【Not Guilty Defense-15】

The prosecutor wrote this indictment to clearly write Zhu Xiaoting's motive, murder process and methods, as well as witnesses and physical evidence. After listening to the indictment, the crowd in the auditorium cast disgust at Zhu Xiaoting. That look seems 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, she couldn't remember a word from the manuscript before, she only stammered and trembled: "No murder."

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!

There was a lot of discussion among the audience in the auditorium, 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 the manuscript 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 court dock for the first time. Many people are so nervous that they forget their words during an interview. Not to mention the 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 backs of her hands were clearly visible. "chaotic" situation.

At this time, her mind should be "chaotic" and become a pot of porridge, 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 stood up suddenly and said politely, "President Zhu, the 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. She adjusted the time in half a minute? Thanks."

The presiding judge frowned, looked at Zhu Xiaoting, whose face was pale, and said, "Defendant, please adjust your mind 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 others."

Zhu Xiaoting took a deep breath, closed her eyes and carefully recalled the day of the incident, 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, "It's adjusted."

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, it's 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 Law School to organize a beach barbecue with my high school classmate Liu Jiajia. After the bonfire party at 22 o'clock in the evening, I suddenly started to have diarrhea, and I woke up many times to go to the beach public toilet. I couldn't sleep all night. The cause of diarrhea is related to the case of Liu Jiajia. The murderer, Lin Xuefei, added laxatives to my food, which has been verified by the public security organs, and the lawyer will help me with the supporting materials later."

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

"At 5:20, I came to the downstairs of No. 6 in the girls' dormitory. The phone rang suddenly, and the caller ID was Xie Xiangqin, my roommate. There was no sound on the other side of the phone, thinking that the signal was not good, hung up the phone, followed by a message on WeChat, which was sent by Xie Xiangqin, the content was 'there should be a break between us', put away the phone and take the elevator on the west side Building, opened the door of the 703 dormitory, and found that Xie Xiangqin fell to the ground."

Recalling the bloody 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. She thought she was injured and ran over to help her up. Only then did I realize that there was a knife "inserted" in her chest, and the blood was still gushing out. She grabbed my hand tightly, opened her mouth to talk to her, and tried to stop the bleeding while holding her. The reason for the accidental encounter with 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. A suspect was arrested."

"I know that the evidence is very unfavorable, but I still want to say that there is no murder!"

"The conflict with Xie Xiangqin is just a dispute between roommates due to disagreements, not to the point of killing people. My parents do not have jobs, and they have worked hard to raise them. Great future, why kill people because of a little dispute?"

"I hope the presiding judge and the judges will be fair! They were 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" was very good. It is enough for everyone to leave the image that she has to 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 for a girl standing in court for the first time, it is not easy 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, "There are 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, when did you like Zou Yijia?"

Zhu Xiaoting's face 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 professional junior brother. 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 were secretly jealous of him, but you never dared to confess. why?"

"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 a subjectively inferred question of sexuality, and there is no substantial evidence of sexuality."

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 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 together with the face wash 'milk'. When she took the face wash 'milk', she accidentally knocked over the perfume bottle. It wasn't intentional."

"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 died Is it alright?"

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

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 will easily confuse Zhu Xiaoting's thinking. ’, the thread collapsed, brought back a lot of bad memories, and there was a mistake in answering.”

Yue Xing's expression was serious: "Senior sister, if he asks any more inappropriate questions, we will interrupt him immediately."

Lan Yarong nodded.

The prosecutor began to ask about the incident: "When Mao 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: "The prosecutor please pay attention to the tone of the question. The person involved is a young college student. Such an aggressive question will easily make her psychologically broken."

The prosecutor said slightly: "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, she went out first to appease Zhu Xiaoting's excitement. Senior Sister Lan was very kind when she got up, plus she was short and looked like a young lady next door, like a girl, Zhu Xiaoting trusted her very much, and it was 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. Diarrhea is because someone secretly took the laxative 'medicine'. It was an accident, and I didn't even expect it."

Lan Yarong asked: "She knew that you went to the Law School to organize a beach barbecue and could only come back on Sunday night, why did she suddenly call you at 5:20 on Saturday morning, before it was fully bright, and send you a WeChat message? What? Aren't most people sleeping at this time?"

Zhu Xiaoting said with doubt: "It was very strange when I received the call. She decided to go back to school on a temporary basis. Why does she seem to know that she is going to come back?"

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

"That's right."

"You didn't wear a mask and hat at the time. If someone in dormitory 703 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 sent a WeChat message!"

The prosecutor suddenly interrupted: "The defense lawyer has been asking hypothetical 'sex' 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 strength?"

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

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

Zhu Xiaoting: "Yes, someone went up the stairs from 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 back to the dormitory."

Lan Yarong: "You don't get along with Xie Xiangqin. When you went back to the dormitory to see 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, so she couldn't just stand by! I really thought she was just accidentally injured and bleeding, and when I got closer, I realized that a knife was 'inserted' in her chest. !"

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

"I didn't expect it to be murder! She was talking to her, and she was dazed at the time. She grabbed her hand to help her, and accidentally touched the murder weapon. It was the first time I encountered such a thing, I was really nervous!"

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

The audience was so quiet that you could hear needles falling, and the expressions on the faces of the people in the auditorium became more and more dazed.

Although the evidence presented by the prosecutor sounded impeccable, Lan Yarong's several questions were 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 eyewitness and reporter "Mao" Yue.

All the questions the prosecutor asked her 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 and vividly: "Go to the school's all-night study room for self-study, rush back to the dormitory at 5:30 in the morning, and see Zhu Xiaoting take it as soon as the door opens. With a bloody knife, Xie Xiangqin lay in a large pool of blood, with his eyes closed, as if he was dead, frightened, and screamed uncontrollably. 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 thread, 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 very gracefully, "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 moment, 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 suddenly woken up 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 many debates, and her ability to grasp the key is really "excellent" - Xie Xiangqin, a girl who likes to sleep in, suddenly woke up at 5:30 in the morning on Saturday to make a phone call.

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

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, 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: "It means, what you see is the still picture of Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife in his hand; or do you see Zhu Xiaoting holding a knife and stabbing Xie Xiangqin's body, what about this dynamic 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, and you did not see Zhu Xiaoting stab Xie Xiangqin in the chest. You only saw Zhu Xiaoting's hand. With a knife in it, 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 killed, but there is still a possibility - the murderer killed Xie Xiangqin and then ran away, Zhu Xiaoting entered the dormitory and saw Xie Xiangqin fell to the ground, she wanted to go Save her, accidentally touched the murder weapon. Have you ever thought about this possibility of "sex"?"

"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 burly 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 and giving it to her. Zhu Xiaoting made a call, hung up after 30 seconds, sent a WeChat message to Zhu Xiaoting, and ran 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 in confusion, 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 when "Mao" Yue screamed.

The prosecutor frowned and said, "Defense lawyers, animations made with hypothetical 'sex' 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 the parties. We shouldn't let the murderer go, but we shouldn'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 human body structure?"

"Mao" Yue had a blank face: "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 and 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, "Zhu Xiaoting, the client, was given diarrhea medicine on the day of the crime. She 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. She is almost collapsed, how could she stab Xie Xiangqin's chest with a single knife in this state, and accurately stab into the aorta of the heart?"

"You must know that there are muscle layers on the outside of the human heart, and there are a lot of ribs in the chest. It takes a lot of strength to stab the heart directly from the rib space, and you have a very good understanding of the human body. It is difficult for surgeons to do this. One point, what about 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 of our dormitory is broken, and the door will open when you push it. The dormitory aunt was sleeping and didn't look at it, so she 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 for a while, and she nodded stiffly: "Yes, yes."

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

The defense entered here, and although there was still no substantial "sex" evidence, the seeds of suspicion had quietly grown in the hearts of everyone present.

The dormitory door is broken, anyone can enter.

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

Witnesses only saw a static image of the defendant holding a knife, but did not watch her stab Xie Xiangqin to death.What's more, the defendant stretched his stomach all night. Anyone who has had a bowel movement knows that he lost his strength after severe diarrhea. Not to mention stabbing a person to death, he didn't even have the strength to kill a chicken.

Thin Zhu Xiaoting, is she really a murderer?

Yue Xingwen said calmly, "The presiding judge, I would like to invite another witness in the 703 dormitory, Li Huijuan."