Luo Jialan couldn't cry anymore. She lowered her head and sobbed softly. Her shoulders trembled, and she looked pitiful.
Auntie Xing and Auntie You, who were sitting in the gallery, felt sorry for Gu Nianzhi. They felt that Gu Nianzhi was such a bully. Look, Miss Huo was so angry that she was crying!
Gu Nianzhi glanced at Luo Jialan and continued calmly, "After the defendant Luo Jialan's mother, Luo Xinxue, was murdered, the Huo family had no other mistress to take care of Song Jinning, so the defendant Luo Jialan volunteered to take over the job."
Actually, the Huo family still had the Zhang family at the time, but Huo Guanchen couldn't send his wife to the Zhang family to take care of. Therefore, in comparison, Luo Jialan, who was eighteen at the time, was the best choice.
Moreover, Song Jinning's psychiatrist at that time was Bai Jinyi, and she had also recommended Luo Jialan to take over the responsibility of taking care of Song Jinning.
At that time, Luo Jialan had just entered university, so she moved back from the school dormitory. She no longer stayed in the dormitory, but studied on the day, so that it would be more convenient for her to take care of Song Jinning.
However, she didn't have to take care of Song Jinning like Auntie Xing and Auntie You.
Like her mother, Luo Xinxue, she was only responsible for managing the housekeepers who took care of Song Jinning, such as Auntie Xing and Auntie You.
Therefore, she could attend university on a part-time basis and come back to supervise the housekeeping staff during every class.
Auntie Xing and Auntie You were the housekeepers that Luo Jialan had personally changed for Song Jinning after she took over.
The housekeeper who had taken care of Song Jinning wasn't Auntie Xing or Auntie You.
When Luo Jialan heard this, her heart skipped a beat and she stopped sobbing.
"It's normal for a niece to take care of a sick aunt, but the Huo family didn't expect that this niece, who kept calling her 'aunt', had ulterior motives. In order to steal the Huo family's assets, she hid her true identity and plotted to kill Song Jinning."
Cai Shengnan perked up at this moment. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile, and her eyes flashed with mockery. She looked at Gu Nianzhi meaningfully and raised her hand to say, "Objection. The prosecuting attorney slandered my client by substituting imagination for evidence. My client did not have the motive to murder Ms. Song Jinning. I have a witness to testify. "
As she said this, it was time to cross-examine the witnesses on both sides.
The judge nodded and said expressionlessly, "The objection is sustained. Counsel for the prosecution, please be careful with your statements. Do not get too personal. "
Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips and slowly sat down.
When the judge saw that Gu Nianzhi didn't object, he rapped his gavel and said, "Next, the prosecution and defense will cross-examine their witnesses. Ask the witness to come forward, verify his identity, swear an oath, and then go to the next room to be summoned. "
Today was the first day of the trial. The prosecution had only brought one witness, Huo Guanchen.
The defendant brought two witnesses, Auntie Xing and Auntie You.
After they left the Huo family, they had been monitored by the Special Operations Forces. However, Cai Shengnan found them and persuaded them to be witnesses for Luo Jialan. After careful consideration, they agreed.
As they spoke, a few staff members came over with forms and documents to verify the identities of Huo Guanchen, Auntie Xing, and Auntie You.
They also had to verify their fingerprints, irises, and DNA to prevent false witnesses.
Moreover, lawyers from both sides had to approve these test results before they could officially testify in court.
The results of the DNA test would be delayed for a few days, but the results of the fingerprints and irises would be immediately available.
Gu Nianzhi and Cai Shengnan each looked at the identity verification materials of each other's witnesses and signed each other's forms to show that they approved of the witness's identity.
After the witness's identity was verified, the court staff led them to the room next to the court to wait for the summons.
They were watched by a special person here. They couldn't talk to each other, nor could they look at their phones or computers. Basically, they could only sit there or read some legal magazines and statutes that had been placed in the room beforehand.
After the witness left, the judge once again confirmed their intentions with the prosecution and defense.
Gu Nianzhi said, "We insist on charging Luo Jialan with intentional homicide. There's no change."
Cai Shengnan also said, "I plead not guilty for my client. There's no change."
This meant that she wanted to continue the lawsuit.
The judge raised his hand and said, "Then the prosecution will begin to call the witnesses."
This was also the usual practice of the court.
First, the prosecution, who was the plaintiff, would state their accusations, then list the evidence. Finally, they would use logic to string the evidence together into a convincing chain of evidence to prove their accusations.
Then, it would be the defense's turn to refute the prosecution's accusations.
Whether it was a civil lawsuit or a criminal lawsuit, one of the most important principles in determining the burden of proof was that whoever made the claim would bear the burden of proof.
For example, if one were to accuse the other party of murder, of course one would have to produce evidence to prove that the other party committed murder, not ask the other party to prove that they didn't commit murder.
It was just like when one said that one's neighbor had killed someone. Whether one said it in front of a reporter in public or in private in a WeChat group, one had to produce evidence to prove that one's neighbor had indeed killed someone. One couldn't just open one's mouth and make the neighbor want to commit suicide to prove that he didn't kill someone.
The onlookers couldn't assume that this person was telling the truth just because the video wasn't censored and was deleted after it was circulated all over the Internet.
That wouldn't do. That wasn't how the law ruled.
Charging someone with murder was such a serious crime. If one couldn't produce concrete evidence or even effective clues, they could only say, "I think …", "I heard …", "I think …". That wasn't an accusation. That was a rumor and slander. One had to bear legal responsibility.
Gu Nianzhi hadn't been able to get the police and the prosecutor's office to file a case because they thought that she didn't have enough evidence to form a complete chain of evidence.
When the prosecutor's office files a criminal case in court, they have to bear the burden of proof.
Song Jinning and Luo Jialan's case was more complicated, and as the plaintiff's lawyer, Gu Nianzhi had to cooperate with the prosecutor's office to prove to them that the murder case was indeed established.
After being recognized by the prosecutor's office, her evidence to the prosecutor's office would be regarded as evidence recognized by the prosecutor's office and handed over to the court.
After further verification, the court would file the case and set a date for the trial.
After going around in circles for so long, it wasn't until they obtained a key piece of evidence about Luo Jialan from Bai Jinyi that the most important part of Gu Nianzhi's accusation was put online and separately recognized by the prosecutor's office and the court.
Gu Nianzhi had just been criticized by the judge for being "overly emotional" in her statement. After sitting down, she reflected on herself and realized that she had indeed been a little emotional.
Because Gu Nianzhi was the first to realize that Song Jinning had been severely mentally abused, the shock at the time was so great that her personal emotions were inevitably mixed in.
Yes, be careful.
Gu Nianzhi stood up and nodded calmly at the judge. "Your Honor, I would like to call our first witness, General Huo Guanchen. He is the ex-husband of the plaintiff, Song Jinning. "
The judge looked down at Huo Guanchen's information and said, "Please call the witness to testify in court."
The court staff went to the next room and called Huo Guanchen over.
He wasn't wearing a military uniform. Instead, he was wearing a dark black suit and a blue tie. His hair was neatly combed, but his sideburns were already gray.
There were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and it was obvious that he was getting older.
He was actually in his fifties.
However, Song Jinning was still beautiful and alluring. She looked to be at most 30 years old, the age when a woman was at the peak of beauty.
There was still the vitality of youth in maturity, but there was a bit more of a foundation of time than pure youth, which made their beauty even more thought-provoking.
If one didn't know them and only looked at the two people in the courtroom, no one would have guessed that Huo Guanchen was only two years older than Song Jinning. Moreover, the two of them had been married for many years and had a son who was about to turn 30.
Huo Guanchen stood calmly in the witness stand and swore, "… I swear that I'm telling the truth, and only the truth."
The judge nodded and raised his hand towards Gu Nianzhi. "The prosecution's lawyer may begin questioning."
Gu Nianzhi bowed to the judge and walked out from behind the plaintiff's stand. She walked up to Huo Guanchen and looked him up and down.
"Please state your identity."
Huo Guanchen said calmly, "My name is Huo Guanchen, a general in the military. I'm Ms. Song Jinning's ex-husband. We've been married for many years and have an adult son."
The smile on Gu Nianzhi's lips was faintly discernible. She asked, "Mr. Huo Guanchen, may I ask why Ms. Song Jinning was so seriously injured that she became insane?"
Cai Shengnan immediately raised her hand. "Objection! This question has nothing to do with this case. "
Gu Nianzhi looked at the judge. "Your Honor, this question has a lot to do with this case. I will prove it."
The judge looked at her for a while and nodded reluctantly. "The prosecution's lawyer should try to be concise. Don't ask questions that have nothing to do with the case."
Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Your Honor."
She turned to Huo Guanchen. "Mr. Huo Guanchen, please tell us the reason why Song Jinning was seriously injured and the subsequent treatment."
Huo Guanchen looked deeply at Song Jinning and said, "It was 17 years ago. Song Jinning and her father, Academician Song Haichuan's experiment had an accident. Her father and my older brother both died in that accident."
Gu Nianzhi immediately interrupted him. "May I ask, Mr. Huo, who is your older brother?"
Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes.
So this was the reason why Gu Nianzhi insisted on asking why Song Jinning was injured.
She raised her hand again decisively. "Objection. The prosecution's lawyer has wasted too much time interrogating too many people who have nothing to do with this case. "
Before the judge could make a decision, Gu Nianzhi immediately retorted, "Lawyer Cai, there is a cause and effect to intentional homicide. We are not accusing Luo Jialan of killing someone out of impulse. "
"We are accusing her of deliberate intentional homicide. Of course, it is necessary to explain the cause and effect to Your Honor and all the people in the courtroom."
"You have repeatedly interrupted our proof of Luo Jialan's intention to kill someone. What are your intentions? May I ask if you are intentionally obstructing justice? "
Gu Nianzhi then turned to the judge. "Your Honor, I request that the defendant's lawyer be limited to the number of times she objects. She has seriously interfered with the questioning between me and my witness, and is suspected of obstructing justice. "
The judge was also a little dissatisfied with Cai Shengnan's repeated objections.
However, he did not side with Gu Nianzhi. Instead, he said to Cai Shengnan, "Lawyer Cai, if you have a different opinion, you can cross-examine the witness. You don't have to repeatedly interrupt the prosecution's lawyer."
Cai Shengnan was pleased with herself and said with a serious face, "Okay, Your Honor, but I still have to insist that the prosecution's lawyer is too emotional and will seriously affect everyone's judgment."
Gu Nianzhi couldn't help chuckling. "Lawyer Cai, are you worried that Your Honor doesn't have enough legal literacy and will be misled by my emotions?"
Cai Shengnan's eyes widened. This was clearly sowing discord!
She was too cunning!
※ ※ ※
This is the first update of the day: Chapter 1354, "Personal Emotions".
Can you send the Major General to the top ten of the monthly votes? There's only one place left, it seems like QAQ ~ ~ ~
I'll try my best to watch the third update.
I'll release it together at the second and third updates at night. It should feel better to watch it together.
The second update will be at eight o 'clock in the evening, and the third update will be at nine o' clock.
PS: Thank you to the leader of "enigmayanxi" for your 10,000 Qidian coins yesterday. Muah!
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