The prosecutor from Little Rock Canyon was almost speechless from He Zhichu's rebuke.
His lips trembled rapidly as he made a string of meaningless syllables to express his anger.
He Zhichu only looked at him calmly, his shimmering almond-shaped eyes filled with cold mockery.
The assistant next to the prosecutor quietly tugged on his sleeve, and the prosecutor finally snapped back to reality. He glared at He Zhichu fiercely before continuing to interrogate the housekeeper.
"Mr. Housekeeper, please tell us what happened on the day of the fire at the Vanderbilt residence."
The housekeeper walked to the witness stand with a depressed expression and said bitterly, "That day was no different than any other day. Mr. Vanderbilt went out to walk his dog after dinner. Then … "He suddenly turned around and pointed at Ye Xuan sitting on the defendant's stand. He gritted his teeth and said," Then it was this bastard! He had been pestering our Sir for several days! In the beginning, he secretly pretended to be a passerby to spy on our Sir. Later, our Sir found out, so he pestered our Sir for some unknown reason. After Sir rejected him, he became angry and set fire to the house, killing everyone in our Sir's family! "
As soon as the housekeeper's words came out, the courtroom was instantly in an uproar.
The six members of the jury all had different expressions as they looked thoughtfully at Ye Xuan on the defendant's stand.
The people in the gallery had already begun to angrily criticize Ye Xuan.
These people were all Vanderbilt's neighbors who lived on the street and had good relationships with the family. Seeing them die so tragically and innocently, including four children, made them hate Ye Xuan even more.
Someone even publicly stood up and called him a "demon! You will have retribution! "
He Zhichu looked back and coldly glanced at the person who had started the commotion.
The judge knocked his gavel expressionlessly. "No noise is allowed in the courtroom. Please ask the person who was shouting to leave."
Several bailiffs walked over and chased out the person who had just stood up and called Ye Xuan a "demon."
Everyone was much quieter now, and no one spoke carelessly anymore.
The prosecutor appeased the agitated housekeeper and walked in front of Ye Xuan. With a triumphant expression, he asked, "Mr. Ye, may I ask if you've been spying on Mr. Vanderbilt? You just have to answer yes or no. "
Ye Xuan thought about it. He had indeed observed Mr. Vanderbilt for a few days before meeting him.
He wasn't sure if Gu Yanran was telling the truth, so he had to confirm it first.
But if he answered yes, it would prove that he was' peeping '.
Voyeurism and observation are two completely different concepts that can seriously mislead a jury.
Before Ye Xuan answered, he looked at He Zhichu.
He Zhichu was expressionless, as if it didn't matter how Huo Shaoheng answered. He was calm and relaxed.
This relaxed mood infected Ye Xuan, and he calmly said, "No."
"You lied?!" The prosecutor became even more excited. "Mr. Butler wasn't the only one who saw you peeping at Mr. Vanderbilt. Other people saw it too. The witness is here, how dare you quibble?! "
Ye Xuan didn't say anything because He Zhichu had already stood up to defend him. "Mr. Prosecutor, before you assert that my client is lying, please explain the definition of 'voyeurism.'"
The prosecutor: "…"
"Mr. Prosecutor, please answer my question." He Zhichu was unfazed as he requested for an answer again.
Even the judge looked at the prosecutor.
The prosecutor finally thought about it carefully and stuttered, "Voyeurism is the act of peeping at someone's private matters without their permission."
He Zhichu nodded and walked to the butler's side. "Mr. Butler, may I ask where my client was when you saw him 'peeping' at Mr. Vanderbilt?"
"… On the street," the butler answered blankly. "Many people saw it. They can testify. "
He gestured to the neighbors on the block who were sitting in the gallery.
Everyone nodded and agreed that the butler was right.
He Zhichu's expression was solemn as his cold gaze swept across everyone in the courtroom. Some people couldn't help but lower their heads and look away before turning back to the butler. "Was it day or night at the time?"
"Day. Oh, I should say evening." The butler quickly emphasized. "At the time, I had just watched the cook clean up the kitchen and come out to take Mr. Vanderbilt home."
"So, your client exposed his private matters on the street in the evening?" He Zhichu's lips twitched. "May I ask what private matters he exposed?"
"Objection! The defendant's lawyer is slandering the deceased's reputation! " The prosecutor immediately stood up and pointed at He Zhichu. "… Lawyer He, you're so famous, yet you're asking such a question! I didn't expect you to be such a great Lawyer He! "
He Zhichu stood quietly in the courtroom, his posture straight and solemn. His upright demeanor made the glossy-faced prosecutor next to him look like a clown.
He slowly waited for him to finish before retorting, "Mr. Prosecutor already stated the legal definition of 'voyeurism.' It's the act of peeping at someone's private matters without their permission. My client saw the deceased Mr. Vanderbilt on the street during the day. May I ask how my client was able to peep at the private matters of another person walking on the street under these circumstances? Unless that person was exposing his private matters. "
The prosecutor was confused by He Zhichu's series of question marks. After a while, he finally realized he had slapped himself in the face!
He Zhichu had tricked him from the beginning.
First, he had him explain what "voyeurism" was, then he used his own definition to defeat him. He was too cunning!
The prosecutor glared at He Zhichu and clenched his fists. "Peeping at someone without their permission is voyeurism!"
"Wrong." He Zhichu shook his finger. "In the eyes of the law, it's only considered voyeurism if you peep at someone's private matters. Since both of them were on the street at the time, and the deceased did not do anything private, the prosecutor and the housekeeper's accusation of my client 'voyeurism' against Mr. Vanderbilt is not valid. "
The judge nodded and banged his gavel. "Prosecutor and witness, please watch your words."
The prosecutor's first move was easily countered by He Zhichu.
He continued to ask the cook angrily, "May I ask what you were doing that day?"
The cook was not like the housekeeper. She was always in the kitchen or in her staff dormitory, so she had never seen Ye Xuan. She had only heard the housekeeper mention it a few times, so she answered honestly, "I was cooking. After cleaning up the kitchen and dining room, the housekeeper came back first with the dog and said that Mr. Vanderbilt saw the man who was always following him. The two of them were talking and arguing. "
"Look here. Is the man who was arguing with Mr. Vanderbilt here?" The prosecutor asked the cook to look for that person in the courtroom.
The cook's gaze lingered curiously on Ye Xuan's face for a while before finally looking away. She said, "I've never seen that person, nor have I heard that person's voice. I only heard the housekeeper mention that there was such a person, so I can't identify anyone."
The cook refused to identify Ye Xuan, so the jury members immediately looked at each other.
The prosecutor's expression was a bit dark, so he interrogated the neighbors on the same street.
Some of these people had seen Ye Xuan and remembered him because they thought he was particularly handsome …
But what they saw was no different from what the housekeeper had said. They only saw Ye Xuan and Mr. Vanderbilt on the street and seemed to have argued, but they didn't know what they were arguing about.
The last witness to be questioned was the sheriff of the Little Rock Canyon Police Department.
He was calmer and more valiant than the other witnesses.
As soon as the prosecutor saw him, he was extremely happy.
"Mr. Sheriff, may I ask if you arrested a Barbadian man suspected of arson and murder in the early morning hours of October 29th? Is he in court?"
The sheriff glared at Ye Xuan and said in a low, muffled voice, "Yes, he is in this courtroom. It's him." He pointed at Ye Xuan as he spoke.
Ye Xuan looked down at the table in front of him and didn't even look at the sheriff.
"May I ask why you arrested him?"
"Because he is suspected of arson and murdering Mr. Vanderbilt's family! Extremely vicious and evil! Extremely sinful! "The sheriff said resolutely. His face was full of righteousness and was very infectious.
Two jurors were almost brainwashed by his words and began to lean towards Ye Xuan's guilt.
He Zhichu raised his hand. "Objection. Mr. Sheriff's words are only subjective assumptions. Without any witness or material evidence, you arrested my client and detained him for more than 72 hours without reason. We reserve the right to seek compensation from the Little Rock Canyon Police and Mr. Sheriff."
"What did you say?! Compensation?! " The sheriff was furious. He leaned out from the witness stand and roared at He Zhichu, "Are you questioning my professional ability?! I've been the sheriff for 30 years, and I've never been questioned by anyone! "
"There's a first time for everything, Mr. Sheriff. You have to get used to being questioned in the future." He Zhichu spread his hands and glanced at everyone in the courtroom before finally resting his eyes on the sheriff's face. "Mr. Sheriff, please tell us first why you think Ye Xuan is the primary suspect?"
"It's very simple. He previously had an argument with Mr. Vanderbilt, and after the argument, he disappeared for four hours. It was during those four hours that Mr. Vanderbilt's family was brutally murdered and set on fire. This heinous crime was committed by this person!" The sheriff's words reverberated inside and outside the courtroom again, and everyone couldn't help but listen.
Scrutinizing eyes looked at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan's eyes were still lowered as he sat ramrod straight on the defendant stand.
After the sheriff finished speaking, the prosecutor stood up and proudly read the charges against Ye Xuan.
"… Barbadian male, Ye Xuan, is accused of setting fire to the Vanderbilt residence in Little Rock Canyon, Utah, and murdering 12 members of his family on October 28th. The judge and jury are requested to consider the seriousness of the case and decide on the appropriate punishment. "
The prosecutor simply stated the charges, and then it was up to the defendant's lawyer to cross-examine the witnesses and review the evidence to refute the prosecution's charges.
Because time was tight and he didn't have time to explain the key points to Smith, He Zhichu was worried that Smith wouldn't be able to adapt to the situation and mess up the trial, so he chose to appear in court to defend himself.
He calmly stood up from the defendant's stand and walked to the center of the courtroom. He nodded to everyone in a graceful manner.
Almost everyone in the courtroom had a good impression of him as soon as they saw him. Only the sheriff looked at him coldly.
He Zhichu pretended not to see the sheriff's gaze and walked straight to the prosecutor. He spoke in fluent English with a perfect Oxford accent, "Mr. Prosecutor, may I ask what direct witnesses and evidence are you relying on for your charges? I didn't see you mention any direct witness or evidence at all earlier. "
"The direct witness is the housekeeper, and the evidence is the scene of the fire. What questions do you have? "The corners of the prosecutor's mouth twitched mockingly. He no longer thought much of He Zhichu.
He Zhichu calmly walked in front of him. He stroked his chin with one hand and propped up his other elbow with the other. He said thoughtfully, "So in the eyes of the prosecutor, a person seen four hours before the murder can also be considered direct evidence. No wonder you only won 10% of the cases and lost 90% of the cases in the 30 years you've been a prosecutor. "
"You're slandering me!" The prosecutor didn't expect He Zhichu to know about his work performance ratio. He was instantly furious. "You're invading my privacy! I'm going to sue you! "
"Mr. Prosecutor, as a public official, your work performance is not your personal privacy. The taxpayers have the right to know the actual content." He Zhichu's voice grew cold. He turned to look at the agitated sheriff. "And Mr. Sheriff, you're using subjective assumptions instead of objective evidence to arrest people. This is a serious abuse of public power."
As soon as the prosecutor heard He Zhichu link this matter to the problem of the police abusing public power, his heart skipped a beat and he cursed inwardly.
As expected, the expressions of the jury members immediately changed. Including the three men who had originally been dismissive of Ye Xuan, they all began to consider He Zhichu's question of the police abusing public power.
"Members of the jury, Mr. Vanderbilt's murder case is very complicated. However, the case my client is involved in is very simple. To put it simply, he accidentally appeared in an inappropriate place, so he was used and framed. But this sheriff didn't arrest the real murderer and only arrested my client based on hearsay without any direct witness or physical evidence. He even refused to release him on bail. If this is allowed, then where is the dignity of the law? Where are the personal rights of citizens?! "
He Zhichu's clear voice was loud and clear. Every word was like a heavy hammer that smashed into the hearts of everyone in the courtroom.
The sheriff was sweating profusely from He Zhichu's words. He quickly stood up to defend himself. "I didn't abuse public power! I have evidence! "
"What evidence? A housekeeper saw my client talking to Mr. Vanderbilt on the street in the evening? You call that direct evidence? If you infer that, then Mr. Housekeeper is even more suspicious because he and Mr. Vanderbilt spoke countless times, and I'm guessing there was an argument. More importantly, Mr. Vanderbilt's entire family was killed, but Mr. Housekeeper and the cook were safe and sound. If you infer that, then you two are also suspects! "
He Zhichu pointed at Mr. Vanderbilt's housekeeper and cook. The two of them were terrified and cried out in unison. "No! We didn't do it! You have no evidence! "
"Now you know I have no evidence? Mr. Housekeeper, then you keep saying that my client committed murder and arson. May I ask where is your direct evidence? I remember you said in your statement at the police station that you didn't see who did it because you were already asleep at the time. "
He Zhichu narrowed his eyes and raised his chin slightly. He looked coldly at the sweating housekeeper. "According to Mr. Sheriff's logic, you didn't have anyone to prove that you were asleep at the time, so you are also a suspect and even more suspicious. Because statistics show that this kind of family murder case is 99% committed by insiders. "
The housekeeper stared at He Zhichu with his mouth agape. He didn't understand how he had suddenly gone from an important witness to an important suspect?!
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This is the 4300-word second chapter. Two chapters today ~ ~ ~ Asking for recommendation votes and monthly votes!
What about the recommendation votes, dear friends? You have to vote all of them! O (́ □ ́) o.
PS: Big chapter! Good night, dear friends! The book review section is under maintenance. It's said that it can't be used normally until after 10pm.
Also, I posted a 500-word rant on Sina Weibo. If you want to see it, you can follow my Sina Weibo: Writer's Cambrian.
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