.

The other witness is your client, and key to it all, she has amnesia.

The issue of amnesia is also difficult to confirm as being true or not.

But even if her amnesia is fake, would she really provide any testimony that’s against her own interest?

She will certainly say, it was Jia Shiqing who made the first move.

So how do you expect us to prove it?

Of course, these complaints could not be voiced in the court.

Senior Officer Gao composed his thoughts before saying: "We have considered what you mentioned, but there is no way at the scene that could corroborate this."

"But I also read the autopsy report, and under the victim Jia Shiqing’s fingernails, there was skin tissue from my client. Together with the signs of a struggle on the deck, it can be proven that they were grappling with each other. That is to say, can’t you also not rule out the possibility that my client may have been attacked and only struck back out of necessity, leading to the death of the victim?"

"This..."

Seeing Senior Officer Gao’s hesitation, Zhang Wei immediately spoke loudly to the jury: "We believe this is a reasonable doubt and that the investigative branch failed to investigate this reasonable doubt!"

As these words were spoken, the 12-person jury finally showed a reaction.

The reaction of the "defense jury" was particularly intense; it was as if they were all pondering the possibility of the event as the defense attorney had described.

Even among the "prosecution jury," there were a few who showed a contemplative expression at this moment.

Clearly, they were all considering the possibility that on a yacht with no one else on board, could something have happened as the defense lawyer suggested.

This scene, of course, didn’t go unnoticed by the prosecution.

"Objection!" Lu Wenwen immediately stood up, interrupting this unfavorable momentum.

"Your Honor!" Zhang Wei also looked towards the bench.

Lu Zhengting at this moment also furrowed his brows and looked towards Zhang Wei, solemnly asking, "Defense attorney, your conjecture, do you have any evidence to support it?"

He didn’t even ask the prosecution for their reason for objection first!

Zhang Wei, quite acutely, had caught onto something.

"Your Honor, my theory currently lacks evidence to support it, but I believe that neither the prosecution nor the investigative branch can dismiss it. This constitutes a reasonable doubt in this case!"

"Your Honor, I believe the defense is being unreasonable. Since it’s a proposal without any evidence, the court should completely disregard it!"

"Your Honor..."

"Your Honor..."

Lu Wenwen and Zhang Wei argued with each other in the courtroom.

"Silence!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Zhengting immediately struck the gavel.

"You two, come here!"

He chided them, gesturing for Zhang Wei and Lu Wenwen to come forward.

After they approached, Lu Zhengting leaned forward and whispered, "As the prosecution and defense attorneys, you should both know the most basic rule of the courtroom, which is to speak only when it’s your turn. What kind of decorum is this bickering?"

"Prosecutor, although you are my daughter, I must warn you that if you continue like this, I will ask you to leave the courtroom. The rest of the proceedings will be handled by your assistant. Do you understand?"

Lu Wenwen nodded as if acknowledging her mistake.

She had no choice, the man before her was her own father, and she dared not object.

Seeing his daughter give in, Lu Zhengting then turned to Zhang Wei, "Lawyer Zhang, considering this is your first time in Nandao City’s court, I won’t hold this against you for now. But remember, the courtroom is not a place for arguments. Mind this, please!"

"Your Honor, I can promise not to argue, but please consider, I have just raised a reasonable doubt, and the prosecution wants to gloss over it!"

"What do you mean gloss over it? If you want to raise doubts, you need to provide evidence to support your claims. But you have none and you’re just talking nonsense!"

Seeing that Zhang Wei wanted to continue, Lu Wenwen couldn’t restrain herself, "So can I also say that on that night, there were actually aliens present who controlled Lin Xiangwan and Jia Shiqing, causing them to fight to the death. In the end, Jia Shiqing died, and Lin Xiangwan had her memory erased by the aliens?"

Zhang Wei looked at Lu Wenwen, completely bewildered.

How come the imagination of this Senior Officer is so rich?

It’s a pity you’re not writing a novel. I’ve even thought of a title for you, how about "The Four Bodies"?

"Actually, what Prosecutor Lu Gao mentioned might also be another possibility..."

Zhang Wei immediately went along with Lu Wenwen’s drift, giving her a shove in the direction she was going.

"Enough from both of you!" At that moment, Lu Zhengting couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Lawyer Zhang, I believe you are an excellent criminal defense attorney, but you should know that you also need to provide evidence for reasonable doubts, right?"

After speaking, he didn’t want to look at Zhang Wei anymore, and with a commanding tone, he said, "Given the point of debate between you two, and the lack of reasonable evidence from the defense, the court decides to set this issue aside for now!"

Set aside?

Hearing this, Zhang Wei could hardly contain himself.

He had been relying on this reasonable doubt, and now they were talking about setting it aside, denying him a chance for a turnaround?

Zhang Wei was annoyed.

Sure enough, while Lu Zhengting might compromise on small matters, on bigger issues, he still sided with his daughter.

Like this time, seeing that the doubt raised by Zhang Wei could sway the jury, he immediately chose to set it aside.

"Ahem, after discussing with both the prosecution and defense attorneys, the court has temporarily reached a consensus. Since the defense’s argument is not supported by evidence, the court announces that this item of doubt will be set aside for now. Until key evidence surfaces, the court will not consider this matter!"

"Jury, please also make it clear, the reasonable doubt mentioned by the defense attorney is currently unsupported by evidence and is merely the defense attorney’s groundless speculation!"

Seeing that everyone in the jury box had heard, Lu Zhengting then nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, you may both return to your seats!"

He waved his hand, dismissing Lu Wenwen and Zhang Wei back to their respective places.

Zhang Wei, feeling helpless, could only follow Lu Wenwen back down from the bench.

"Lawyer Zhang, do you still wish to continue with your questioning?"

"Your Honor, since the points of doubt have been set aside, then our side has no more questions!"

Seeing Zhang Wei’s stance, Lu Zhengting nodded at the witness stand where Senior Officer Gao immediately let out a sigh of relief and quickly stood up.

He walked away hastily, obviously afraid of Zhang Wei’s questioning.

"Prosecutor, do you have any more witnesses?"

"Of course, we still have one more witness!"

Lu Wenwen stood up again and declared, "We request the court to summon Madam Qiu as the third witness to testify!"

"Madam Qiu?"

At the defense bench, Zhang Wei picked up the list containing the names of the prosecution’s witnesses and zeroed in on the name "Qiu Gengmei."

"It’s her!" He had also investigated this person.

"Who is she?"

But to his surprise, Lin Xiangwan beside him revealed a puzzled expression on her face.

"Isn’t this your neighbor from Moonwatch Bay? Lives in the same row as you, but I think there are another five households in between."

"Is that so? No wonder she looked somewhat familiar!"

As Lin Xiangwan watched the woman rise from the witness stand, the confusion in her eyes finally faded.

"Sister, your memory, could there really be something wrong with it..." Zhang Wei was somewhat speechless.

This is your neighbor after all, from the same community, where you don’t see them one moment but do the next.

However, he felt relieved when he recalled that Lin Xiangwan had only been in Nandao for a little over a year and she often had many social engagements.

But what puzzled him more was, since they were calling his client’s neighbor to the stand, why didn’t they call a closer next-door neighbor and instead chose one who barely bordered their home?

However, amidst Zhang Wei’s confusion, the witness finally took the stand in court.

"Hello, Sister Qiu!"

Madam Qiu looked to be in her early thirties. Though her face bore signs of age, she still retained a certain charm.

"Hello!"

After sitting down, Madam Qiu nodded in greeting to Lu Wenwen.

"Sister Qiu, you took the initiative to call my office. I’d like you to tell everyone here in the court why you decided to call us prosecutors."

"Because I know that the defendant’s husband, Jia Shiqing, he was actually murdered, and the murderer is her!"

Madam Qiu pointed her finger, targeting Lin Xiangwan who was sitting next to Zhang Wei.

"Objection, baseless accusation!" Zhang Wei naturally couldn’t bear it and immediately objected.

"Lawyer Zhang, no need to rush. I believe the witness must have a reason for saying so!"

Lu Wenwen retorted with a cold smile, her demeanor confident.

On the judges’ bench, Lu Zhengting was about to say something but chose to remain silent after seeing Lu Wenwen’s expression.

"Sister Qiu, since the defense lawyer claims your accusation is baseless, please present your evidence so he won’t be burdened with doubts!"

Lu Wenwen not only made a teasing remark but also took a dig at Zhang Wei, bringing up the previous incident where he raised doubts but couldn’t provide evidence.

"I have a video as evidence!" Sister Qiu immediately responded.

Lu Wenwen then nodded towards Wei Min at the prosecution’s bench, who began to operate on a laptop.

The projection screen behind the witness stand began playing a video.

"Wife, there are so many people around, let’s save some face..."

"What face do you want, do you even have any face left? You can’t write a few words at home every day, and when I ask you to work in my company you refuse, talking about pursuing dreams and distant places, go fool someone else!"

"Jia Shiqing, you good-for-nothing, waste, trash, bastard..."

"Slap, slap..."

In the video, a woman cursed Jia Shiqing angrily and while berating him, she started hitting him, slapping his face multiple times.

As for Jia Shiqing, he didn’t fight back at all, allowing the woman to punch and kick him.

Truly a situation where he neither returned the blows nor talked back.

The video ended, and only then did witness Sister Qiu begin to speak:

"I secretly filmed this during a homeowners’ gathering at Moonwatch Bay. At that time, they had an intense argument. Throughout the whole episode, I saw the defendant hitting and scolding her husband, who didn’t dare to fight back..."

As she narrated, the jury’s gaze towards Lin Xiangwan inevitably changed again.

Similarly, Zhang Wei, watching Lin Xiangwan’s actions in the video, was equally perplexed.

"May I ask, at that time..."

"Which couple doesn’t argue? I was in a bad mood that day; not only was I stood up on a project negotiation, but there were also financial issues in the company. Furthermore, I saw my husband flirting with several female neighbors while drinking, so I..."

Zhang Wei nodded his head; he understood.

So at that time, Lin Xiangwan had made Jia Shiqing the target of her anger, leading to the scene in the video.

However, this explanation clearly could not dispel the jury’s doubts.

Even Zhang Wei himself felt the explanation seemed a bit far-fetched.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as you can see, the deceased Jia Shiqing took a completely submissive stance towards the defendant Lin Xiangwan. How could someone like him possibly threaten the defendant?"

Lu Wenwen seized the opportunity to continue her offensive, using the witness’s testimony to suggest that Jia Shiqing was actually the victim.

Zhang Wei, however, was pondering something else.

This video definitely wasn’t only in the hands of one person, so why was it Sister Qiu who brought it forward?