2.
If he stops and gets stuck, it means our evidence will be directly overturned.
The surroundings were quiet, with the video recorder flashing red lights. The camera aimed at the window and recorded everything.
First the legs, then the torso, as the security guard's head smoothly slipped in, I released my clenched fist. If this security guard can pass smoothly, then Tian Hua is also fine.
The dust trace left by the security guard at the window when he entered is exactly the same as that shown in the scene photo, which indicates that the murderer climbed into the scene from this window. Our initial judgment was correct.
The lawyer's first question was nailed to a nail.
We packed up our tools and prepared to lock the door and leave. At some point, dozens of nearby villagers had already gathered outside.
As we came out, a few people in the front row of the crowd lowered their heads slightly and muttered, "Didn't everyone catch that case? Why are you still here,
His eyes couldn't stop glancing at us, and he kept muttering, 'I heard that Tian Hua was about to be executed, but he was calling for justice at the execution ground. It was said that he wanted to be investigated again.'"
Do you think it's really the police framing us? I heard from Tian Hua's wife that he's very timid and can't possibly kill anyone, "I turned to pass by these villagers and their discussions." Who knows, nowadays the police can't solve any cases except for issuing fines to us
Although I am only a forensic expert and do not issue fines or arrest people, I am a police officer and wearing police uniform makes it difficult for me to argue with them.
As soon as I returned to the unit, the command center informed me that a newspaper wanted to interview me about this case.
After 'leaving people behind', the media's attention to the case has become increasingly close. The news website has created a real-time updated case specific webpage; After interviewing Tian Hua's family members, various media outlets brought in "experts" to analyze, and even villagers living near Tian Hua's house were busy expressing their thoughts; Even some reporters called my personal number directly to schedule an interview.
But 'the case is still under investigation, and specific details cannot be disclosed', this is the opinion given by the command center. As the case handler, at this moment, I can only remain silent.
Watching the report ferment out of thin air, yet unable to speak out, I suddenly felt suffocated, as if I had been beaten up and couldn't fight back.
The opportunities I declined to speak all ended up with Lawyer Su, who took the initiative to bring in reporters to "expose" the news. For a moment, the entire social section of newspapers, big and small, featured this case.
I took those newspapers, looked at them, didn't say anything, and folded them back.
Later, someone asked me how I felt, and I said, 'I don't feel anything.'.
If someone asks me again, I will still say that I really don't feel anything.
After all these years as a forensic expert, I still enjoy dealing with corpses. Living people are too complex.
Unlike my avoidance of the media, it is said that Lawyer Su came to the door on his own after seeing this bizarre case of 'leaving someone behind' in the newspaper.
It is not difficult to understand that such cases of 'leaving people behind' are really rare. He copied thick files and met with Tian Hua at the detention center.
My brother in the detention center told me that while Lawyer Su was reviewing the case files, Tian Hua was constantly arguing and insulting the police.
I didn't kill anyone! "After too long without anyone to confide in, Tian Hua only repeated this sentence repeatedly when he saw Lawyer Su.
Lawyer Su knows that relying solely on a statement of 'not admitting to death' is clearly not enough.
He raised two questions about bloodstains in major newspapers and magazines-
How can we prove that Tian Hua's injury was caused by violence? How can we prove that the bloodstains on the scene were not obtained by the police afterwards?
The bloodstains at the crime scene are the ironclad evidence that convicted Tian Hua. After we caught the person, we did indeed find a wound on his right index finger.
But according to Lawyer Su, Tian Hua is a timid and cowardly person, even prone to fainting. He is right-handed, and if he holds a knife in his right hand, the one injured in a fight should be his left hand.
As for the wound on Tian Hua's right index finger, Lawyer Su said it was caused by trimming an orange tree before Tian Hua was arrested.
Lawyer Su is prying open the cornerstone of the entire evidence chain - the bloodstains left by Tian Hua at the scene. As long as this evidence is overturned, the murder charge will fall apart.
I am a forensic expert who has been playing with knives for so many years, and I know this thing very well.
In the imagination of ordinary people, those who are prone to getting injured in combat are those who are not wielding knives. In fact, due to the lack of a handguard on a regular small knife, when the killer stabs, as long as it touches a bone, the hand holding the knife under force is easily slipped out, and in this case, the index finger is the most likely to be injured.
The nun who fought with Tian Hua had multiple stab wounds on her ribs, indicating that the killer must have encountered resistance when stabbing, and the wound on Tian Hua's right index finger was a typical injury caused by "stabbing behavior".
As for the lawyer's claim that the bloodstains were later painted on by the police, it is simply impossible to do so.
The bloodstain photos obtained on site, when enlarged, show that the bloodstains are in a "dripping" shape, which is a form that can only be formed by liquid blood. But after Tian Hua was arrested, we did not draw a tube of blood on him.
I only have a filter paper card with scattered dried bloodstains on it, which is not enough to get it to the scene for fraud.
What surprised me was that these few words could explain the speculation clearly, because my silence further aroused the sensitive nerves of the outside world towards this legendary case.
The lawyer Su, whom I had never met before, stood completely opposite me at this moment, and the balance in the hearts of the onlookers kept tilting towards him.
I am just a forensic expert, and the dissecting table is the place I am most familiar with. After holding the surgical knife for so many years, it is really difficult for me to pick up the microphone and make a sound.
Faced with voices from all directions, I know that the only thing I can rely on is evidence.
But I greatly underestimated the energy of this' wave ', and in the following confrontation, this invisible wave almost submerged me.
On the the fourth day after Lawyer Su "broke the news" to the media, my schoolmate Judge Li sent me an official letter from the court. I stared at the thin A4 paper for a full minute.
The requirements on the official letter are clearly stated in black and white - to seal and inspect the original DNA test records and electronic data.
They want to take the physical evidence away from me and entrust a third party to appraise it.
I glanced at my senior brother, who had a smile on his face and a very kind attitude, but what he said was actually giving instructions.
I have no choice.
I anticipate that this case will further investigate the physical evidence, but the court's current request clearly indicates that it is not a simple suspicion.
For a forensic expert, questioning their professional level is not scary, as no one is omnipotent. But this official letter is the first time in my career that I have faced such a harsh accusation of perjury!
This makes me feel even more uncomfortable than not being able to solve the case.
Under the instructions of senior brother, the people started to get busy, taking photos and searching around. I stood firmly, as if I were in the center of a storm
Click click ", the sound of the camera pressing the shutter made my temples skip and jump, as if I had taken off my clothes, feeling uncomfortable all over.
The next second, I forced myself to move my feet, took the USB drive from the court, and stiffly placed my hand on the mouse. The server records show that there are no traces of modification in the electronic data. As early as 3 days before Tian Hua's arrest, we obtained the results of the on-site bloodstain test.
Unless we can travel through time and space, Lawyer Su's so-called false accusations do not exist at all.
Coming out of the buzzing computer room, I led the way and the group walked silently towards another building. That is the archive room where physical evidence is stored.
I left them at the door, walked through the rows of shelves in front of me, and searched for them with familiarity. Finally, I personally handed over the kraft paper bag containing key evidence to my senior brother.
Looking at the evidence that was about to be taken away, I couldn't help but feel impulsive and loudly said, "You can copy the original records, but you must keep half of the evidence for me. You don't trust my inspection results, and I also don't want to trust the third-party organization you have chosen"
After I finished speaking, I lifted my head and faced my senior brother's eyes, maintaining a direct gaze.
I don't mind supplementing various materials, nor do I resist improving omissions, but I cannot face doubts about my profession.
At the moment when I was suspected of giving false testimony, I actually panicked. If these non-existent things are confirmed by public opinion, what awaits me is not as simple as dismissal.
Someone once received money to give false testimony, and was supposed to be sent to prison, but in the end, they sent themselves there. What's more serious is that if the appraisal result is missed once, the subsequent testing report will be criticized and bring shame to the team.
Not long before the Tian Hua case, there was a wrongful case in our team. At that time, the atmosphere in the team was already very tense. Another similar incident would be like adding fuel to the fire.
Now, the blood sample has been split in half, and I am holding the remaining half.
Next, I will only trust the evidence in my hands.
What's going on? "The captain took a picture of the newspaper in his hand and placed it on my desk.
On the social version, it is written in large bold font as "The case of leaving a person under the knife reappears as a turning point: no DNA of the suspect was found at the scene".
The moment my gaze touched the black line, I realized that this was the "latest breakthrough" that Lawyer Su had found.
The report said that the half of the materials that I was taken were examined at the Forensic Appraisal Center of Sun Yat sen University, and no DNA of Tian Hua was found in the fourth specimen.
I am not surprised by such test results. The court only took half of the inspection materials, and it is normal for the inspection results to be unsatisfactory. This is also the reason why I requested to keep half of the physical evidence.
On the other hand, this report only emphasizes the undetected number 4 throughout, without mentioning any other test results. At the end of the article, it is concluded that the police's previous inspection reports were all incorrect and have no legal effect.
I lifted my head, took a deep breath, and looked at the captain, 'An unsatisfactory test cannot overturn the previous appraisal conclusion.'
I believe in myself, and even more so, in the evidence of my significant other left in my hands.
As the end of work approached, the building where the laboratory was located was empty, with only my laboratory and the lights in the duty room at the entrance still on.
I opened the access control, brought the physical evidence into the laboratory, and started recording. I carefully cut open the sealed bag and took out the three cotton swabs that detected Tian Hua's DNA again
Now it's only half left, with very little bloodstain left, and one can only vaguely see a faint pink smudge mark.
I held my breath and carefully cut out all the remaining blood stained cotton swabs, dripping them with DNA extraction reagent, staring at the small plastic tube throughout.
All I can do now is patiently wait.
Night is a suitable time for conducting experiments, without noisy discussions or chaotic crowds. There was silence everywhere, only the sound of electric current coming from the incandescent light tubes above.
Looking out through the laboratory window, apart from the faint light scattered by stars, there was only my own reflection on the glass.
The court has commissioned a third-party inspection agency, and my inspection results will not be used as a reference. This experiment is just to give myself an explanation.
At midnight, it had been 6 hours since I dropped the reagent, so I clicked on the map and started comparing one by one.
It was pitch black outside the window, and at some point, the lights in the duty room also went out.
After comparing everything, I turned off the last light of the entire building, held the test results, and closed the door of the laboratory.
The result I made is the same as the initial test result - the DNA typing is completely consistent with Tian Hua's.
Passing through two iron gates, I stood quietly, waiting.
This is a small room of less than 10 square meters, divided in half by an iron railing. There is an iron chair standing opposite me, with all four feet fixed to the ground.
I'm waiting here for Tian Hua. This is the first time I have seen this man since taking over the case 2 years ago.
In the initial transcript, Tian Hua confessed that he sneaked into the nunnery wearing gloves, and after committing the crime, he threw two things in the nearby river ditch - gloves and a knife. Unfortunately, we did not discover these two key physical evidence in the later stage.
There is no weapon, no fingerprints. In order to firmly nail down Tian Hua's crime, I still need one "nail", and the purpose of this meeting is to get it from Tian Hua.
Although there were no fingerprints, the perpetrator left a clear sock print at the crime scene.
The team has already issued an inspection opinion, and the footprint belongs to Tian Hua. But after reviewing the files, Lawyer Su found that only one of the two signed trace inspection technicians had the qualification for footprint identification, but both signed the inspection opinion, so the opinion is invalid.
This time, I contacted a footprint expert from the provincial department to provide an inspection report, and personally took Tian Hua's sock print.
Because I needed his cooperation, I didn't lock him up in the small compartment at the end of the railing. I just had him stand in the center of the cell wearing handcuffs and ankle shackles.
I looked at the young man in front of me, who was less than 1.65 meters tall and weighed around 110 pounds. The man who had been standing with me in the public opinion these days was surprisingly thin and small.
Deep eye bags, collapsed corners of the mouth, plain and unremarkable appearance, showing no trace of violence or ferocity. The slightly oversized yellow prison uniform draped over him, giving him a feeling of emptiness.
The person who would disappear into the crowd with just one turn cruelly took away two fresh lives.
He looked at my strange face doubtfully, his words were frivolous, and he knew he was an old fogey with one mouth. Sir, why bother again"
Make footprints and cooperate, "I gestured for the detention center's discipline to loosen his ankle shackles, take out the prepared ink cartridges, white paper, and a pair of socks.
Do you have a cigarette? Give me one? "He stretched out his hands and lazily begged me for it.
No, I don't smoke, "I buried my head and avoided those murky eyes.
Haven't you done it before? Why do you still need it? "He took the socks I handed him with his handcuffed hands and slowly put them on his feet.
Watching him crumple up his socks, I reached out to help him smooth them out. 'When it's time to tell, you'll know,' I still didn't look up.
I spread out a piece of white paper on the ground, evenly applied the ink for printing on his feet, and then let him step on it. A black footprint appeared before my eyes, complete and solid.
After checking the footprint samples taken, I looked him in the eye and calmly said, 'Do you think calling for justice can bring a verdict?'"
At least I'm still alive, "Tian Hua tore off his socks, threw them aside, shook his hand, and turned back to me without looking up.
Knowing the outcome, isn't it uncomfortable to wait so long? "I still didn't look away.
Perhaps sensing that I was still staring at him, he stood up straight, slightly raised his chin, and said provocatively, 'Can it be more uncomfortable than when you interrogated me?'"
Faced with his reckless accusations, I calmed down and said, 'There was surveillance during the interrogation, and you were not injured. There was no torture to extract a confession.'
Tian Hua didn't say anything more, I gestured for discipline and took him away. As I watched him put on his ankle shackles again, I shook my bag and said, "I have evidence
He turned around, widened his eyes, and shouted loudly at me, 'I didn't kill anyone! It was you who falsely accused me, I won't admit it!' With that, he moved step by step towards the cell, his handcuffs rubbing against the ground, making a loud noise--
The evidence in the case is ready, and Tian Hua and I are about to face the most crucial confrontation.
The frequency of prosecutors making phone calls has increased from a dozen times a week to once a few weeks, indicating that the evidence is becoming increasingly comprehensive. Tian Hua is getting closer and closer to the final trial.
On that day, the court will cross examine the DNA test results and Tian Hua's sock seal in court.
I am unable to appear in court as an appraiser, but I have arranged my work in advance and plan to attend as an observer. Although I have confidence in the test results, I still cannot relax
Recent reports are filled with various speculations. This is Tian Hua's last chance to overturn the case, and Lawyer Su will definitely do his best. If judges are influenced by public opinion and lawyers make unfavorable arguments, I still face challenges.
Whether the nail is firmly nailed or not depends on the final outcome.
On the morning of the court hearing, I received a last-minute call from the team captain that there was a sudden murder case that needed to be brought to the scene.
I tentatively tried to negotiate, but on the other end of the phone, the captain's tone was really difficult: "We really don't have anyone left, so you should go
The court where the trial was held is located next to the Public Security Bureau, just 200 meters away. The upcoming trial there concerns three lives and the professional honor of a forensic expert.
But without hesitation, I headed in the opposite direction and rushed to the scene of another murder case, missing the trial of Tian Hua's case that day.
When I returned to the office exhausted from leaving the scene, it was already afternoon.
My colleague from the legal department who went to audit told me about the trial process: the colleague's hard work of climbing into the horizontal window was not in vain, and the climbing investigation experiment was recognized; I personally went to the detention center to help Tian Hua put on socks, and the footprints I extracted were also accepted; The third-party appraiser of the bloodstains, a professor from Sun Yat sen University, appeared in court as an expert witness and was questioned. He explained to Lawyer Su in court that the reason why DNA was not detected in sample 4 was because the amount of blood was too small, and the results of the other two blood stains were consistent with the initial ones.
The last nail hanging has finally been hammered out. No matter how many years, how many trials, these pieces of evidence are enough to nail the crime to death.
After listening to the trial, I breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't say anything.
I was in the empty hallway, lost in thought for a while, then turned back to the office and took a nap on the sofa.
After a lengthy first instance, second instance, and death penalty review by the Supreme Court, six more years have passed from the point of 'leaving someone behind'.
I still hear news about the case from time to time, and Tian Hua still insists on calling for justice, but the media reports have never given him more space.
Lawyer Su is in a predicament. A lawsuit for a murder case takes an average of two years for one lawyer, while he cannot estimate how long it will take for Tian Hua's case to be remanded for retrial.
Finally, after the second trial in the fourth year, Lawyer Su abandoned the case.
The media and the public only need the results, and the prosecutors and I are still slowly refining the details of the case file. The supplementary case description, along with nearly a hundred pages of various materials, and the paper archive bag were replaced three times due to wear and tear.
On my desk, a batch of file bags arrived and another batch was returned. Only the file of Tian Hua case has been in my drawer for 6 years.
Although the repeated encounters have made me feel exhausted from the bottom of my heart, after this case, our internal handling procedures have become much more rigorous.
We will trace the source of the physical evidence, and each department will use a unified name for the same piece of evidence. Any physical evidence obtained from the scene will be photographed with detailed close-up shots without any omissions.
No one knows if there will be a second Tian Hua.
On the day the case was completed, I called Wang Mas to have dinner together. We had a cup of Coke together and sighed about the long process of solving the case. He continued, "Actually, it's already predetermined
Wang Mas remembered the handcuffs with the words "Sichuan Emeishan Police Equipment Factory" that were handcuffed to Tian Hua when he was arrested 8 years ago.
Guangdong and Sichuan are thousands of miles apart, and the manufacturer supplying us with police equipment is not from Sichuan. The handcuffs were probably brought back by a brother who was on a business trip to investigate.
Killed a disciple of Mount Emei and was handcuffed by Mount Emei.
God won't let him go
I put down my cup and gestured for Wang Mas to look at the newspaper on the table. I deliberately folded a page for him to read.
A photo of Tian Hua came into view, the person who shouted injustice in court six years ago wearing a detention center vest, handcuffs, and a withered face. The latest news on the Tian Hua case attached next to it: "After a 6-year retrial of the previously publicized 'knife and knife retention case', the criminal Tian Hua was sentenced to death by the court for the second time yesterday morning and executed immediately after the verdict
This time, there were no more grievances, nor were there any knife wounds left behind, and Tian Hua received the deserved trial. I can finally put the file of this case back where it should have been six years ago.
It's late at night, I turned off the lights in the office. Tonight is safe, have a good sleep.