Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 515 - 511: Mr. Li Goes to Court, a One-Hit Kill!

Chapter 515: Chapter 511: Mr. Li Goes to Court, a One-Hit Kill!

"*cough* *cough*, the court is rather hungry right now."

Judge Liu glanced at the wall clock and announced to everyone, "Let’s have lunch first then, shall we continue in the afternoon?"

The morning session had ended.

It was time for a break for lunch.

Nobody had expected that when the prosecution was ready to make its next move, it would be Judge Liu who stood up.

But there was no helping it, after all, trials were mentally and physically draining, and it was normal to be hungry.

The lunch break began.

Zhang Wei, together with Mo Yuzhu and Yang Chunyuan, also left the courtroom to grab a bite to eat.

This was one of the courtroom’s drawbacks: no meals were provided here.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the courthouse.

Black didn’t leave with his client Mr. Li; instead, he stepped into a corner.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Sorry, there have been some changes. The prosecution hasn’t taken down the opposition this morning!"

From the other end of the phone came an impatient sigh.

"Yes, yes, we will do our utmost in the afternoon, we absolutely cannot let the opposition have a chance to turn the tables!" Black said with an apology in his Dragon Country tongue.

"This afternoon, my client will be appearing in court. Although he is not important to the case, Prosecutor Zheng will present the most crucial piece of evidence at the same time!"

At that, Black’s tone turned more relaxed, before his eyes gradually became cold, "This evidence can definitely achieve a ’One Shot Kill’!"

The person on the other end, upon hearing this confident guarantee, did not pursue the matter further.

"Yes, yes, it is my honor to serve such a distinguished person. I won’t let him down!"

After a series of promises, the call was finally disconnected from the other side.

"Phew..."

Black let out a sigh of relief, his eyes hardening.

"What does Zhang Wei matter when faced with such evidence? No one can come out unscathed, not even Zhang Wei!"

Zhang Wei was completely unaware that he was once again the subject of someone’s concern.

Right now, he was eating at a fast food restaurant not far from the Dongfang Capital courthouse.

"Here are your hamburgers."

The waiter brought a tray and placed four hamburgers in front of Zhang Wei, Mo Yuzhu, Yang Chunyuan, and Mo Juren.

"Finally, I’m starving to death."

Zhang Wei was the first to grab a hamburger and started devouring it.

But after his first bite, he sensed something was off.

Just with a glance, he noticed that Yang Chunyuan and Mo Juren, despite sitting face to face, hardly looked at each other.

The two of them kept their gaze shifting left and right, as if some ferocious beast was before them, forcing them to avert their eyes.

Mo Yuzhu, sitting opposite Zhang Wei, lost her appetite for her burger watching her parents act so pettishly.

"Forensic Yang, Councilor Mo, what are you two doing? We have another session in the afternoon, come on and eat up!" Zhang Wei didn’t pamper them, urging them directly.

Are you two going to eat or not? If you’re not, I will.

Being in court is quite draining; I’m worried one hamburger won’t cut it.

"Yeah, dad, mom, we have hearings in the afternoon. Without a full meal, where will we get the energy?" Mo Yuzhu, as their daughter, also chimed in with encouragement.

The main thing is, if you two aren’t eating, how can I? Yet I’m so hungry.

"Hmph, I didn’t ask him to come and observe!"

Yang Chunyuan continued to look askance to her left but grabbed the burger and took a big bite nonetheless.

"I was just idle and thought I’d come by the courthouse for a look. It just happens that I was passing by, you see, just passing by!"

Mo Juren also looked askance to his right but found his gaze lingering on a little girl drinking juice nearby, making her somewhat embarrassed to continue eating.

The little girl tugged at her mother’s clothes and said, "Mom, mom, that uncle keeps staring at me."

"They’re a couple having a quarrel; let’s move away a bit. I’ve heard that these days, when couples fight, they tend to grab people!" The girl’s mother quickly discerned the root of the problem and promptly moved her daughter to another spot.

Although Yang Chunyuan and Mo Juren were reluctant to look at each other, they both began to chomp on their burgers.

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but exclaim internally, what are you two really doing here?

Being disingenuous, are we?

Forensic Yang might still be understandable since she’s a party to the case, the defendant.

Councilor Mo, so you just happened to pass by and claim it’s a coincidence? Why so tsundere? Won’t you admit that you care about your wife?

As for this couple, Zhang Wei was out of options and had become too lazy to worry about them.

After all, he was just a lawyer, not a family doctor.

...

PM.

The hearing resumed.

After everyone took their seats, Judge Liu banged the gavel and announced the continuation of the hearing.

"Prosecution, do you wish to call any more witnesses?"

"Yes, we would like to call the original plaintiff, Mr. Li, to testify!"

Everyone expected Mr. Li to testify.

Although they all knew Mr. Li, they were still eager to hear his opinions.

Under the watchful eyes of the court, Mr. Li stood up calmly and walked to the witness stand.

Zheng Fenyong also approached the witness stand, looking at Mr. Li in front of him.

"Hello, Mr. Li."

"Hello, Prosecutor Zheng."

The two exchanged greetings.

"Mr. Li, I remember you were sentenced to life imprisonment, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you were wrongfully convicted?"

Mr. Li glanced at the prosecution’s side; Black winked at him and nodded slightly.

"Yes, I believe I have been wronged."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the murderer wasn’t me; I was wronged!"

"Wronged by whom?"

"Her!"

Mr. Li pointed accusingly at the defense’s side, directly at Yang Chunyuan.

All eyes in the courtroom instantly focused on Yang Chunyuan and Mr. Li.

They were all curious as to why Mr. Li was pointing at Yang Chunyuan.

In the courtroom, Zheng Fenyong nodded, then returned to his seat.

"Mr. Li, I remember the situation was like this: after the body of the eighth victim was discovered, the investigation department approached you, right?"

"Mhm."

"Do you remember the evidence that they presented to you at the time?"

"I remember some of it."

Mr. Li said, making a show of trying hard to recall.

"At the time, investigators came to me claiming they needed my assistance with the investigation. After taking me to the headquarters, an officer interrogated me for several hours."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

Prosecutor Zheng held a report in his hands, which he directly placed on the projector for display.

"This is the record of the interrogation of Mr. Li by the investigation department. It lists every question posed by the officer, as well as Mr. Li’s responses."

The interrogation record was lengthy, and many in the audience glanced at it before directing their gazes elsewhere.

Too many words; they didn’t want to read it.

"From this record, we can see that the officer asked Mr. Li lots of questions, including whether he knew the eight victims and where he was at the time of the crime. Mr. Li also provided relevant testimony to prove his innocence in the murder case," Prosecutor Zheng commented.

Prosecutor Zheng could tell that the jury and the audience in the hearing seats weren’t too interested in the several pages of records.

So he summarized, "According to the interrogation record, Mr. Li cooperated very well with the investigation department, answering nearly all the questions posed, unlike a murderer who would have inconsistencies in his story filled with many flaws."

"He answered all the officer’s questions almost very calmly, not at all like someone with a guilty conscience!"

After summarizing, Prosecutor Zheng flipped to a second record.

"Mr. Li, you were questioned by the investigation department twice, weren’t you?"

"Yes, I remember being invited to ’drink tea’ at the investigation department twice."

"Even the second time, you were very cooperative, correct?"

"Mhm."

"Do you still remember whether the investigator presented any new evidence during the second questioning?"

"It seems not, because the second time I remember I left very quickly."

"In other words, there was no new evidence!"

Zheng Fenyong quickly pointed out the crux.

He walked in front of the jury, emphasizing, "Two consecutive interrogations were conducted without the presentation of new evidence, and the time gap between the first and second interrogation was 3 days!"

"That means, after discovering the body of the eighth victim, Dong Juan, the investigation department spent at least 72 hours. In these 72 hours, over 40 officers and forensic experts should have repeatedly collected evidence from Dong Juan’s body, but they found no evidence that could convict Mr. Li!"

At this point, Zheng Fenyong walked over to Mr. Li again.

"Mr. Li, do you remember the third time the investigation department found you?"

"The third time, they came directly to my house, and with an arrest warrant and a search warrant in hand, they handcuffed me right away."

"Yes, the third time, they produced key evidence, proving you were the murderer, and then without giving you any chance, they took you away right in front of your parents!"

Zheng Fenyong again flipped open a file, displaying it on the projection screen.

"This is the search warrant and arrest warrant from that time, with the date showing that this arrest warrant was signed 4 days after the last interrogation of Mr. Li."

"Within 72 hours, the forensic experts couldn’t find any evidence, and then after another 96 hours, the arrest warrant came down, and they found compelling evidence that could convict Mr. Li."

Zheng Fenyong’s expression was skeptical, his tone mocking, "For the previous seven victims, not a single piece of evidence, and for the eighth victim, it only took 7 days from the discovery of the body to solving the case, the efficiency is just too..."

"Objection, inflammatory speech!"

Just as Zheng Fenyong was about to lead the jury to ’wild speculations’, Zhang Wei stood up and interrupted him.

"The objection is sustained, Prosecutor Zheng, please watch your language!"

Judge Liu immediately made his stance clear, and at the same time, gave Zheng Fenyong a warning look.

Zheng Fenyong was not annoyed; he apologized to the bench with a smile, then turned his gaze to the jury and the audience.

Many exchanged glances, seemingly guessing whether there really was a problem here.

Zheng Fenyong knew that many had begun to doubt.

He was even more aware that he needed to stoke the flames.

"Mr. Li, do you remember the evidence the investigation department presented at the time?"

"I remember, they showed me a photo of the evidence, it was a..."

Mr. Li paused here with a troubled expression, as if the content to follow was somewhat inappropriate to say.

"Mr. Li, please continue, this is necessary for you to prove your innocence!"

"Alright." Mr. Li sighed, and came clean, "The evidence they showed me was a *hair, and they said the DNA collected from it was identical to mine!"

"Identical DNA, does that mean the hair came from you?"

"I guess so?" Mr. Li spread his hands, indicating uncertainty.

"What did they say about where this evidence was found at the time?"

"It seems to have been found in the victim’s throat."

"The throat?"

Zheng Fenyong, although already aware of this fact, feigned surprise. "The throat is not a highly private area. A hair about 4 centimeters long should have been found immediately by the on-site forensic team, as long as they weren’t blind, right?"

"Could it be that this evidence wasn’t initially in the victim’s throat but was planted there afterward?"

"Objection, hypothetical speculation, and the statement is inflammatory!"

As Zheng Fenyong put forth the hypothetical speculation, Zhang Wei stood up to interrupt.

"Objection..." Judge Liu glanced at the jury before shaking his head and announcing, "Objection overruled!"

"Huh?" Zhang Wei was dumbfounded.

How could the objection be overruled when Zheng Fenyong was making hypothetical speculations in court and you, Xiao Liu, didn’t stop him?

Perhaps guessing what Zhang Wei was thinking, Judge Liu quickly made an apologetic face.

But he also glanced at the jury and the audience.

As if to tell Zhang Wei, look at the people around, their expressions are telling me, they agree with what Zheng Fenyong said.

And what Zheng Fenyong said was not without reason, right?

Daring assumptions, careful verification, isn’t that the standard operation for the investigation department?

"Prosecutor Zheng, Lawyer Zhang says you’re making a hypothetical guess, I believe you wouldn’t raise these questions without any evidence, right?"

"Of course, Judge Liu, our side has ample evidence to prove this speculation!"

Seeing Zheng Fenyong’s affirmative response, Judge Liu gave Zhang Wei a look that said: You see, they said they have evidence!

Zhang Wei had no choice but to sit down.

The corners of Zheng Fenyong’s mouth revealed a smile.

Then, he looked to the bench, "Judge Liu, in order for our side to fully present this piece of evidence, we request to summon an expert witness!"

"Is this witness on the list?"

"Yes, in our public witness list!"

"Then it’s approved by the court!"

Since the witness’s name was on the public list, Liu Judge naturally wouldn’t object.

Soon, Mr. Li vacated the witness seat, and a man in a suit and wearing glasses walked into the courtroom.

"Isn’t that Xiao Ding?"

Seeing the witness, Yang Chunyuan at the defense bench was a bit surprised.

However, considering the other party’s identity, she wasn’t surprised anymore.

"Witness, please introduce yourself to the court."

"My surname is Ding, I am a forensic examiner at the First Forensic Office, and a colleague of the defendant Forensic Yang!"

"Hello, Dr. Ding!"

Zheng Fenyong quickly greeted the witness.

After exchanging greetings, he went straight to the projection screen and, pointing at the hair on the screen, asked, "Dr. Ding, are you familiar with this evidence?"

"Familiar!"

The witness nodded, looking towards Yang Chunyuan at the defense bench, "Actually, when we joined the First Forensic Office, we all knew quite a bit about Forensic Yang’s accomplishments."

"It was this piece of evidence that helped her catch the criminal suspect Mr. Li, putting a perfect full stop to the serial killings in Dongfang Capital from 20 years ago!"

"A perfect full stop?" Zheng Fenyong looked astonished, "Are you sure that this full stop is perfect?"

"If it were before, I would be certain, but now..."

These words made many in the courtroom reveal their confusion.

What’s different now, no longer certain?

"Dr. Ding, please tell us what you know,"

"All right." The witness nodded, "In fact, 20 years ago, DNA matching technology wasn’t as rigorous as it is now and was prone to errors in the test results!"

"Therefore, since the upgrade of DNA technology, the higher authorities have indeed been pushing for something—to review and retest previous cases to ensure the fairness and thoroughness of past convictions of suspects!"

"It is for this reason that many of the DNA matching reports from that time might not necessarily have been conclusive for convictions, so now, in addition to DNA matching, we also conduct cross-testing and graphical analysis to ensure there are no issues with the test results!"

Listening to this, Zheng Fenyong asked, "Are you saying that the test results from 20 years ago could be false, that there could be mistakes?"

"Yes!"

"Then let’s not talk about that suspicious point in time, or how Forensic Yang managed to find the key evidence and solve the case within seven days when everyone else was at a loss. Let’s discuss the evidence itself!"

Zheng Fenyong deliberately gave a lengthy preamble, repeatedly highlighting the issue of time, before he continued to interrogate, "Dr. Ding, did you also recompare the evidence later?"

"Yes, we have conducted multiple DNA tests on the evidence shown in the pictures!"

"And the result?"

Dr. Ding took a deep breath and said in court, "According to our tests, the DNA extracted from that hair does not match the DNA of the suspect Mr. Li!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtroom erupted.

The DNA actually didn’t match!

What in the world was going on?

In court, countless people started whispering to one another.

Many were left wondering, what was going on?

How could the key evidence that led to a conviction 20 years ago be mistaken now?

Seeing everyone’s confusion, Zheng Fenyong immediately questioned the witness, "Dr. Ding, I know many have doubts, so I want to ask you, can you confirm this result, confirm there is a discrepancy in the DNA comparison?"

"Yes, I can confirm!"

Seeing the witness answer with such certainty, Zheng Fenyong also gave Zhang Wei a glance and then continued to probe:

"Dr. Ding, may I ask you to share with us your educational background and professional experience?"

"Certainly!"

The witness didn’t intend to hide anything and proudly said, "I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Medicine and a Doctorate in Forensic Pathology. I’ve published 15 professional papers in the Dongfang Capital Medical Journal and have served the First Forensic Office for a full 10 years!"

"Thank you for your response, Dr. Ding. I believe you are a professional expert witness!"

Upon hearing Dr. Ding’s answer, Zheng Fenyong nodded.

The reason he asked this was to convey to everyone in the court that the expert witness was professional and that the possibility of a mistake was non-existent!

At the same time, this was to block any attempts Zhang Wei might make to cast doubt on the expert witness’s professional integrity and skills.

So now, the pressure was on the defense.

They had to break through this checkmate.