Chapter 47: The Final Struggle |
From the defense table, Xu De looked directly at the judges on the bench. He was tearing their charges apart...
He had to tear them apart!
Why?
After all, theoretically speaking, a defense attorney only needed to provide a plausible explanation for the prosecution''s allegations. Why did he have to fight the prosecutors to the bitter end and completely invalidate their accusations?
Because merely explaining things away would only lead to a mitigated sentence!
Once the prosecutor''s office initiated a public prosecution, they were perfectly willing to accept a sentence reduction if there were extenuating circumstances. They were even happy to see the defendant receive a lighter punishment. Even if the actions were ruled as excessive defense, the defendant could be exempted from criminal penalties.
But... that did not include a verdict of not guilty!
Both the prosecutor''s office and the court found the words "not guilty" extremely difficult to accept!
Therefore, legitimate self-defense had almost become a dormant clause in the law. A court might not see a single case of it in an entire year!
The two sides were like repelling magnets, completely incompatible. There was no room for bargaining, and even less possibility of finding a middle ground. Every single statement made was an assault on the other party''s absolute bottom line!
"Presiding judge, the evidence is already sufficient."
At the defense table, Xu De stood up, his spine straight. He surveyed the courtroom and spoke clearly:
"The two charges of intentional injury and excessive defense raised by the prosecution are entirely unfounded—whether from the perspective of objective evidence, subjective testimony, or the application of practical experience."
"The actions of the defendant, Wang Qiang, completely constitute legitimate self-defense!"
As his voice fell, the heavy, stagnant air in the courtroom finally began to circulate again.
Everyone''s eyes flickered, and their breathing grew shallow and tense, as if an invisible fire were consuming the oxygen in the room.
The witness had just said... Wang Qiang was seemingly struck by a club.
Looking at that single word "seemingly"—especially since the witness wasn''t even sure about the exact location of the strike—the information didn''t seem to have a massive impact on the prosecution.
But if it was combined with everything Xu De had said from the very beginning of the trial until now, then...
The implications were enormous!
Up on the bench, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin''s eyes shifted. His lips moved for a moment before he raised his gavel.
"Bang!"
"Order! Order in the court!"
Zhang Bingxin took a deep breath, calling twice for order.
Then, his brows furrowed as he looked at Xu De and said in a deep voice, "The defense will not disrupt the order of the court."
Turning his gaze, he looked back at the prosecution. "Prosecution, do you have any questions for the witness?"
At the prosecution''s table, Wang Wei felt utterly exhausted, as if the air were thick and suffocating. Even raising a hand felt like an immense effort that would leave him panting.
Fighting through the fatigue, he initially wanted to shake his head, but after a moment''s thought, he spoke up anyway. "Witness."
"During the incident at the scene, did the defendant exhibit any aggressive behavior? Such as verbal abuse, pursuing others, or losing emotional control?"
Hearing this, Li Li looked doubtful. She thought about it and then shook her head flatly. "I don''t remember."
It had happened a month and a half ago, and there had been a fresh corpse demanding everyone''s attention. It was indeed difficult to remember such minor details.
Wang Wei pressed on. "During the incident, at what exact moment did the police fire the warning shot?"
Li Li replied, "While they were fighting."
The police had strict standards for firing warning shots; every single bullet had to be accounted for. Unless a full-blown riot occurred, they wouldn''t open fire.
But then again, since firing a gun was used to quell a riot, firing the shot basically confirmed that the scene had been brought under control.
"In other words, the defendant only walked toward the police car after the warning shot was fired, after the police had controlled the scene, and after the chaos had stopped?" Wang Wei rephrased his question, approaching it from a different angle.
Li Li pondered for a moment before repeating, "I don''t remember."
Wang Wei fell silent. After a long pause, he looked up at the presiding judge and said, "Your Honor, I have no further questions."
With that, he sank back into his chair, remaining silent.
It was just as he and Hu Guang had discussed earlier.
A case had continuity, and the subjective intent of an action could be inferred from the behavior immediately preceding it.
Although Li Li had answered "I don''t remember" to this question, one couldn''t forget her response to the previous one: The defendant, Wang Qiang, was seemingly unable to extract himself due to being struck.
Based on that foundation, the judge would lean toward "yes" when interpreting her lack of memory regarding this second question.
Which meant... the defendant, Wang Qiang, had proactively engaged in self-surrender before the situation was even fully under control!
They were being thoroughly defeated by their own logical theories.
It was as if the opposing counsel were practicing Tai Chi, deflecting a thousand pounds of force with a mere four ounces. All of their attacks felt like they were landing on cotton.
Powerless... completely powerless!
"Very well."
On the bench, Zhang Bingxin nodded, preparing to move the trial forward.
However, right at that moment, an abrupt, urgent voice suddenly rang out, shattering the established rhythm of the court.
"Wait! Presiding judge, the victim''s counsel has something to say!"
Everyone turned their heads. Hundreds of gazes instantly landed on the side of the prosecution''s table, fixing squarely on Chen Wei, the litigation representative of the victim.
Chen Wei was panicking.
No—he was absolutely desperate!
He wasn''t the public prosecutor, but his own interests were completely tied to the prosecution''s success. That was why, during the first trial, he had tried to spar with Xu De over criminal issues, only to fall directly into the man''s trap.
Now, in this second trial, Chen Wei had learned his lesson. He had intended to stay silent and extremely cautious.
He had been so cautious that he hadn''t uttered a single word since the trial began.
But... why did he feel that if he remained cautious any longer, they were going to lose the case entirely?!
The defense lawyer was forcibly paving all the existing evidence into a direct road toward an acquittal!
If the defendant was found not guilty, his civil suit would be an utter disaster. Combined with the raging public opinion surrounding the case, his career would plummet off a cliff!
Flushed with anxiety, Chen Wei could barely contain his desperation as he hurriedly added, "My side wishes to question the witness!"
Hearing this, Zhang Bingxin nodded. "The victim''s counsel may proceed."
Chen Wei took a deep breath. Ignoring the high-pressure stares from the gallery, he fixed his eyes on Li Li in the witness stand. After a brief calculation, he asked in a heavy voice, "Witness..."
"After the warning shot was fired, was anyone at the scene still holding a weapon?"
If someone was still holding a weapon, it meant the threat had only been paused, not eliminated. And if the threat wasn''t eliminated, it meant the situation was never under control.
If it wasn''t under control, he could at least demolish the claim of a proper self-surrender!
As long as the valid self-surrender was stripped away, he still had a fighting chance to secure a conviction for a lesser crime.
"Yes, I remember this very clearly!" Li Li nodded.
Chen Wei''s expression turned ugly. Refusing to back down, he threw out a trap question. "Do you remember exactly who was holding a weapon?"
Exactly who?
Theoretically, it would be almost impossible to remember. Everyone''s attention had been captured by the police gunshot and the dead body; there was no reason for anyone to notice who else was holding what.
It was a blatant trap.
Unfortunately for him, the witness understood the situation better than anyone.
Li Li openly and generously pointed a finger at herself.
"Me. I was still holding a hoe in my hand at the time. But I certainly didn''t hit the police, and I didn''t hit that Wang Qiang fellow."
Chen Wei was left utterly speechless.
A surge of blood rushed straight to his head, lodging in his throat and choking the words right out of him.
The witness belonged to the non-liable crowd at the scene. Even if she admitted to holding a tool, she bore no legal responsibility, and she could still stand on the witness stand to testify.
Left with no choice, Chen Wei turned away from her.
"Presiding judge, what I want to point out is this."
"Before the trial began, the witness Li Li provided a completely different statement to both the prosecution and the victim''s representatives. Yet, now that the trial is underway, she has completely changed her story and denied her previous testimony. Her statements are constantly shifting and wildly inconsistent!"
"My side believes that the testimony provided by this witness is..."
Chen Wei took a deep breath and looked up at the judges'' bench. He abandoned his questioning entirely, choosing instead to tear her credibility down.
"...completely untrustworthy!"
Not far away, at the defense table.
Xu De sat calmly, watching Chen Wei''s impassioned, desperate performance. He observed the man for a few moments, and then, a slow grin broke across his face.
He had been so focused on trading blows with the two prosecutors that he had almost forgotten.
He still needed to finish off this bastard.