Chapter 962 - 418: Missing Crucial Evidence
"Combining two crimes, it is recommended to sentence Zhang San to fourteen years in prison."
Zhao Baiqin's voice clearly echoed in the courtroom.
Zhang San committed the crime of child trafficking, which is beyond doubt.
As for the intentional murder charge...
Zhang San, knowing that the other party intended to kill a dog, falsely claimed the elementary school student as a dog and sold him to the other party.
The outcome for the elementary school student was foreseeable.
Using someone else's hand to carry out the murder naturally constitutes intentional murder.
"Li Si, as the restaurant owner, purchased the dog in the sack for 50 yuan and instructed Wang Wu to kill it. However, hearing the screams of a person midway, he did not stop it and committed the crime of negligent homicide."
"Wang Wu, as the chef, followed Li Si's instructions to kill the dog. Similarly, upon hearing the screams of a person, he did not stop and committed the crime of negligent homicide, being an accessory."
"Therefore, we recommend sentencing Li Si to four years in prison and Wang Wu to two years..."
Zhao Baiqin continued to accuse.
Throughout, he held his head high, his expression full of confidence.
Before the trial began.
He consulted other top lawyers in the field of criminal defense.
Meticulously pondered the case from every angle.
In terms of the direction of the accusation...
There were no issues either, clearly incriminating Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu.
The death of the elementary school student is directly causally related to Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu.
All three should bear corresponding criminal responsibility for the student's death.
"Dong——"
After the Qianzhou side's lawyer spoke, the Judgment Chief looked towards Qin Mu's side: "You may respond to the above accusations."
Zhang Wei, upon hearing this, subconsciously looked at Qin Mu.
Although he had some ideas about the case, he still didn't rush forward.
Instead, he chose...
To continue to let things be and enjoy the outcome.
Soon.
Qin Mu stood up from his seat, facing everyone in the mock court.
He said in a deep voice, "We believe that the accusations against our client are biased and unfounded!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
His words attracted the attention of many present.
Especially the top lawyers in the audience seats.
In their hearts, an identical speculation arose.
"He's not going to... make a plea of innocence, is he?"
As it stands.
Zhao Baiqin's accusation against the three, legally and substantively, had no issues.
The actions of the three...
Fully adhered to the constitution of these criminal charges.
Both subjectively and objectively, they are unified!
"Firstly, the accusations against our client Zhang San are reasonable and lawful, without any discrepancy."
Following that.
Qin Mu continued calmly, "However, our clients Li Si and Wang Wu were completely unaware of the situation and are also victims of deception. We believe that neither is guilty."
His voice was calm and steady, forming a stark contrast to Zhao Baiqin's vigorous tone.
But...
It caused Zhao Baiqin's pupils to widen suddenly.
A plea of innocence!
Qin Mu, facing them, dared to propose a plea of innocence!
Meanwhile in the audience seats.
The expressions of the people varied.
Many gasped in astonishment; Qin Mu's direction once again astounded them.
"A plea of innocence? How is he planning to argue innocence? I checked the original case documents again, and there's no point for a plea of innocence."
"All the evidence aligns, I couldn't see any loopholes in the case at all."
"Could it be... Qin Mu discovered a point we all overlooked?"
"Are we so many collectively inferior to him alone?"
"..."
The expressions of the crowd turned peculiar.
Many of them had advised Zhao Baiqin before the trial, even offering suggestions.
No one had spotted anything amiss in this case.
Unless...
Qin Mu concocted a loophole out of thin air!
...
Simultaneously.
Study Law Alliance Forum.
"Good heavens! UP is going for a plea of innocence again! Outlaw, absolute outlaw!"
"There is no wrong name, only wrong nickname! UP dares to plead innocence in any case."
"In this case, all three committed crimes, right? Can he even justify that?"
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"Zhang San is a trafficker, death is too good for him, but honestly, Li Si and Wang Wu are a bit wronged, caught up in this mess due to negligence..."
"..."
The netizens' attitude towards human traffickers…
Remarkably unanimous, with no one sympathizing with Zhang San.
Instead, they feel that Li Si and Wang Wu…
Are pitiful and unlucky.
They had no criminal intent, yet they are charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Anyone in their shoes would feel unjust.
"Are there any big shots in the forum? Come help analyze this case, guess from which angle UP will defend?"
"This isn't something an ordinary person can guess, UP's thought process has never been normal."
"Is the angle of legal interests useful? Li Si and Wang Wu's actions objectively did infringe upon the student's right to life; it seems like there's no room for defense."
"Stop worrying senselessly, just be patient and watch, I've already taken out my notebook to take notes."
"If UP can also pull off a not-guilty defense in this case, then that lawyer is truly terrifying."
"..."
The netizens lamented endlessly.
They increasingly understood the terrifying aspect of a top-tier lawyer.
In this age of the rule of law.
Understanding the law absolutely doesn't hurt, and top lawyers can often argue black into white, living into dead.
Just like Qin Mu.
They even thought of…
If one day they unintentionally committed a crime, they would specifically find Qin Mu to defend them.
Outlaw, nothing more or less!
...
Shanghai.
In the conference hall.
In a certain office.
"Tsk tsk tsk, fearless as a newborn calf, is he going for a not-guilty defense again?"
Huang Qinglin looked at the live monitor screen on the computer with a playful smile on his face.
This topic…
Was one he personally came up with, mainly to test the litigation capabilities of the lawyers on both sides.
From the perspective of the topic itself.
Neither the defendant nor the prosecution has an absolute advantage.
This case can fully highlight the gap in litigation skills between both sides.
But…
He didn't expect that Qin Mu would plan to take an unconventional approach and choose the path of a not-guilty defense.
"I want to see how he plans to argue not-guilty."
Next to him, Rao Zhengde put down his cup of water, looking on expectantly.
He was also quite interested in Qin Mu's defense strategy.
And on the computer screen.
The mock trial continued.
They soon moved into the evidence submission and examination phase.
The lawyer on Zhao Baiqin's side first presented a series of evidence.
Including witness testimonies, physical evidence, confessions, etc.
The witnesses are those who saw Zhang San carrying out the kidnapping, Zhang San's motive to commit the crime, etc.
The physical evidence includes the sack Zhang San used for kidnapping, and more.
The confessions are Zhang San's voluntary admission of those criminal acts and a whole set of complete evidence chains.
"In terms of evidence handling, Zhao Baiqin is still perfect."
Seeing this,
Rao Zhengde offered a fair comment.
As a criminal defense lawyer.
One must not only be proficient in their own field but also understand the relevant processes of the prosecution.
Only then can they know themselves and their enemy, winning every battle.
In organizing the evidence chain, Zhao Baiqin could get a score of 90 out of 100.
However…
Before he finished speaking, he saw Qin Mu stand up and counter: "The aforementioned evidence indeed has no problem, but it lacks a crucial piece of evidence to accuse my clients Li Si and Wang Wu."
Seeing this, Rao Zhengde was stunned.
He had just evaluated that Zhao Baiqin's handling of the evidence was perfect.
And was then immediately refuted by Qin Mu.
The key is that he didn't know what critical evidence Qin Mu was talking about.
Luckily, Qin Mu didn't keep them guessing, and directly said: "My clients Li Si and Wang Wu were indeed in the kitchen and overlooked checking the sack timely, leading to a tragedy."
"But… according to the forensic autopsy, it was found that the child's cause of death was a head injury."
As Qin Mu spoke, he laid out the relevant evidence.
These pieces of evidence…
Are also clearly stated in the original case text, that the child had three bruises on their body: head, hand, and leg injuries.
The head injury was the fatal one.
"But your submitted evidence cannot prove that the child's head injury was caused by my clients Li Si and Wang Wu. We believe that the blows from Li Si and Wang Wu only resulted in leg and hand injuries, which were not fatal."
At this point,
Qin Mu paused for a moment, allowing everyone present to react.
Then he said quietly: "According to the relevant principles of criminal proceedings, when there are doubts about crucial evidence in a case, one can only make assumptions in favor of the suspect!"