Chapter 27: I Plead Not Guilty! |
Why did the Wang Qiang case deter countless lawyers?
The reason was that the human trafficking case and the murder case were considered two separate incidents!
For the murder case, starting from the moment Wang Qiang struck first, he couldn''t escape the charge of intentional homicide under any circumstances. It was a guaranteed lost cause that would only damage a lawyer''s win rate and reputation, so naturally, no one was willing to take it.
However, if viewed as a single, continuous case starting from when Li Erniu imprisoned Wang Mei ten years ago...
Then there was room to maneuver!
Therefore.
As this series of tightly logical statements fell, the courtroom plunged into momentary silence.
A long moment later.
Whispers gradually rippled through the public gallery.
"True. Although Li Erniu didn''t make a move right then, if the imprisonment hadn''t ended... then that so-called ''imprisonment'' already counts as an unlawful infringement."
"Which law firm is the defense lawyer from? Is... is this guy here to give a speech?"
"His presence is too intense... Which firm is he from!?"
"..."
The people in the gallery only needed a moment of thought to grasp Xu De''s meaning.
He was simply returning to how the general public viewed the case!
At the judge''s bench.
"Should... should we contact the police?"
Judge Liu Jianguo felt a tremor of shock. Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, he leaned over and asked Zhang Bingxin.
Sun Dong interjected, "Do you think there''s a misunderstanding in the information?"
Liu Jianguo shook his head. "I don''t know."
Zhang Bingxin pondered for a long time, in no rush to reply. Instead, he looked up at the ongoing standoff between Xu De and the prosecution before saying,
"No rush. Let''s keep watching."
The two nodded, turning their attention back to the trial.
Back in the trial.
"Using the trafficking case as the starting point to try the Wang Qiang murder case!?"
On the prosecution side, Wang Wei''s expression suddenly turned grave. Years of experience allowed him to keenly detect the defense''s intentions.
If that happened... then their current indictment would be completely overturned!
Prosecutor Zhang Qing also nodded with a deep frown. Although young, with things brought out into the open to this degree, he naturally understood what was happening.
As for the shrewd Chen Wei...
When he realized he had been played, falling straight into a pre-designed trap...
"Slander! This is pure fabrication!"
Chen Wei''s pupils abruptly shrank. Then, as if urged on by every cell in his body, he leaped to his feet, pointed a finger at Xu De, and roared:
"Presiding judge, we have never admitted that the trafficking case is not yet over!"
"Opposing counsel is fabricating testimonies! I request that he be expelled from the courtroom!"
He had fallen for it...
At this moment, Chen Wei felt his undershirt soak through with sweat. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and even his breathing grew ragged.
He had actually been outsmarted by a greenhorn!
The foundation for establishing whether ''acting bravely for a just cause'' applied relied on acknowledging the standoff between the police and the villagers at the scene.
And once that standoff was confirmed, the trafficking case was undeniably still ongoing. Everything that transpired between Wang Qiang and the deceased would be lumped into the trafficking case!
The opponent used ''acting bravely for a just cause'' as a decoy, making him overlook this critical step!
''Damn it, that bastard Sun Hao!''
''Is this the so-called rookie who just passed his probation three months ago? That damn Jinmao Law Firm set me up!''
Chen Wei cursed furiously in his mind, completely stripped of the composure he had at the start of the trial.
He could see it clearly now: Sun Hao had colluded with this lawyer to lay a trap for him!
Feigning betrayal to make him drop his guard. Entering the trial with a dismissive attitude, underestimating the enemy, and seamlessly walking right into Xu De''s snare. This tactic...
''Sun Hao, this isn''t over!''
Chen Wei was furious, wishing he could skin the man alive right then and there.
But clearly, he wouldn''t get the chance to do any skinning right now. He had to continue paying for his mistake.
Sure enough.
A cold sneer immediately came from the defense.
"Heh, legal representative of the victim, do you need me to repeat exactly what you just said to the presiding judge?"
Xu De sneered, his eyes locked dead onto his opponent.
If the biggest variable for the defense in this case was himself, then for the prosecution, it was this Chen Wei!
Why?
Because Hu Guang and the others acted according to the rules and the law.
But Chen Wei purely wanted Wang Qiang and himself dead!
"You!" Blood rushed to Chen Wei''s head, veins bulging on his forehead, but he couldn''t force out a single word.
In a trial, one had to take responsibility for their words.
He had just admitted to the coercive relationship. If he backtracked now, it would be going back on his word, which would highly likely affect the judge''s discretionary power!
"Heh."
Seeing that the other party didn''t continue to argue, Xu De couldn''t be bothered to target him further.
His gaze swept over everyone present before finally settling on the presiding judge, Zhang Bingxin. He continued,
"Presiding judge, my side insists on our stance. At the time of the incident, the ''trafficking case'' had not concluded."
Almost seamlessly following up on that statement.
The moment his voice fell, a voice from the prosecution spoke up.
"Defense counsel, according to clues provided by the police."
"During the incident, the victim of the trafficking case, ''Wang Mei'', had already boarded the vehicle. There were seven police officers protecting her. No riot had occurred at the scene, and there was no risk of continued confrontation."
Prosecutor Wang Wei stood up at this moment, his deep voice carrying across the room.
"Therefore, according to relevant laws, the arrest operation for the trafficking case had already ended!"
"The cause of the subsequent riot was not the trafficking, but the conflict between the defendant Wang Qiang and Li Erniu!"
Indeed, this was the primary reason why they believed the case needed to be split into two.
The cause of the later riot and the earlier standoff were entirely different.
However...
"Absurd!"
Xu De did not give the prosecutor any face. His eyes narrowed sharply as he cast a cold glare at Wang Wei, shouting:
"Whether a case is over or not isn''t up to outsiders to decide, it depends on what the parties involved do!"
"The truth is, the criminal Li Erniu still harbored malicious intentions after boarding the vehicle, attempting to continue inflicting unlawful harm upon the victim, Wang Mei!"
As he spoke.
He didn''t hesitate, directly holding up a document.
"Presiding judge, this is the evidence submitted by the prosecution."
"The evidence consists of the testimonies of the seven police officers. Among them, all seven uniformly stated, ''When the deceased Li Erniu boarded the vehicle, he grabbed the victim Wang Mei''s hand, intending to drag her off the vehicle.''"
"This testimony clearly shows that the victim was still in potential danger and in an unrescued state!"
"By the same logic, this illegal imprisonment had not yet ended, and the trafficking case did not end because of it!"
Xu De hadn''t submitted much evidence before the trial, only a stack of materials.
Why?
Because the evidence had already been submitted by the prosecution and Chen Wei. He could just use theirs directly in court.
Did it matter if the other party was willing or not?
Who cares.
The law stipulated he could use it anyway. It was completely legal and compliant. Even if they weren''t willing, he could forcefully use it!
Therefore...
"According to the relevant laws, Article 6 of the ''Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Criminal Procedure Law'' clearly states that cases with the above circumstances can be consolidated and processed together!"
"Likewise."
"My client, Wang Qiang, falls under the Greenwood City regulations for ''acting bravely for a just cause'', and furthermore, in the form of ''legitimate self-defense'' under Article 20 of the Criminal Law!"
"Respected presiding judge, jurors, and members of the gallery. I am the defense lawyer for the accused, Xu De."
"Everyone, I am entering a..."
Xu De''s eyes were stern, his tone not impassioned, but rather carrying a trace of solemnity.
"Not guilty plea!"