in2ebook Chapter 40 The Truth About the Wrongful Conviction Revealed
Chapter 40 The Truth About the Wrongful Conviction Revealed
"I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill anyone!"
Dafei quickly denied it. He knew perfectly well which was more serious, murder or robbery.
Qi Tongwei laughed and said, "Brother Dafei, that's not right. When you're in the game, you have to be responsible for your actions. At worst, you'll be a hero again in eighteen years. Even if you lose your head, it'll just be a scar the size of a bowl. It's not that bad now. A bullet to the head doesn't really hurt at all."
Shooting doesn't hurt at all. Zhang Zheng and Zhao Donglai both wanted to ask him if he had been shot in his past life.
"I really didn't kill anyone, I really didn't kill anyone."
Dafei continued to deny it.
Qi Tongwei sighed, "Brother Dafei, you're really boring, you have no backbone at all. I love Water Margin the most. The 108 brothers of Liangshan drank from big bowls and ate meat in big chunks. Not one of them was a coward until the very end."
Dafei panicked; it seemed the police were going to pin the murder on him.
"I'll talk, I'll talk! I didn't kill anyone! I saw someone else kill someone!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei, Zhang Zheng, and Zhao Donglai all tensed up at the same time; the truth was revealed at that moment.
Dafei took a deep breath. "That night, after drinking with two friends, I thought I'd go out and steal something. I found a car on the side of the road, and a man and a woman were arguing there."
Suddenly, the woman pulled a knife from behind and stabbed the man in the chest. The man was very tall. After stabbing him, the woman tried to run away, but the man chased after her, grabbed her hair, pulled the knife from her chest, and stabbed her in the neck. Then they both died.
"After a while, once they were completely dead, we went over to take a look and found out it was Lu Biao. Lu Biao's brother was a notorious gangster in Jingzhou, someone we couldn't afford to offend, but we couldn't resist taking only that very expensive Rolex watch."
This is absurd! The truth behind Duan Xiaojun's case is actually like this.
"Then why didn't you report it to the police?" Zhang Zheng pressed.
What if the police say we committed murder? We're just petty thugs; the police will definitely treat us as murderers.
It's better to avoid trouble. Anyway, I heard later that the murderer was caught.
I just don't know which unlucky person it is.
Zhang Zheng confirmed with the other two people, and it was exactly the same as what Da Fei had said. The case was indeed absurd.
They quickly confessed to the drive-by robbery; compared to being executed for murder, what was robbery?
Qi Tongwei immediately informed Ji Changming and Feng Yi about the case, and Ji Changming then informed Chen Yanshi.
The police also administered a lie detector test to Dafei, and he confirmed that he had not lied in Duan Xiaojun's case.
It can now be fully proven that Duan Xiaojun is innocent, and this case is a wrongful conviction resulting from police coercion.
Yang Ming took the blame for the forced confession by the police, claiming that he had just been promoted to captain of the criminal investigation team and was eager to solve cases and earn merit.
The bald man confessed, admitting to collecting protection money, but denied colluding with the public security brigade.
Qi Tongwei was summoned to the Provincial Procuratorate. Provincial Procurator General Zhuang Guosen personally presided over Duan Xiaojun's case because this was the first wrongful conviction in Handong caused by police coercion. It was impossible to just let it pass by without mentioning it. Those who should be held accountable must be held accountable.
Chen Yanshi, Ji Changming, and Feng Yi were all present, and Qi Tongwei, an intern prosecutor, was the lowest-ranking officer.
Zhuang Guosen spoke first, saying, "Duan Xiaojun's case fully exposes the loopholes in the public security, procuratorial, and judicial organs. If these organs cannot be fair and impartial, how can we talk about governing the country according to law?"
"This case also exposed problems among many of our colleagues in the procuratorate. When initiating criminal prosecutions, the procuratorate should be more cautious in analyzing and judging the evidence provided by the public security organs."
"I would like to give special praise to Comrade Qi Tongwei. It was his persistent efforts that brought the truth of this case to light and prevented an irreparable mistake."
After Zhuang Guosen finished speaking, he clapped, and all the leaders present followed suit.
"I've heard you're usually quite talkative. Now, say a few words and share your experience from this case with us."
Just as Qi Tongwei was about to stand up, Zhuang Guosen waved for him to sit down.
"Prosecutor Zhuang, how dare I be disrespectful in front of such a high-ranking leader as you?"
Chen Yanshi was speechless. "Am I not a big enough boss? You still dare to criticize me."
Zhuang Guosen laughed and said, "I'll allow you to say whatever you want today."
Qi Tongwei grinned, "Then I'll say a few words boldly. I think I was lucky. That day I went to court and saw Duan Xiaojun. And because I was too young, I couldn't hold back and caused a scene in court."
"The criminal investigation team leader, Yang Ming, tried to handcuff me the first time we met, so I had a very bad impression of him. Therefore, I was more inclined to believe that Duan Xiaojun was subjected to police coercion during his interrogation."
"The key witness, Hu Tiezhu, a security guard at the state-owned factory, suddenly died. It's possible that he accidentally killed someone while stealing. I've never agreed with this view; it's too much of a coincidence, and it's not a movie."
"The Lu brothers, Lu Peng and Lu Biao, are known to be involved in organized crime if you ask around. It's entirely possible that the older brother was eager to avenge his younger brother after Lu Biao's death, and the prime suspect is Duan Xiaojun."
"I wouldn't dare speculate whether Lu Peng knows leaders in the public security, procuratorate, and judicial systems, but he certainly has the ability to do so."
"I stumbled upon a biker gang by chance, which led to the discovery of the whole case; it was just good luck."
"Boss, I'm done speaking."
Zhuang Guosen laughed heartily, "You're quite bold, kid, not letting any of the public security, procuratorate, or court personnel off the hook. Well, let me make it clear to you, anyone involved in this case who violates discipline or the law will be punished."
"Mr. Chen, you're in charge of this case, would you like to say a few words?"
Chen Yanshi's expression was serious. "So you do know I'm the person in charge?"
I was just a puppet; I only found out when the truth of the case came to light.
"Let me say a few words. Finding the truth behind Duan Xiaojun's case unexpectedly through the case of the biker gang was definitely a stroke of luck."
"As a prosecutor, I have a few points to make regarding Comrade Qi Tongwei. Without evidence, I do not recommend making malicious speculations, such as speculating that the Lu Peng and Lu Biao brothers are involved in organized crime."
"Making unfounded accusations against leaders of the public security, procuratorate, and judicial organs for involvement in this case is not good; it affects the unity among colleagues."
“Someone has told me that Comrade Qi Tongwei frequently uses violence. Please remember, we are prosecutors, not police officers.”
Chen Yanshi's words made the atmosphere in the room seem to be filled with tension.
Zhuang Guosen intervened, saying, "Comrade Qi Tongwei, you must humbly accept Elder Chen's criticism."
"I will keep the leader's teachings in mind and will learn from my mistakes, summarize my experiences, and strive to be a true prosecutor in my future work."
Qi Tongwei's attitude was very sincere, and Zhuang Guosen was very satisfied.
Ji Changming didn't want to expose him; Qi Tongwei's promise was like toilet paper, something that could be discarded at any time.
After the meeting, Qi Tongwei rode back in Ji Changming's car.
"You little rascal, the boss thinks highly of you. Try to avoid causing trouble in the future."
"Inspector Ji, you're wronging me. I've always worked diligently under your supervision."