Escape the Library

【Not Guilty Defense-15】

The indictment written by the public prosecutor made Zhu Xiaoting's motive for murder, the process and methods of murder, as well as witnesses and physical evidence, all clearly written. The eyes, the eyes seemed to say - how can you kill? How are you so bad!

The malicious gazes of those strangers made Zhu Xiaoting 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 gazes of so many strangers, which made her feel ashamed.

Until the presiding judge announced: "Next, ask the defendant Zhu Xiaoting to state the incident."

Zhu Xiaoting came back to her senses when she heard her name.

Looking at the unfamiliar faces around her, her mind went blank, and she couldn't remember a word of the manuscript she had memorized before, she only 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. Obviously, out of nervousness, Zhu Xiaoting forgot everything she had memorized!

The crowd in the auditorium had a lot of discussion, and Ke Shaobin was so anxious that he could not stand on the stage to speak for her: "What's going on with this Zhu Xiaoting! Life and death are at stake, and you forgot what 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 are nervous to the point of forgetting when they attend an interview. Words, let alone a life-and-death trial? Well, we can't expect too much from her."

Jiang Pingce frowned and looked at the dock - Zhu Xiaoting's face was as pale as paper, her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and even the blood vessels on the back of her hands were clearly visible.

Her mind should be a mess at this time, let alone a speech, she can't even tell who she is.

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

The audience instantly fell silent.

Lan Yarong suddenly stood up and said politely, "Presiding Judge, my client, Zhu Xiaoting, is a 22-year-old female college student who has never experienced a solemn court trial. She was too nervous and could not calmly state the case. Could you give her half a minute to adjust? Thank you."

The presiding judge frowned, looked at Zhu Xiaoting, who was pale, and said, "Defendant, please adjust your emotions 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 the day of the crime, combined with the statement Yue Xingwen wrote to her. When she opened her eyes, her face was much calmer, and she said to the presiding judge, "I've adjusted it."

The presiding judge: "Please make a statement from the defendant."

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

"On October 25, 2021, I went to the beach barbecue organized by the Law School with my high school classmate Liu Jiajia. After the bonfire party at 22 o'clock in the evening, I suddenly began to have diarrhea, and I woke up many times to go to the beach public toilet. I couldn't sleep. The reason for my diarrhea was related to the Liu Jiajia case. The murderer, Lin Xuefei, added laxatives to my food. This has been verified by the public security organs. My lawyer will help me with the supporting materials later. "

"The continuous night of diarrhea made me miserable. When it was almost 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 Arrived at the gate of Beishan University at 10:00."

"At 5:20, I came to the downstairs of No. 6 in the girls' dormitory. The phone rang suddenly, and the caller ID was my roommate Xie Xiangqin. I was puzzled at the time, how did Xie Xiangqin know that I would come back earlier? But I didn't think much about it and picked up the phone. , there was no sound over the phone, I thought the signal was bad, so I hung up the phone, followed by 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 and open the door of the 703 dormitory, only to find Xie Xiangqin on the ground."

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

"I really wanted to save her, so I picked up my phone and was about to dial 120 to call an ambulance, but at this time my roommate Mao Yue pushed the door and came in, then screamed and shouted subjectively: 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 quickly arrived and took me as the first suspect. arrest."

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

"The conflict between Xie Xiangqin and I was just a dispute between my roommates due to disagreements, not to the point of killing people. My parents didn't have a job, so they worked hard to raise me up. Interview, what awaits me will be a great future, why should I kill someone because of a little dispute?"

"I hope the presiding judge and 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 was not calm enough, the statement she said with red eyes and a crying voice was easier to move people's hearts. Even if her statement sounded like making up a story, her "grievance" emotion was very accurate. It is enough to leave everyone with the image that she will work hard to "prove her innocence".

The logic that Yue Xingwen wrote to her is actually a bit clearer. She forgot a part of it just now, but it is not easy for a girl who is standing in court for the first time to fully explain the process of the case.

Yue Xingwen gave her an admiring look from the audience.

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

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

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

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

"That's three years ago?"

"Yes."

"Zou Yijia is your junior 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 contact information. You have secret feelings for him, but you have 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?"

"knowledge."

"She knew that 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 lip and didn't know how to answer. Lan Yarong suddenly raised her hand and said calmly, "Objection. The question raised by the prosecutor is an inductive question based on subjective inference, without any substantive evidence."

The presiding judge nodded and said, "The prosecutor please pay attention to the way you ask questions."

The young man shrugged and continued: "A month ago, did you break Xie Xiangqin's limited edition mug, she scolded you in person and asked you to lose money?"

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

"But then, you smashed a bottle of her limited-edition perfume worth thousands of yuan?"

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

"Did she ask you to lose money?"

"……Yes."

"Limited-edition mugs and limited-edition perfumes, with your family conditions and work-study income, you can't afford to pay. You and Xie Xiangqin have quarreled many times, new hatred and old hatred, 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 felt a layer of cold sweat in her palms, she whispered in Yue Xingwen's ear: "This prosecutor is using psychological tactics, smashing one question after another, it is easy to make Zhu Xiaoting's thinking confused and emotional. Collapsed, brought back a lot of bad memories, and made mistakes in answering."

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

Lan Yarong nodded.

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

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

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

Zhu Xiaoting gritted her teeth: "Yes."

Prosecutor: "When you entered, did you find a third person in the dormitory besides you and Xie Xiangqin?"

Zhu Xiaoting: "..."

Prosecutor: "There was no third person, just the two of you at that time?"

Zhu Xiaoting shook her head frantically: "I don't know! I really don't know what happened!" Lan Yarong interrupted again: "Please pay attention to the tone of the question, my client is a young college student, such aggressive questioning can easily make She had a mental breakdown."

The 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 was still the only suspect in this case. After all, at the time of the incident, only she and Xie Xiangqin were present, and she was still holding a murder weapon, a fruit knife she bought herself...

How can this be argued?

The crowd turned their attention to defense lawyers.

Lan Yarong and Yue Xingwen exchanged glances, Senior Sister Lan stood up first, and she went out first to appease Zhu Xiaoting's excitement. Senior Sister Lan is very kind when she smiles, plus she is short and looks like a young lady 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 4:00 in the morning on October 26, you couldn't bear it because of diarrhea for one night, and decided to take a taxi back to school to rest and stop participating in beach activities. This is a temporary decision, right? ?"

Zhu Xiaoting nodded immediately: "Yes."

"Have you told Xie Xiangqin about your taxi back to school at 4:30?"

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

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

Zhu Xiaoting seemed to have caught the key, and immediately followed the question and said, "Of course she doesn't know. I had diarrhea because someone secretly took laxatives. It was an accident, and I didn't even expect it."

Lan Yarong asked: "She knew that you went to the beach barbecue organized by the Law School and could only come back on Sunday night, why did she suddenly call you at 5:20 on Saturday morning, before it was completely bright, What about sending WeChat? Isn’t most people sleeping at this time?”

Zhu Xiaoting said doubtfully, "I was very surprised when I got the call. I decided to go back to school on a temporary basis. Why does she seem to know that I'm coming back?"

"Didn't you just walk downstairs in the dormitory when she called you? It's directly opposite the balcony window of the dormitory 703?"

"That's right."

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

"I can recognize it."

"Are you sure it's Xie Xiangqin who called you?" Lan Yarong looked at her gently and asked.

Zhu Xiaoting was stunned for a while, and when she realized what Lan Yarong meant, she immediately said, "I'm not sure, I didn't hear her voice. After the call was connected, there was no sound. Following that, Xie Xiangqin's account was sent to me. WeChat!"

The prosecutor suddenly interrupted: "The defense lawyer has 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 lacking energy?"

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

Lan Yarong: "Did you hear footsteps going upstairs when you took the elevator to the 7th floor?"

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 it then?"

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

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

Zhu Xiaoting said: "Although I hate her, we have been roommates for four years after all. She was calling for help, and I couldn't stand by! I really thought she was just accidentally injured and bleeding, and when I got closer, I found that she had a stick in her chest. 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 completely dazed. I went to grab her hand and wanted to help her, but I accidentally touched the murder weapon. The first time I encountered this kind of thing, I really very nervous!"

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

The audience was quiet enough to hear the needle drop, and the expressions on the faces of the people in the auditorium became more and more dazed.

Although the evidence presented by the prosecutor sounds impeccable, Lan Yarong's several questions are also very critical - Zhu Xiaoting suddenly returned to the dormitory halfway through, why did her roommate call her as soon as she got downstairs? Isn't this timing too coincidental?

******

【Not Guilty Defense-16】

This is the end of the prosecution and defense's questioning of Zhu Xiaoting. Next comes the appearance of witnesses. As the witness of the prosecution, the first person to call out was the witness and reporter Mao Yue.

The questions the prosecutor asked her all revolved around the pictures 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 all-night study room for self-study, and rushed back to the dormitory at 5:30 in the morning. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Zhu Xiaoting holding a **** knife. Xie Xiangqin was lying in a big pool of blood, with his eyes closed as if he was dead. I was terrified and couldn't help screaming. There were only Xie Xiangqin and Zhu Xiaoting at the scene, and there was no third person."

Lan Yarong glanced at Yue Xingwen and nodded at him.

The strategy of the two today is that Senior Sister Lan is in charge of Zhu Xiaoting, stabilizes her emotions, and raises doubts about the case by asking Zhu Xiaoting. Yue Xingwen aimed at other witnesses, looking for loopholes in the testimony of the witnesses invited by the prosecution. Finally, the more professional Senior Sister Lan concludes the speech.

Yue Xingwen stood up, walked in front of Mao Yue, and asked politely, "Hello 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 eats lunch directly."

Yue Xingwen said, "In the past four years, has she woken up suddenly at 5 am on weekends many times?"

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 debates many times, and her ability to grasp the key is really good - Xie Xiangqin, a girl who likes to sleep in late, suddenly woke up at 5:30 in the morning on Saturday to make a phone call.

Sure enough, the presiding judge also looked puzzled when he heard this.

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

Mao Yue nodded immediately: "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes, there will be no difference!"

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

Mao Yue was completely stunned: "..."

Yue Xingwen explained warmly: "I mean, what you see is a still picture of Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife in his hand; you still see Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife and stabbing Xie Xiangqin's body, this dynamic What about the process?"

Mao Yue was a little dazed by Yue Xingwen's tongue twister-like question, she scratched her head, thought about it carefully, and then replied, "It should be a static picture."

Yue Xingwen said: "The static picture is deceptive, that is to say, you are not sure about the specific process of Xie Xiangqin's death, nor did you see Zhu Xiaoting stab Xie Xiangqin in the chest. 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, and subconsciously thought that Zhu Xiaoting had murdered, but there was still a possibility-the murderer killed Xie Xiangqin and ran away, Zhu Xiaoting entered the dormitory and saw Xie Xiangqin lying on the ground, thinking about it. Going to save her, accidentally touched the murder weapon. Have you thought about this possibility?"

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

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

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

I saw in the animation, at 5:20 in the morning, a sturdy murderer stabbed Xie Xiangqin to death, just at this moment, Zhu Xiaoting came downstairs, the murderer saw Zhu Xiaoting through the window, followed by picking up Xie Xiangqin's mobile phone, Call Zhu Xiaoting, hang up after 30 seconds, send a WeChat message to Zhu Xiaoting, and run away from the stairs on the west side.

Zhu Xiaoting took the elevator upstairs and heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. She glanced 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 people, but Mao Yue arrived later, witnessed this scene, and screamed.

The animation stopped abruptly at the moment Mao Yue screamed.

The prosecutor frowned and said, "Defense lawyers, animations 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 and motioned for him to continue.

Yue Xingwen followed and looked at Mao Yue: "Zhu Xiaoting and your four-year roommate, has she ever watched a course related to human anatomy? Or a teaching video?"

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

"In other words, in your opinion, she doesn't understand the structure of the human body?"

Mao Yue's face was blank: "I don't think she understands, right? She is from the translation academy, and most of her study time is spent reciting words."

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

Mao Yue didn't hesitate: "It should be Xie Xiangqin's strength. Zhu Xiaoting is the thinnest in our dormitory. She has to ask boys for help even when she moves 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 crime, had diarrhea all night, and ran to the toilet more than a dozen times. After the diarrhea improved a little, she returned to school by car, almost completely healthy. If she wants to collapse, how can she stab Xie Xiangqin in the chest with a knife in such a state, and accurately stab the aorta of the heart?"

"You must know that there are muscle layers outside the human heart, as well as a large number of ribs in the chest area. It takes a lot of strength to stab the heart directly from the rib space, and the human body has a very good understanding of the structure. It is difficult for surgeons to do it. This, let alone a thin girl who has been diarrhoea 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, was the door of the dormitory building locked, did the dormitory aunt stop you?"

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

Yue Xingwen: "That is to say, because the access control system and monitoring system of No. 6 dormitory building were damaged, the dormitory aunt was sleeping at the time of the incident, and you were not blocked in any way when you entered the dormitory. Others can also enter this building unimpeded. Student dormitory, right?"

Mao Yue's back was hairy, and she 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 suspicion have quietly grown in the hearts of everyone at the scene.

The dormitory door is broken, anyone can enter.

The deceased, a person who liked to sleep in, suddenly called the defendant and sent WeChat at 5:20.

Witnesses only saw a static picture of the defendant holding a knife, but did not see her stab Xie Xiangqin to death. What's more, the defendant had diarrhea all night, and anyone who had diarrhea knows that after severe diarrhea, the whole body loses strength.

Is the thin Zhu Xiaoting really the murderer?

Yue Xingwen said calmly, "Presiding Judge, I want to call out another witness in the 703 dormitory, classmate Li Huijuan."