Chapter 134 - 90: Bloody Slaughter

If he were to flip the table right now... it would definitely force Zhang Wei to deny everything and refuse to plead guilty!

For example.

Just imagine.

Suppose you are the defense attorney, Zhang Wei. The opposition has just produced irrefutable evidence, and you can’t argue your way out of it. Given that your client was a minor at the time of the crime, possessing the protection that status affords, what would you do?

You’d plead guilty, of course. Admitting guilt means there’s a chance for a reduced sentence, and as long as the sentence is reduced on the basis of her being a minor, you can win the case!

But what if...

The opposing counsel flipped the table right at the start of the trial, stripping away your client’s juvenile status.

What would you do then?

Still plead guilty? No way!

Without the protection of being a minor, she would be sentenced as an adult. Based on what Huang Shi has described, that would be enough to get Liu Jingqi the death penalty three times over. Even if he’d been kicked in the head by a donkey, Zhang Wei would have to deny everything at that point, refusing to plead guilty no matter what.

He would have to throw a tantrum, cause a scene, disrupt the proceedings—anything to stop the conviction from being finalized!

A conviction means death. Death means a lost case. And a lost case means he’d be left in tears.

Therefore.

If Xu De had any sense at all...

’First, I’ll play a little trick.’

’A trick involving Liu Jingqi’s juvenile status, one that will make you willing—even eager—to cooperate and plead guilty.’

Xu De’s eyes narrowed, the corners of his lips curling into a slight smile.

’As long as the defendant pleads guilty, sealing her fate...’

’I’ll immediately overturn her death penalty exemption, forcing her to face the court’s judgment with no protection whatsoever!’

In other words,

it was a trap.

A massive, gaping trap!

He would make Zhang Wei proactively and voluntarily help Liu Jingqi plead guilty. Once that plea was entered, the result couldn’t be reversed. And after the plea comes the conviction phase...

And as mentioned earlier, what was the purpose of Xu De’s trump card?

It was a table-flipping piece of definitive evidence that would completely derail the ’conviction and sentencing’ process!

Even if Zhang Wei realized what was happening by then, it would be too late. The guilty plea would already be on record, bringing the conviction phase to a close right before sentencing...

His awakening would only mean he’d have to watch, helpless, as he was caught in a brutal, savage slaughter, chewed up and swallowed whole.

At the same time, however, it could also be called a psychological game of surgical precision!

So...

"Regarding the conviction phase,"

"the prosecution has no further evidence to add."

Xu De spoke calmly, his expression perfectly normal. No one could have guessed the horrifying plan hidden behind this scene.

This was the advantage of not presenting his evidence yet.

If he had presented it... heh, Zhang Wei would have resisted fiercely, unlike now, where he was walking meekly into the trap.

"Very well."

On the judge’s bench,

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin nodded, not noticing anything unusual. He turned to the defense table.

"To the defense, do you have any objections?"

As he finished speaking,

all eyes in the courtroom instantly focused on the defense table, on the lawyer, Zhang Wei.

Even the reporters crowded by the doorway outside the courtroom held their breath, listening intently.

As for Zhang Wei...

"Yes, we have an objection to state!"

"Your Honor, regarding the defendant, Liu Jingqi, there is one point our side wishes to declare before stating our objection."

He took a deep breath, and under immense pressure, he began to speak in a low, steady voice:

"The defendants, Liu Jingqi, Jiang Yu, and Qiao Wang, were all minors at the time of the incident."

"Their mental and emotional development was immature, which makes their crime fundamentally different from a malicious crime committed by an adult!"

At his words,

the three judges nodded in acknowledgement.

This statement was one of the very reasons for the law’s existence.

It might be difficult to understand, but in reality, even if the actions of the two groups are identical, there is indeed a fundamental difference, which is why the Juvenile Protection Law exists.

"Continue," Zhang Bingxin said.

Zhang Wei nodded.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately steeled his resolve and said,

"First, there are four points our side wishes to make clear."

"The defendant, Liu Jingqi, from a subjective standpoint, had no intent..."

He had barely gotten the words out,

but before he could finish, Prosecutor Huang Shi suddenly cut him off.

"Objection."

"Defense Counsel, I must remind you that the case witness, Lv Guangjun, has already clearly stated that the defendant had intent to kill. His testimony corresponds perfectly with the evidence from the scene."

Huang Shi stared at him, refusing to back down an inch.

"The defendant’s subjective criminal intent is clear. There’s no need for further debate!"

Hearing this,

the crowd outside the courtroom, who could just barely make out the words, raised their eyebrows, inwardly amazed.

Huang Shi... he was becoming just like Hu Guang, adopting that same hardline attitude, even willing to disrupt the court’s order.

Of course, this would obviously draw a rebuke from the presiding judge.

"Prosecutor, do not interrupt another’s statement!"

Zhang Bingxin immediately reprimanded him, then looked to Zhang Wei.

"Defense Counsel, please continue."

Hearing this, Zhang Wei felt a bitter taste in his mouth, a sour feeling welling up inside him.

’I had Lv Guangjun testify to corroborate our story and increase credibility... How did he suddenly become a witness for the prosecution!?’

Fortunately,

at this point, Zhang Wei wasn’t too concerned about the conviction itself.

He had already formulated a defensive strategy. As long as he played to his strengths, he could absolutely limit the sentence to a maximum of 15 years!

Zhang Wei took a deep breath, stroking his chin in thought for a moment before speaking:

"Your Honor, first."

"The extent of my client’s actions was limited, and her methods... were not particularly cruel."

In reality, the methods were exceptionally cruel.

There were needles, humiliation, and beatings.

The medical examiner’s autopsy of Yang Jiale even found fragments of hair in her stomach.

But...

this was a trial. He was a lawyer. Even though he knew the truth in his heart, he had to play dumb and lie through his teeth!

"Second!"

"Second, in this case, my client did not commit a clear act of murder."

Zhang Wei began to emphasize his key points.

"The victim, Yang Jiale, died from a fall. She was not directly killed by the defendant. This does not constitute premeditated murder!"

As he spoke,

a voice shot back from the prosecutor’s table.

"Objection!"

"Defense Counsel, the evidence clearly states that Yang Jiale fell from the building as a direct result of Liu Jingqi’s actions."

"Furthermore, the conflict between them began in the morning when Lv Guangjun informed the defendant. That was nearly five hours before the incident occurred!"

Huang Shi highlighted a key piece of evidence.

As a prosecutor, his ability to press charges was outstanding.

The only reason he had been unable to surpass Hu Guang in the past was because he was too by-the-book. But after seeing Xu De’s methods, he suddenly felt that...

occasionally breaking the rules... seemed to yield excellent results?

Huang Shi continued,

"A five-hour interval, and being armed, clearly indicates this was not a crime of passion, but ’murder’!"

Generally speaking, deciding to act after more than an hour is considered murder.

Let alone nearly five hours.

Zhang Wei was losing his patience.

A flicker of anger crossed his face as he slammed his hand on the table and retorted,

"Prosecutor, my client was not armed when the conflict began, nor was she armed at any point before the incident!"

"All weapons were gathered on the spot at the scene of the crime! This point proves that my client had no premeditated intent to murder!"

"If you interrupt me again without permission, our side will..."

He trailed off,

then said in a low, grave voice, "have no choice but to request your recusal from this case!"

Suddenly,

the air crackled with tension.

Going head-to-head with the prosecutor? If Xu De could do it, why couldn’t he, Zhang Wei!

After all, when it came down to it, the other party wasn’t even a ’senior attorney,’ while he was already a Gold Medal Lawyer!

At this thought,

fury gave him courage, and he met Huang Shi’s gaze with an angry glare.

Fortunately, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin was not an unreasonable man. His brow furrowed, his tone laced with displeasure.

"Prosecutor, this is your first warning!"

"Do not disrupt the court’s proceedings, or I have the authority to have you recused from this case!"

At the prosecutor’s table,

Huang Shi nodded, but he didn’t seem to care.

’As long as I’m not recused, any warning before a victory is just bullshit. It’s completely meaningless.’

Seeing this,

Zhang Wei refocused. He paused for a moment, then continued,

"Third."

"The scene of the crime, Lusen City No. 18 Middle School... bears an undeniable responsibility!"