Escape From the Library

【Innocence Defense-15】

The indictment written by the public prosecutor clearly stated Zhu Xiaoting's motive for killing, the process and means of killing, as well as witness and physical evidence. The look, the look seemed to say - how can you kill someone?Why are you so bad!

The malicious gazes of those strangers made Zhu Xiaoting's whole body stiff.Her expression became more and more ugly, and her lips were almost bitten by her teeth. Since she was a child, this was the first time she faced the malicious eyes of so many strangers, which made her feel ashamed.

Until the presiding judge announced: "Next, let the defendant, Zhu Xiaoting, state what happened."

When Zhu Xiaoting heard her name, she came to her senses in a daze.

Looking at the strange faces around her, her mind went blank, and she couldn't remember a single word from the manuscript she had memorized before, so she stammered and trembled: "I, I didn't kill anyone."

There was an uproar.

Yue Xingwen wrote a statement to Zhu Xiaoting in advance so that she could memorize it by heart.Obviously, out of nervousness, Zhu Xiaoting forgot all the things she had memorized!

The crowd in the auditorium was discussing a lot, and Ke Shaobin was so anxious that he could go on stage to speak for her: "What's the matter with this Zhu Xiaoting! Life and death are at stake, and you actually forgot all the manuscripts that Xingwen wrote to her?"

Liu Zhaoqing sighed, and said: "This is a stress reaction under tension. She is a timid girl, and it is normal for her to be nervous when she is standing in the dock of the court for the first time. Many people will be so nervous that they will forget when they are interviewing. Words, let alone a trial of life and death? Sigh, we can't ask too much of her."

Jiang Pingce frowned and looked at the dock——Zhu Xiaoting's face was as pale as paper, her hands were clenched into fists, and even the blood vessels on the back of her hands were clearly visible. The girl was obviously extremely nervous and had fallen into a state of bewilderment and confusion.

Her mind should be in a mess right now, not to mention the speech, she almost couldn't tell who she was.

The presiding judge picked up the hammer and tapped the table: "Silence."

The audience fell silent instantly.

Lan Yarong stood up suddenly and said politely: "Judge, my client Zhu Xiaoting is a 22-year-old female college student who has never experienced a solemn court trial. She is too nervous to state the case calmly. Can you give her half a minute to adjust? Thank you."

The presiding judge frowned, glanced at the pale Zhu Xiaoting, and said, "The defendant, please adjust your mood as soon as possible."

Zhu Xiaoting nodded and looked at Lan Yarong.

Lan Yarong gave her an encouraging look, and said to her with her lips: "Don't be afraid, there are us."

Zhu Xiaoting took a deep breath, closed her eyes and carefully recalled what happened on the day of the crime, and combined with the statement written by Yue Xingwen to her.When she opened her eyes, her face had calmed down a lot, and she said to the presiding judge, "I've adjusted it."

Presiding judge: "The defendant, please make a statement."

Zhu Xiaoting's voice trembled slightly, but her words were still clear. She said slowly: "Dear presiding judge and judge, good afternoon, I am the defendant Zhu Xiaoting. Regarding the case of Xie Xiangqin's death in the 703 dormitory, I would like to make some explanations of my own. .”

"On October 2021, 10, my high school classmate Liu Jiajia and I went to a beach barbecue organized by the law school. After the bonfire party ended at 25 o'clock in the evening, I suddenly started to have diarrhea, and I got up many times at night to go to the public toilet on the beach. I can’t sleep. The cause of my diarrhea is related to Liu Jiajia’s case. The murderer Lin Xuefei added laxatives to my food. This has been verified by the public security organs. My lawyer will help me attach supporting materials later. "

"Diarrhea for one night made me miserable. When it was about to dawn, I used my mobile phone to book an express car and wanted to take a taxi back to school to rest. At 4:30 in the morning, I took the online car with the license plate number Bin A-76512, 5 Arrive at the gate of Beishan University at 10:[-]."

"At 5:20, I came downstairs in the girls' dormitory No. 6, and my phone rang suddenly. The caller ID was my roommate Xie Xiangqin. I was very puzzled at the time. How did Xie Xiangqin know that I would come back early? But I didn't think much about it and picked up the phone. , there was no sound on the phone, I thought the signal was not good, hung up the phone, and a message popped up on WeChat, which was sent to me by Xie Xiangqin, the content was 'There should be a break between us', I put away the phone Take the elevator on the west side to go upstairs, open the door of the 703 dormitory, only to find Xie Xiangqin lying on the ground."

Recalling the bloody scene at that time, Zhu Xiaoting took a deep breath, stabilized her emotions, and then continued: "She was pale, and there seemed to be blood on her body. I thought she was injured, so I ran over to help her up. But when I approached Only then did I realize that a knife was stuck in her chest, and the blood was still pouring out. She held my hand tightly and opened her mouth to talk to me. While I was holding her, I tried to help her stop the bleeding. The reason why I accidentally touched the murder weapon."

"I really wanted to save her. I picked up my phone and was about to dial 120 to call for an ambulance, but my roommate Mao Yue opened the door and came in. She screamed and shouted presumably: Zhu Xiaoting killed someone."

"Mao Yue's screams attracted some students nearby. They were all frightened by the scene in front of them. No one listened to my explanation. I was flustered and didn't know how to explain it until the police arrived soon and took me as the first suspect. arrest."

"I know the evidence is against me, but I still want to say that I really didn't kill anyone!"

"The conflict between me and Xie Xiangqin was just a dispute between my roommates due to disagreement of ideas. It didn't go to the point of murder. My parents didn't have a job, and they worked hard to raise me. I'm about to graduate soon, and I passed the qualification of a foreign company. Interview, waiting for me will be a great future, why should I kill people because of a little dispute?"

"I hope the presiding judge and all the judges will give me justice! I was framed and framed. It was not me who killed Xie Xiangqin, but someone else. Don't let the real murderer go unpunished!"

Although Zhu Xiaoting's voice is not calm enough, the statement she said with red eyes and crying is more likely to move people's hearts. Even if her statement sounds like a story, her "grievance" emotion is very good. It is enough to leave everyone with the image of her trying to "prove her innocence".

The logic of Yue Xingwen's manuscript was actually clearer. She had forgotten some of it just now, but for a girl who was standing in court for the first time, it was not easy to fully explain the process of the crime.

Yue Xingwen gave her an appreciative look in the audience.

After Zhu Xiaoting finished her statement, the presiding judge said, "Prosecutor, do you have any questions for the defendant?"

The public prosecutor sent by the procuratorate immediately stood up and said, "I have a few questions."

The presiding judge made a questioning gesture, and the young man wearing glasses immediately walked to the defendant's seat, looked into Zhu Xiaoting's eyes, and asked coldly, "Zhu Xiaoting, since when did you like Zou Yijia?"

Zhu Xiaoting's expression changed, she lowered her head and said, "When I was a sophomore, sophomore."

"That is three years ago?"

"Yes."

"Zou Yijia is your younger brother in the same major. Three years ago, he met you at the freshman registration office. You sent him back to the dormitory as a senior sister and left each other's contact information. You secretly had feelings for him, but you never dared to confess ,why is that?"

"I, I don't have self-confidence. I feel that I am not beautiful enough to be worthy of him."

"Does Xie Xiangqin know about your crush on Zou Yijia?"

"know."

"She knew you liked Zou Yijia, and she took the initiative to pursue Zou Yijia and became Zou Yijia's girlfriend. Do you hold a grudge against Xie Xiangqin because of this?"

Zhu Xiaoting bit her lips tightly and didn't know how to answer.Lan Yarong suddenly raised her hand and said calmly: "No. The questions raised by the public prosecutor are subjective and inductive questions without any substantive evidence."

The presiding judge nodded and said, "Please pay attention to the way the prosecutor asks questions."

The young man shrugged and continued: "A month ago, did you smash Xie Xiangqin's limited-edition mug, and she scolded you in person and asked you to pay for it?"

"Yes, I promised her to lose money, and I will pay her after I get this month's work-study salary."

"But right after that, you broke a bottle of her limited edition perfume worth thousands of dollars?"

Zhu Xiaoting gritted her teeth: "...She put the perfume and facial cleanser together. When I was taking facial cleanser, I accidentally knocked over the perfume bottle. I didn't mean it."

"Did she ask you to pay for it?"

"……Yes."

"Limited edition mugs, plus limited edition perfume, with your family conditions and work-study income, you can't afford it at all. You have quarreled with Xie Xiangqin many times, new and old, have you ever thought-if she Is it okay to die?"

Zhu Xiaoting looked terrified, and Lan Yarong immediately interrupted the other party: "Please don't ask leading questions."

The presiding judge said: "Prosecutor, please change the question."

After sitting back, Lan Yarong had a layer of cold sweat on her hands, and she whispered in Yue Xingwen's ear: "This public prosecutor uses psychological tactics, asking questions one after another, which can easily confuse Zhu Xiaoting's thinking and emotions. Crashed, brought back a lot of bad memories, and made mistakes in answering."

Yue Xingwen looked serious: "Senior sister, if he asks inappropriate questions again, we will interrupt immediately."

Lan Yarong nodded.

The public prosecutor began to ask about the incident: "When Mao Yue opened the door, did he see the fruit knife that killed Xie Xiangqin in your hand? Did you buy that knife yourself?"

Zhu Xiaoting's eyes were red: "I was holding a knife, but I didn't kill anyone!"

Prosecutor: "Is it the knife you bought back? Please answer this question directly."

Zhu Xiaoting gritted her teeth: "Yes."

Prosecutor: "The moment you entered, apart from you and Xie Xiangqin, was there any third person in the dormitory?"

Zhu Xiaoting: "..."

Prosecutor: "There is no third person, just the two of you?"

Zhu Xiaoting shook her head crazily: "I don't know! I really don't know what happened!" Lan Yarong interrupted again: "The public prosecutor, please pay attention to the tone when asking questions. My client is a young college student. Such aggressive questions are easy to make She's devastated."

The public prosecutor smiled and said, "I'm done asking."

Although Zhu Xiaoting did not answer these questions clearly, judging from the reactions of the presiding judge and the onlookers, Zhu Xiaoting is still the only suspect in this case.After all, at the time of the crime, only she and Xie Xiangqin were present, and she was still holding the murder weapon, a fruit knife she bought herself...

How can you argue?

All eyes are on the defense attorney.

Lan Yarong and Yue Xingwen exchanged glances, Senior Sister Lan stood up first, and she went out first to appease Zhu Xiaoting's excited emotions.Senior Sister Lan is very kind when she smiles. In addition, she is short and looks like a girl next door. She is also a girl. Zhu Xiaoting trusts her very much, and it is easier to restore calm when talking to her.

Lan Yarong walked up to Zhu Xiaoting and asked: "At 10 o'clock in the morning on October 26, you couldn't bear it due to diarrhea all night, so you decided to take a taxi back to school to rest and no longer participate in beach activities. This is a temporary decision, right? ?”

Zhu Xiaoting nodded immediately: "Yes."

"Did you tell Xie Xiangqin about taking a taxi back to school at 4:[-]?"

Zhu Xiaoting shook her head: "I didn't tell."

"That is to say, Xie Xiangqin didn't know that you would go back suddenly?"

Zhu Xiaoting seemed to have grasped the key point, and immediately followed the question and said, "Of course she doesn't know. I have diarrhea because someone secretly gave me laxatives. It's an accident, and I didn't even expect it."

Lan Yarong asked: "She knew that you were going to participate in the beach barbecue organized by the law school, and she would only come back on Sunday night. Why did she suddenly call you at 5:20 on Saturday morning, before the sun was fully lit? What about sending WeChat messages? Aren’t most people sleeping at this time?”

Zhu Xiaoting said suspiciously: "I was also very strange when I received the call. I decided to go back to school temporarily. Why did she seem to know that I was coming back?"

"Did you just walk downstairs in the dormitory when she called you? The location is facing the balcony window of 703 dormitory?"

"Yes."

"You didn't wear a mask or hat at the time. If someone in dormitory 703 looks down through the window, can they recognize you clearly?"

"I can recognize it."

"Are you sure, the person calling you is Xie Xiangqin himself?" Lan Yarong looked at her gently and asked.

Zhu Xiaoting was stunned for a moment, realizing Lan Yarong's meaning, she immediately said: "I'm not sure, I didn't hear her voice. After the call was connected, there was no sound. Immediately afterwards, Xie Xiangqin's account number was sent to me. WeChat!"

The public prosecutor interrupted suddenly: "The defense lawyers have been asking hypothetical questions!"

Lan Yarong nodded with a smile, and then asked: "You had diarrhea all night, when you returned to the dormitory, did you feel very tired and lack of strength?"

Zhu Xiaoting: "Well, I just wanted to sleep at the time, so Xie Xiangqin sent me a message, but I ignored her."

Lan Yarong: "When you took the elevator to the 7th floor, did you hear footsteps going upstairs?"

Zhu Xiaoting: "Yes, someone went upstairs from the stairs on the west side."

Lan Yarong: "Can you tell what kind of footsteps it is? High heels, sneakers?"

Zhu Xiaoting thought about it carefully and said, "It's not high heels or leather shoes, it sounds like flat shoes or sneakers."

Lan Yarong: "Why didn't you take a look at that time?"

Zhu Xiaoting: "It's normal to hear footsteps in the corridor. I thought it was the girl upstairs. I was too tired at the time, so I didn't pay attention and went back to the dormitory."

Lan Yarong: "You don't get along with Xie Xiangqin. When you returned to the dormitory and saw her lying in a pool of blood, why did you save her?"

Zhu Xiaoting said: "Although I hate her, we have been roommates for four years after all. She was calling for help at the time, and I couldn't just stand by! I really thought she was just accidentally injured and bleeding. Take the knife!"

"Why didn't you call the police immediately?"

"I didn't expect it to be murder! She was talking to me, and I was in a daze at the time. I grabbed her hand and wanted to help her, but I accidentally touched the murder weapon. The first time I encountered such a thing, I really very nervous!"

"Okay, presiding judge, I'm done asking."

The audience was so quiet that a needle could be heard, and the expressions on the faces of the people in the auditorium became more and more bewildered.

Although the evidence put forward by the public prosecutor sounds impeccable, Lan Yarong's questions are also very critical - Zhu Xiaoting returned to the dormitory suddenly halfway, why did her roommate call her when she arrived downstairs?Is this timing too coincidental?

******

【Innocence Defense-16】

This concludes the inquiry of Zhu Xiaoting by the prosecution and the defense.Next comes the appearance of witnesses.As a witness for the prosecution, the first person to come out was the witness and reporter Mao Yue.

The public prosecutor asked her questions all around the scenes she witnessed and the conflicts between Xie Xiangqin and Zhu Xiaoting.

Mao Yue described how the two quarreled, and recounted the scene vividly: "I went to the school's overnight study room for self-study, and rushed back to the dormitory at 5:30 in the morning. When I opened the door, I saw Zhu Xiaoting holding a bloody knife. Xie Xiangqin was lying in a pool of blood, her eyes closed as if she was dead, I was terrified and screamed uncontrollably. At that time, only Xie Xiangqin and Zhu Xiaoting were present, and there was no third person."

Lan Yarong glanced at Yue Xingwen and nodded to him.

The strategy of the two of them today is that Senior Sister Lan will be in charge of Zhu Xiaoting, stabilize her emotions, and raise doubts about the case by asking Zhu Xiaoting.Yue Xingwen targeted other witnesses, looking for loopholes in the testimony of witnesses brought in by the prosecution.Finally, the more professional Sister Lan made a concluding speech.

Yue Xingwen stood up, walked in front of Mao Yue, and asked gracefully: "Hi Mao Yue, based on what you know about Xie Xiangqin, what time does she usually get up on weekends?"

Mao Yue was stunned for a moment, thought for a while, and then said: "She usually sleeps until eleven o'clock on weekends, and has lunch directly."

Yue Xingwen said: "In the past four years, has she woke up suddenly at 5 o'clock in the morning on weekends?"

Mao Yue: "...It doesn't seem like much? I've never seen her get up early on weekends, she likes to sleep in late."

Offstage, the teammates were relieved to hear this.

Xingwen has participated in many debates, and his ability to grasp the key points is really outstanding-Xie Xiangqin, a girl who likes to sleep in, suddenly wakes up at 05:30 on Saturday morning to make a phone call. If something goes wrong, there must be a demon!

Sure enough, the presiding judge also showed doubts when he heard this.

Yue Xingwen asked: "When you returned to the dormitory, you saw Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife in his hand and Xie Xiangqin lying in a pool of blood, right?"

Mao Yue nodded immediately: "That's right, I've seen it with my own eyes, it won't make a difference!"

Yue Xingwen continued to ask: "So, are you seeing a static picture, or a dynamic process?"

Mao Yue was completely stunned: "..."

Yue Xingwen Wenyan explained: "I mean, what you saw was the still picture of Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife in her hand; or seeing Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife and stabbing it into Xie Xiangqin's body, this dynamic picture What about the process?"

Mao Yue was a little dizzy from Yue Xingwen's tongue-twister-like question. She scratched her head, thought carefully, and then replied: "It should be a static picture."

Yue Xingwen said: "Static pictures can be deceptive, that is to say, you are not sure about the specific process of Xie Xiangqin's death, and you did not see Zhu Xiaoting stab Xie Xiangqin in the chest. You just saw Zhu Xiaoting holding the With a knife, is that what you mean?"

Mao Yue hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

Yue Xingwen: "When you rushed back to the dormitory, you saw Zhu Xiaoting holding the murder weapon. You subconsciously thought that Zhu Xiaoting had killed someone, but there is another possibility—the murderer killed Xie Xiangqin and ran away. Zhu Xiaoting entered the dormitory and saw Xie Xiangqin lying on the ground. Going to rescue her, I accidentally touched the murder weapon. Have you ever thought about this possibility?"

Mao Yue looked bewildered: "How is this possible?"

Yue Xingwen said: "Of course it is possible. Please let the presiding judge allow me to play a video."

The presiding judge nodded, and Lin Manluo immediately took the USB flash drive and went over to connect it to the computer, and played an animation video made by Ke Shaobin on the spot, completely simulating the crime scene at the scene.

In the animation, at 5:20 in the morning, a muscular murderer stabbed Xie Xiangqin to death. Just at this time, Zhu Xiaoting came downstairs. The murderer saw Zhu Xiaoting through the window, and immediately picked up Xie Xiangqin's mobile phone. Call Zhu Xiaoting, hang up after 30 seconds, send Zhu Xiaoting a WeChat message, and escape from the west stairs.

Zhu Xiaoting took the elevator upstairs and heard footsteps coming from the stairwell, and looked at the stairwell suspiciously, but she didn't think much, and walked quickly to the dormitory.After opening the door, she saw Xie Xiangqin lying in a pool of blood. She rushed over to save him, but Mao Yue arrived later and screamed after witnessing the scene.

The animation stopped abruptly at the moment when Mao Yue screamed.

The public prosecutor frowned and said, "The defense lawyer, the animation made with hypothetical reasoning cannot be used as evidence!"

Yue Xingwen smiled and said: "Of course this is not evidence. I just want to ask the presiding judge to consider the possibility of the murderer escaping and blaming my client. We shouldn't let the murderer go, but we can't blame the innocent either!"

The presiding judge nodded for him to continue.

Yue Xingwen then looked at Mao Yue: "Zhu Xiaoting has been your roommate for four years, has she ever watched courses related to human anatomy? Or teaching videos?"

"Human anatomy?!" Mao Yue's eyes widened in surprise: "No? She is very timid. When we watched ghost movies together before, she covered her eyes."

"That is to say, in your opinion, she doesn't understand the structure of the human body?"

Mao Yue had a blank face: "I don't think you understand, right? She is from the School of Translation and Translation, and most of her study time is spent memorizing words."

Yue Xingwen then asked: "She or Xie Xiangqin, who is stronger?"

Mao Yue did not hesitate: "It should be that Xie Xiangqin is stronger. Zhu Xiaoting is the thinnest in our dormitory. She even asks boys for help to carry a bucket of water."

Yue Xingwen looked at the presiding judge and said: "My client, Zhu Xiaoting, was given laxatives on the day of the incident. She had diarrhea all night and ran to the toilet more than a dozen times. After her diarrhea improved a little, she returned to school by car. If she is going to collapse, how could she stab Xie Xiangqin's chest with a knife in such a state, and precisely stab into the aorta of the heart?"

"You must know that there is a muscle layer outside the human heart, and there are a lot of ribs in the chest. It takes a lot of strength to stab directly into the heart from the gap between the ribs, and a very good understanding of the human body structure. It is difficult for surgeons to do it. This, let alone a girl who is thin and has diarrhea all night?"

The presiding judge frowned and motioned for him to continue.

Yue Xingwen said: "Mao Yue, when you entered the dormitory building at 5:30 at the time of the case, was the door locked? Did the housekeeper stop you?"

Mao Yue shook her head: "The access control system of our dormitory is broken, and the door will open when you push it. The dormitory auntie was sleeping at the time and didn't see me, so I took the elevator upstairs directly."

Yue Xingwen: "That is to say, because the access control system and monitoring system of the No. 6 dormitory building were damaged, the auntie in charge of the dormitory was sleeping at the time of the incident, and you were not blocked in any way when entering the dormitory. Student dormitory, right?"

Mao Yue shivered and nodded stiffly: "Yes, yes."

Yue Xingwen said: "Thank you for your answer, I'm done asking."

At this point in the defense, although no substantive evidence has been presented, the seeds of doubt have quietly grown in the hearts of everyone present.

The dormitory door is broken, anyone can enter.

The deceased, a sleeper, suddenly called and sent WeChat to the defendant at 5:20.

Witnesses only saw the static picture of the defendant holding a knife, but did not see her stabbing Xie Xiangqin to death.What's more, the defendant had diarrhea all night. Anyone who has had diarrhea knows that after severe diarrhea, the whole body is exhausted, not to mention stabbing someone to death, and even killing a chicken.

Is the thin Zhu Xiaoting really the murderer?

Yue Xingwen said calmly: "Presiding judge, I would like to invite another witness from dormitory 703, Li Huijuan."