Andrew knew there was no point in playing tough anymore.
He was emotionally shattered, repeatedly slamming his head against the interrogation chair, sobbing uncontrollably with snot and tears streaming down his face.
But those tears were clearly out of fear of legal punishment—worthless, just like crocodile tears.
There might have been a bit of regret, but it was useless now.
If only he had known this day would come, why did he ever start?
...
Three hours later, with enough evidence already on hand to convict him.
Andrew finally spilled the beans on how he lured the victim into his car and detailed every step of the crime, including his psychological shifts, leaving nothing out.
With Andrew's confession and the evidence previously collected, the murder case moved forward rapidly.
Joseph, who was morally compromised but not directly involved in the crime, got pulled out of the mess by his wife. However, his affair came to light, and he ended up losing everything, including the shares in the trading company he owned, which his father-in-law mercilessly took back. From a wealthy businessman to hitting rock bottom, his former glory and assets were gone.
Charlie, who committed theft and desecration of the victim's body, faced multiple charges. However, due to his cooperative attitude and the fact that his actions didn't lead to severe consequences, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
As for Andrew, the murderer in this case, the judge reviewed the files multiple times and delivered a fair trial.
Since the victim had already ended their relationship, there was no betrayal involved, just Andrew's relentless harassment.
Andrew had premeditated the murder, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment act during an argument. It was a deliberate act of murder.
Instead of turning himself in after the murder, he chose to dispose of the body and evade capture, causing significant social harm.
He also tried to bluff his way through police interrogations without confessing to the crime, leaving no room for a lighter sentence.
He was ultimately sentenced to death.
Of course, the details of the court proceedings and Andrew's appeal against the verdict are stories for another time.
...
Three days after the incident.
Andrew was already sent to the detention center, waiting for his sentence.
In less than a day, this murder case was solved, primarily led by the newly graduated Ethan, which was nothing short of remarkable.
But solving cases is what detectives do, and Ethan had just had his probationary period shortened.
So, the police department didn't offer any special rewards, just a $500 bonus at the end of the month.
Back at the East End Detective Bureau.
Ethan was once again analyzing various clues and files related to the Gotham University dismemberment case.
Murders don't happen every day.
In his downtime, analyzing cold case files was also proving fruitful.
Meanwhile, Miles had fully shifted to forensic technology.
He was now learning how to repair phones, restore data, and analyze urban surveillance systems from his seniors.
Detectives and patrol officers are different.
They might not handle a high volume of cases each year, but the cases they do handle are usually significant.
So, if a case is solved quickly, there's quite a bit of downtime.
Like now, Lucas, also waiting for his next assignment, leisurely approached Ethan with a steaming cup of latte in hand.
Lucas glanced at the computer screen, blew the steam off his coffee, took a sip, and casually asked, "The 5.13 dismemberment case files?"
"Did Chief Colt have you look into this? Found anything new or useful?"
Ethan didn't look up from his screen, just shook his head slightly and sighed, "There's a bit of new info, sure, but whether it's useful for a case that's twenty years old... I'm not so sure."
"Twenty years is a long time. If I had been at the crime scene back then, maybe I could've caught some clues the killer left behind."
"But now, it's really tough. However, I can say one thing for sure..."
"If this guy strikes again, with his unique MO, we'll definitely dig up more clues!"
Clearly, Ethan was confident in his skills.
Over the past few days, by analyzing these files, Ethan had begun to suspect...
The 5.13 Gotham University dismemberment wasn't as perfect or unsolvable as it seemed.
It was just that twenty years ago, forensic methods were primitive, and the initial investigation went in the wrong direction, allowing the killer to remain free.
For instance, after the dismemberment, the focus was mostly on finding other body parts and exploring the victim's social connections.
They didn't analyze the body parts promptly, letting potential clues slip away.
Standing beside him, Lucas raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Ethan's findings. "Really, Ethan? We've practically worn out those files, and you found something new?"
"When I first got to the Detective Bureau, Chief Colt had me go through this case too. Didn't we check everything already? Where could there be new clues?"
"But you're right about one thing."
"If this cold case killer dares to strike again, with today's surveillance tech and forensic methods, we'll definitely catch him!"
"But unfortunately..."
"It's been nearly twenty years, and it's like the dismemberment killer just vanished into thin air. No similar crimes have surfaced in all these years."
"Sometimes I wonder if the killer might not even be alive anymore."
"Or maybe..."
"Could a killer capable of such a brutal crime be so aware and restrained, not committing any crimes to avoid giving us a chance to catch him?"
"What the reason is, we just don't know."
"Or maybe, if Chief Colt hadn't kept this case alive in his mind, it might have been forgotten, and the real killer never found."
Back when forensic tech wasn't as advanced, there were plenty of cold cases that remained unsolved and eventually faded into history.
Cases like the Gotham University dismemberment that get brought up now and then are really... rare!
At that moment, Lucas sighed softly, shook his head, and continued, "I've said a lot."
"Back to the point, Ethan, what exactly did you find?"
Ethan didn't comment much on Lucas's reflections. He opened up some photos of the victim's body he had saved from the files and spoke seriously, "Lucas, many have tried to profile the dismemberment killer—skilled with a blade, strong psychologically, likely has severe OCD, but nothing that could pinpoint an identity."
"But from the cuts and muscle tissue on the victim's body, I noticed something."
"The killer's understanding of human anatomy exceeds what we initially thought because he used his non-dominant hand to make the cuts on the victim's body."
"To put it simply."
"The killer is left-handed!!!"