The opening statement of the prosecution and defense took more than an hour, mainly by Liu Hanhuan, and his opening statement took almost fifty minutes.
Lu Ming only spent ten minutes.
After the opening statement, Cao Guan temporarily adjourned the court for ten minutes. Next, it was time for the prosecution and defense to cross-examine witnesses.
In the outer corridor, a female lawyer wearing a gray skirt uniform stood in front of Lu Ming, "Lawyer Lu, would you like to chat?"
The female lawyer was Liu Hanhuan's assistant. Of course, Lu Ming also found out clearly that Zhang Jingjing, an outstanding young lawyer with a good family background, was Liu Hanhuan's apprentice and a trainee lawyer who had just joined the job this year.
She had an oval face and was a little charming. She handed over a business card and said, "Lawyer Lu, when this case is over, you are welcome to join Liu Hanxuan Law Firm, and in the second year, you will be guaranteed to become a junior partner. We will provide you with the specific conditions.
We can discuss it in detail.”
Lu Ming looked at the business card and smiled: "Can you make the decision?"
"If you are really interested, my master will talk to you when the case is over." Zhang Jingjing looked at Lu Ming and felt very strange. She didn't know why her master valued him so much. A rookie lawyer would become a junior partner in his second year of employment.
, which is also unique in the history of my firm.
"Okay, I will consider it!" Lu Ming nodded.
…
The prosecution first called witnesses. The first one was the witness who found the body, Du Laifu, the manager of Jincheng Hotel and the cousin of the deceased Li Er's wife.
It was he who led Li Mingxuan into the second concubine Li's room and found Li Mingxuan leaving in a hurry.
He also discovered the body at five in the morning and then called the police.
When Liu Hanhuan interrogated him and guided him to tell what happened, Lu Ming just listened quietly.
When it was his turn to cross-examine the witnesses, he only raised two questions. One was that Du Laifu was the first to find the body at 5 a.m.; the second question was whether anyone else discovered the body with him at that time.
The second prosecution witness was forensic doctor Liu Kuang. Under the guidance of Liu Hanhuan, he explained the cause of death of the deceased. His skull was fractured by a heavy blow with a blunt instrument. Hematoma caused by hard brain trauma caused severe compression of the brain tissue and herniation of the brain. According to the shape of the wound and the impact on the brain, he died.
The detection of multiple blunt objects at the scene determined that the iron flying eagle sculpture found at the scene was the murder weapon.
Lu Ming only asked one question, which was whether anyone's fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.
Liu Kuang replied, no.
The third witness was the police representative who arrested Li Mingxuan. He told the story of the arrest of Li Mingxuan and the several precious items found from Li Mingxuan, two of which had been collected by the deceased Mrs. Li Er for many years.
Lu Ming asked three questions. The first question was, did Mr. Li Haoran resist? The second question was, did Mr. Li Haoran look like he was about to run away? The third question was, where were the precious items placed?
The detective answered no to the first two questions.
For the third question, the detective recorded clearly that some of these precious items were in the bed cabinet and some in the safe. He answered the exact location of each one.
The three witnesses finished testifying, and it was already past five o'clock. Cao Guan was about to adjourn the court and continue tomorrow. Lu Ming stood up and said, "Your honor, I request to summon the witness. Wang Xiaocui, the waiter who works at Jincheng Hotel, should be called
It won't take long, and I hope this case will be heard as soon as possible to save taxpayers' money."
Guan Cao glanced at him and asked, "Are the witnesses here?"
"Just in the auditorium."
Guan Cao nodded: "Witness Wang Xiaocui, enter the witness box."
After being reminded by Chen Qinghua who was sitting next to her, Xiao Cui suddenly came back to her senses, stood up, and saw everyone in the court looking at her. She immediately turned pale, lowered her head, and walked onto the witness stand.
Lu Ming looked at her quietly, with encouragement in his tone, "Miss Wang Xiaocui, you have already sworn an oath, so you understand the consequences of perjury in court, right?"
Xiaocui didn't dare to raise her head and just said "hmm" softly.
"Let's talk about your job first."
Xiaocui timidly said: "I, I am a waiter at Jincheng Hotel. I have been working there for more than a year."
"What is your relationship with the victim, Ms. Li Xiaoyan?"
"Me, because Mrs. Li often goes to the hotel and likes the coffee I brew, Manager Du usually asks me to serve Mrs. Li."
"Ms. Li Xiaoyan, do you often go to your hotel?"
"Yes, yes."
"The conditions at Jincheng Hotel are very simple. Ms. Li Xiaoyan, who lives in high society, why would she like to go there?"
"I, I don't know."
"Is it because Manager Du Laifu is Ms. Li Xiaoyan's cousin, and Jincheng Hotel is very remote, so Ms. Li Xiaoyan can do things in Jincheng Hotel that she doesn't want others to know about?"
"Objection, speculative induction question!" Liu Hanxuan raised his hand casually, facing these tricks with familiarity and basic conditioned reflexes.
"The objection is valid, and the witness does not need to answer!" Cao Guan nodded.
"What happened at around eight o'clock in the evening on April 25, the day this case occurred?"
Xiaocui's face turned paler and she looked down at the table in the witness box. "That day, that day, the second wife came to Jincheng Hotel again. It was brought by Fourth Brother Li and the others. Then, then, the second wife gave me a gift.
, let me go to Brother Li and ask Brother Li to go to her room..."
"Brother Li, what's your full name?"
"Yes, it's Li Haoran..."
"That's Li Haoran in the dock, right?"
"Yes……"
Lu Ming raised his voice slightly: "Ms. Li Xiaoyan, what is the thing you asked to hand over to Mr. Li Haoran?"
Xiao Cui hesitated, looked down at the table and said nothing.
Lu Ming looked at her, "Miss Wang, this is a murder case, so I hope you can tell the truth, otherwise, you will be uneasy for the rest of your life."
Xiaocui gritted her teeth, "Yes, yes, what the second wife gave me was a pair of underwear..."
In the auditorium, someone immediately started whispering to each other.
Liu Hanhuan frowned, but did not react.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Ms. Wang, please tell me again, whose underwear belongs to these underwear?"
"Yes, it's the second wife's underwear. She, she took it off and gave it to me, asking me to give it to Brother Li..."
The auditorium and the jury box were all in an uproar.
Even Wang Daan was stunned and looked to the side at Li Mingxuan.
At the prosecution's seat, Zhang Jingjing glanced at her master, her face feeling slightly warm.
"So, have you given the underwear to Mr. Li Haoran?" Lu Ming asked.
"No, no...I, I threw it away..." Xiaocui lowered his head even lower, "I, if I had given it to Brother Li, maybe, just, this wouldn't have happened..."
As she spoke, she gradually began to sob.
Lu Ming turned around, "According to what the witnesses said, it is clear that Ms. Li Xiaoyan is willing to date Mr. Li Haoran. If she wanted to, Mr. Li Haoran would not have to rape or kill her."
When Lu Ming returned to the defense table, Liu Hanhuan slowly stood up and walked to the witness table.
"Ms. Wang, please raise your head and answer the question." Liu Hanxuan's tone was gentle, but his eyes were extremely sharp.
The jurors could not see his eyes and could only hear his gentle voice.
Xiao Cui slowly raised her head, then quickly lowered her head in fear under his intense gaze.
"You are lying, so you don't have the courage to raise your head, right?" Liu Hanxuan asked with a sigh.
"Objection, object to the prosecution's baseless speculation!" Lu Ming raised his hand.
Cao Guan nodded: "The objection is valid."
"You like the fourth brother Li in your mouth, the defendant Li Haoran, right?" Liu Hanhuan suddenly asked.
Xiao Cui was stunned and stammered, "I, I..."
"So, in order to help Li Haoran escape guilt, you lied and slandered the victim, right?"
"I didn't, I didn't..." Xiao Cui shook her head and shed tears.
Lu Ming stood up, but Cao Gu waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to object, and any objection would be dismissed.
"Then tell us, do you like Li Haoran? I want to remind you that if you lie on the witness stand, you are guilty!"
Xiao Cui just shook her head and said nothing.
Lu Ming rubbed his nose. This Liu Hanhuan was indeed no ordinary person. The tone of Xiaocui's address to Li Mingxuan made him have some guesses. Now, it has been confirmed.
"In court, I have no problem!" Liu Hanhuan bowed slightly.
Obviously, questioning a witness who looks like a frightened bunny will not impress the jury.
But now, it seems that this girl really seemed to have lied in court for the sake of love.
Lu Ming stood up at this time and walked to the witness stand, "Miss Wang Xiaocui, why do you like Li Haoran?"
Xiao Cui was stunned and looked up at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming continued to ask: "He was very handsome before his face was injured, right?"
Xiaocui hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Please answer yes or no."
"Yes, yes..." Suddenly catching a glimpse of Li Mingxuan's gaze looking over at the defendant's seat, Xiaocui quickly lowered his head.
Lu Ming nodded, "So, when Ms. Li Xiaoyan handed her underwear to you and asked you to hand it over to Mr. Li Haoran, you were very jealous, right?"
Xiao Cui lowered her head and murmured, "It's not that, I, I don't know what I was thinking at the time, it was just that I didn't want to hand over... to Fourth Brother Li..."
Biting her lip, she secretly looked at Li Mingxuan again, but immediately looked back in panic.
Lu Ming nodded and walked back to his seat.
Zhang Jingjing watched her master sit still for a long time, feeling horrified. It was the first time she saw her master so hesitant in court.
But that rookie lawyer was really good. Originally, the master discovered that there might be an emotional component between the witness and the defendant, so the possibility of lying was very high.
But unexpectedly, he was quickly led by a rookie lawyer to become the defendant who was handsome before. In this way, if the victim, Mrs. Li Er, seduces him, it is not impossible that a young girl can have a handsome man in her forties.
Is it possible for a purdah woman to be tempted?
Especially when the rookie lawyer questioned her, the little girl's reaction was so natural, shy, embarrassed, etc. It was obvious that she was not pretending.
Master will practice countless times with his witnesses in the mock court before each of his witnesses comes to court.
Every sentence, every answer, we strive to keep every detail perfect.
Even though the master didn't pay much attention to this case at first and only read the files briefly, he still practiced with the witnesses on their confessions.
I have always admired him. Despite his reputation, his master was still serious about such a small case involving a rookie lawyer.
But today, everything seems to have changed. If a witness who doesn’t need any preparation tells the truth, maybe it would be better to just put him on the witness stand?
Because her true reaction and emotional expression are more convincing.
At least, I believe in this little girl now.
"Your Honor, I have no questions to ask." Liu Hanhuan finally stood up.
Zhang Jingjing opened her mouth wide. There was no doubt that the master had given up in this round of offense and defense.
At this time, on the judge's bench, Cao Guan picked up the gavel and banged it, "Adjourn the court and continue at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon!"
