Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 512 - 508: A Character Witness? Dr. Cao’s Accusations

Chapter 512: Chapter 508: A Character Witness? Dr. Cao’s Accusations

Chief Liu probably never expected it himself.

That his testimony would be calculated by the prosecution.

Just because he spoke a word in favor of Yang Chunyuan, Zheng Fenyong "interpreted" it as him taking the witness stand today to support his old partner of more than twenty years, raising questions about whether there were any unspeakable transactions involved.

If Chief Liu hadn’t lived most of his life, able to keep his composure, he might have wanted to curse someone out.

Damn it!

Wasn’t it you who summoned me to court?

You are the prosecutor, the procurator, the high prosecutor.

I’m also a senior officer!

How could one think we were all on the same side, good teammates, and then you damn calculate against me, stabbing me in the back?

I have worked with Yang Chunyuan for over twenty years, but is there anything wrong with what I’ve said? And then you interpret it in such a way, truly preposterous!

Chief Liu swore that he nearly blew his top.

"Judge Liu, regarding Chief Liu, our side has no further questions!"

Having manipulated Chief Liu, Zheng Fenyong seemed satisfied with the end of his questioning.

Next, it was Zhang Wei’s turn for cross-examination.

Zhang Wei stood up and moved in front of the witness stand under the scrutiny of the entire courtroom.

Everyone wanted to see how he would cross-examine Chief Liu.

"Chief Liu, have you had breakfast?"

To everyone’s astonishment, this was Zhang Wei’s first question.

"Uh..."

Even Chief Liu on the witness stand was flabbergasted.

Were you supposed to be cross-examining me, not chit-chatting about household trivialities, hey.

"Chief Liu, what’s wrong, is this question hard to answer?"

"I have had breakfast, thank you for your concern, Lawyer Zhang. Can you please ask about the case directly?"

Chief Liu felt awkward, I’m not close to you, Zhang Wei.

Although we are all familiar faces in the courtroom, don’t you usually hang out with Team Leader Lin from team 1, and those problem children from team 7?

"All right then, since Chief Liu insists, I’ll get straight to the point."

Zhang Wei’s expression turned serious as he asked, "I wonder, Chief Liu, have you ever heard of ’Locard’s exchange principle’?"

"Locard’s exchange principle?"

Chief Liu recalled briefly, it seemed somewhat familiar.

Seeing this, Zhang Wei explained right there in the courtroom, "Locard’s exchange principle is a concept in forensic science!"

"The so-called Locard’s exchange principle is based on the idea that ’every contact leaves a trace.’ In the context of a crime scene investigation, the perpetrator (the suspect) will inevitably take something and also leave something behind, which means there will be trace evidence at the scene."

"During their work, forensic experts aim to find these traces left by the suspect at the crime scene and use these clues to find and pin down the suspect!"

"Oh, right, right, I remember now!"

Chief Liu nodded, now that you explain it this way, it comes back to me.

He indeed had been told of this concept by forensic experts.

"So Chief Liu, let me ask you, after the suspect kidnapped the 8 victims, what did he do to them?"

Chief Liu glanced at the jury and sighed, "The suspect subjected the 8 victims to varying degrees of indecent assault and rape."

From these words, a flash of anger crossed many people’s eyes.

Kidnapping, indecent assault, and even rape, what a monstrous act.

These were all young females; had they still been alive, they could have been mothers to many children now.

"Chief Liu, may I ask, if the suspect had committed indecent assault and rape on the last victim, Dong Juan, then finding a *hair in the victim’s throat wouldn’t be anything strange, would it?"

"Yes!"

Chief Liu confirmed with a nod.

"As for what the prosecution mentioned, that no evidence was found on the previous 7 victims, could one not also think that the criminal acts committed by the suspect on the first 7 victims were such that they would not leave *hairs in the throat?"

"That should be the case."

"Was he prepared with tools, for example, did he use a small balloon?"

"It’s possible; otherwise, we would likely find traces of seminal fluid in the victim’s **. To prevent the residue of seminal fluid, the suspect might have prepared the contraceptive tool you mentioned!"

"Mm, thank you for your answer, Chief Liu."

Zhang Wei said, intending to conclude his questioning.

But then he thought about the fact that Chief Liu and Yang Chunyuan had worked together for over twenty years, and he should be able to ask some questions about her character.

Since Chief Liu was on the witness stand today, that’s a rare opportunity!

"Right, Chief Liu, you’ve worked with my client for over twenty years, correct?"

"That sounds about right. We’ve collaborated on many cases, and she has helped our investigative department catch many murderers!"

"Then I would like to ask Chief Liu, what is the reputation of my client in the criminal investigation department and the Dongfang Capital forensic community, and what is her character like?"

As soon as he asked this question, Zheng Fenyong from the prosecution’s side became restless.

"Objection! Leading the witness, and asking irrelevant questions that cloud the issue!"

"Prosecutor Zheng, wasn’t it you who asked the witness first how long he has known my client? He answered over twenty years. So, I think since they have known each other for over twenty years, Chief Liu should be fully qualified to act as a character witness for my client, right?"

Zhang Wei said, his eyes growing cold: "Are you implying, Prosecutor Zheng, that you suspect Chief Liu has been bribed by my client and will speak untruthfully against his conscience? Are you questioning the integrity of the most qualified officer in the investigation department?"

These words, which sounded like a cross-examination but were actually a threat, chilled Zheng Fenyong’s eyes as well.

Well done!

You really are something!

You dare to turn the tables on me in court!

If I answer yes, would that not place myself against the investigation department and even make me an enemy of the Dongfang Capital Procuratorate Headquarters?

If I answer no, isn’t that just playing right into your hands?

Zheng Fenyong was backed into a corner, facing a dilemma.

But who made him dig this pit for himself?

He had previously misled the jury, making them doubt the purpose of Chief Liu’s testimony, essentially putting Chief Liu on the opposite side.

Zheng Fenyong had assumed Zhang Wei would only ask case-relevant questions, but the other party wanted Chief Liu to serve as a character witness for the defendant.

Now, he was being asked if he questions Chief Liu’s integrity.

"This..."

After weighing his options, Zheng Fenyong made his choice: "Of course, I have no objections to Chief Liu’s character!"

"Well then, if you trust Chief Liu’s character, I believe there should be no problem in having him as my client’s character witness, especially since he is a witness summoned by the prosecution, right?"

Zhang Wei said, again looking towards Chief Liu.

The latter, seeing Zheng Fenyong defeated, felt a secret satisfaction.

"Regarding Forensic Yang, I have great admiration for her. She is an excellent forensic specialist who has worked diligently for over twenty years without a single mistake, always providing the assessment reports on time when we needed them!"

"So do you think it’s possible for such an excellent forensic expert like Forensic Yang to tamper with evidence and falsely accuse innocent people?"

"Absolutely not!" Chief Liu answered very affirmatively.

Seeing the witness so certain, many jurors couldn’t help but nod their heads, and even their previous doubts about Yang Chunyuan began to fade considerably.

This result pleased Zhang Wei.

"Thank you for your answer, Chief Liu. Our side concludes the cross-examination!"

He naturally finished the cross-examination immediately, nodded at Chief Liu as a sign of thanks, and then returned to the defense bench.

The mood in the courtroom quietly shifted with Chief Liu’s testimony, gradually moving toward the defense.

Noticing this change, Yang Chunyuan and Mo Yuzhu were very happy.

"Lawyer Zhang, you are really impressive."

"Thank you, Zhang Wei!"

Hearing the thanks from the mother and daughter, Zhang Wei just shook his head.

It was just the beginning, and the heavyweight evidence had not yet been presented. Zheng Fenyong was an astute prosecutor, and Zhang Wei didn’t think it was a good idea to celebrate yet.

"Prosecution?"

Judge Liu continued to preside over the courtroom proceedings, aware that the prosecution would not rely on just one witness.

"We request to summon Mr. Cao to testify!"

Summonsed by Zheng Fenyong, a man with a robust physique stepped onto the stand.

He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with thick, jet-black hair, striding into the courtroom with surprising vigor.

However, Zhang Wei, having seen the witness list, knew that Mr. Cao had retired several years ago. In other words, this was a man in his sixties or seventies, but his physical condition certainly didn’t fall short of some young people who only knew how to take it easy all day long.

"Mom, is he the Dr. Cao you mentioned before?"

Mo Yuzhu pointed to the witness seated in the witness box and asked quietly.

"Yes, he’s my senior. He was the head of our office back in the day, but I never expected him to be in such good shape after retiring a few years ago!"

You could tell that even Yang Chunyuan was surprised at how robust this retired elderly man seemed to be.

After all, people who had been in the forensic office for a long time, dealing with corpses every day, would often seem lifeless.

"Mr. Cao, hello."

"No need to call me Mr. Cao!" the witness chuckled, looking towards the jury, "Even though I’ve retired, I prefer you call me Forensic Cao."

The witness, that is, Forensic Cao, seemed quite proud of his identity as a forensic expert.

"Very well, Forensic Cao, can you tell us about your relationship with the defendant?"

"Yang Chunyuan and I come from the same office. When she joined the forensic identification department, I was the director in charge of mentoring her. Later, we both joined the First Forensic Office, and I was a member there too."

Zheng Fenyong was very pleased with this response.

He glanced over at the defense bench and asked with a sneer, "So, would you say that you know the defendant better than the previous witness, Chief Liu?"

"Old Liu, right? Although we’ve collaborated on many cases, apart from work, we all operated in different departments and didn’t interact that often."

"And you had frequent contact with the defendant?"

"Of course. We worked in the same office and saw each other every day. I worked with Yang Chunyuan until I retired, and I definitely understand her better than Chief Liu does."

"So, Forensic Cao, how well do you understand the defendant Yang Chunyuan’s character? What kind of person is she at work?"

Forensic Cao also glanced at Yang Chunyuan, then his expression changed.

Seeing this slight change, Zhang Wei inwardly groaned.

This Forensic Cao seemed ready to give testimony that would be unfavorable to their side.

"Well, Yang Chunyuan, how do I put it? Her attitude towards work is unquestionably faultless, but sometimes she can be unapproachable, extremely stubborn, and even somewhat frightening!"

"Oh, frightening? How so?

"For instance, if the investigation department was in a hurry for evidence, she would arrange for her subordinates to run tests all night. For the sake of a case, she even made us be on call 24/7, expecting us to stay in the lab for an entire week!"

Upon hearing this, many jurors showed expressions of astonishment.

This was beyond the bounds of what people could bear in terms of work pressure!

"Isn’t this workload a bit too extreme?" even Zheng Fenyong questioned.

"Yes, I’ve raised this issue with Yang Chunyuan before, but instead of addressing it, I was scolded. She repeatedly emphasized in our work that we must fully cooperate with the investigative department, even if that meant sacrificing our own rest times."

Now, even some people in the audience became restless.

Having such a leader must be tough on the lab staff!

If my boss gave me such tasks, I’d simply quit!

Outrage!

Dissatisfaction!

Hostility!

Many in the jury and audience showed varying degrees of disdain for Yang Chunyuan.

"Forensic Yang, are you really that terrifying?" Even Zhang Wei looked at Yang Chunyuan incredulously.

"The investigation and evidence collection in criminal cases cannot be delayed!"

To everyone’s surprise, Yang Chunyuan simply blurted out that response, effectively telling Zhang Wei that she could indeed be a bit excessive at times.

But how much is "a bit" depended on one’s perspective.

In Zhang Wei’s eyes, Yang Chunyuan was already synonymous with "utterly ruthless."

The jury might heed the testimony or they might not. When it came to expert statements, they could find them hard to grasp.

But when you speak of something they can empathize with, they will be immediately influenced.

Just like Zheng Fenyong’s questions and Forensic Cao’s answers, they indirectly illustrated how Yang Chunyuan’s work demands on her subordinates were outrageous.

And a leader like that could definitely provoke 99% hostility in the courtroom.

"Unless you’re a workaholic, unless you like your job, who would want such a leader?"

Zheng Fenyong saw his purpose accomplished, and he decided to stoke the flames further.

After all, the person before him was a former colleague of Yang after she left the hospital and knew many things.

"Dr. Cao, I know that over 20 years ago, the operation standards of the forensic office weren’t as high-tech as they are now, and many reports had to be typed out by hand, right?"

"Yes, many reports had to be typed out on the keyboard, letter by letter," he replied.

"Then, I just so happen to have a report submission record here, about a serial murder case from over 20 years ago. Please take a look at it."

As he spoke, Zheng Fenyong walked over to the projection equipment and placed a code file upon it.

"In this record, around 10 p.m., someone submitted a DNA comparison report to the system. But look here, at around 1 a.m., the same username submitted a second report. Is that correct?"

Dr. Cao took out his glasses from his pocket, then turned to look at the projection screen.

After scrutinizing it carefully for a few moments, he nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, you’re right. Someone submitted two comparison reports and used the second one to overwrite the first one’s record!"

"Submitting two reports within less than four hours - is such behavior common?"

"Not common!"

Dr. Cao shook his head and then explained, "If there were file format errors, or if there were typos, we’d immediately submit a new report to overwrite the previous one. A four-hour interval means it wasn’t something as simple as a problem with the previous report."

"What could be the issue then?"

"This..."

"Objection, leading the witness to speculate!"

Just as Dr. Cao was about to reveal something, Zhang Wei stood up and interrupted.

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Liu timely announced, preventing Dr. Cao from continuing.

Zheng Fenyong, seeing Zhang Wei interrupt him, didn’t show the slightest bit of annoyance.

"Dr. Cao, since it’s difficult for you to speculate, let’s instead take a look at the edit log. Look at the time; do you remember that day?"

Dr. Cao studied the screen intently for a few moments and finally nodded, "I do remember that day."

He began to recount nostalgically, "That day, we were busy until about 9 p.m. All the newcomers had gone to rest, leaving only Yang and myself busy in the office."

"Around 10 p.m., I saw Yang submit a report, and then I prepared to leave work. I even asked Yang at the time, and she said she wanted to examine the victim’s body a bit more to see if she could discover anything."

"Because it was a serial murder case and the victims were all women, I thought that Yang might feel sympathy for the victims, so I approved of this and left before her."

At this point, Zheng Fenyong’s expression changed subtly, "Are you saying that you left the defendant alone with the corpse in the forensic laboratory, and after you left, there was no one else in the office aside from the defendant?"

"Yes!"

"Is there surveillance in the forensic office?"

"During that time, everyone was occupied with the case, many people coming and going, and the surveillance seemed to have been damaged."

"Was Forensic Yang aware that the surveillance was broken?"

"Of course, everyone in our office knew!"

"So you’re saying that at that time, Forensic Yang, without surveillance, could have done anything to the body of Dong Juan, including stuffing a *hair into her throat?"

With this statement, the courtroom erupted into surprise.

This possibility suddenly unsettled the entire courtroom.

"This..."

Dr. Cao appeared troubled, but still subconsciously nodded.

"Objection, the lawyer is making assumptions and leading the witness to testify!"

Zhang Wei, seeing the unfavorable turn, immediately stood up to interrupt.

"Objection sustained, the jury is instructed to disregard the prosecution’s last statement, and it should not be considered in subsequent deliberations!" Judge Liu nodded and warned the jury.

But everyone knew that the effect of these warnings was nil.

Would the jury listen? Of course not.

They were now pondering whether Yang Chunyuan could have possibly committed the crime in less than four hours.

There was no surveillance at the time, and she was alone in the laboratory. If she wanted to tamper with the body, nobody would have seen it!

With this, the direction of the trial had completely swung towards the prosecution.