Protecting the police?
What did he mean, the 1.6-meter-tall, emaciated Wang Qiang was protecting the police at the scene?
As Xu De's words faded...
"Wait, defense attorney."
It was a rare occurrence.
From the judge's bench, Zhang Bingxin suddenly interrupted Xu De.
In principle, neither side was allowed to interrupt the other during their presentations, but he chose to do it anyway.
Zhang Bingxin felt as if he were getting old and his ears were failing him.
He stared blankly at Xu De, as if seeking confirmation, and spoke with a hint of hesitation.
"Are you saying... the defendant's actions at the time of the incident... were to protect others? Not to protect his daughter, but the police?"
At the defense table.
Xu De paused his presentation. He looked at Zhang Bingxin and replied without the slightest psychological burden,
"Yes and no. I haven't finished speaking yet, but generally speaking, yes."
"The defense argues that the defendant, Wang Qiang, exhibited the behavior and nature of acting bravely for a just cause. This absolutely does not constitute the Crime of Intentional Homicide as alleged in the prosecution's indictment!"
Zhang Bingxin pressed further.
"So, your side believes the defendant was acting bravely for a just cause, protecting seven police officers, and one of them was even armed?"
Xu De calmly replied once again.
"Yes, presiding judge."
Zhang Bingxin was speechless.
He was utterly stunned.
Not only him, but even the other two judges on the bench, Liu Jianguo and Sun Dong, froze in place.
The same was true at the prosecution table. The prosecutors exchanged glances for a long time, while Chen Wei frowned, completely bewildered by what Xu De was plotting.
After a long while.
Zhang Bingxin looked at Xu De. With his brow slightly furrowed and his attitude clearly much more serious, he said,
"Defense attorney, please continue."
"Understood."
Xu De nodded, paused briefly, and then picked up right where he left off.
"Respected presiding judge and jury members."
"According to the information, the defendant, Wang Qiang, went to Lijia Village on October 2nd, resulting in the death of Li Erniu."
"However, we cannot only look at Wang Qiang and Li Erniu in this incident!"
"Prosecution, may I ask who else was present at the scene during the incident, besides the deceased and the defendant!?"
The moment his words fell,
the crisp sound of a gavel echoed through the room.
"Bang!"
Zhang Bingxin picked up his gavel and lightly rapped it on the desk.
"We are now in the investigation phase. Prosecution, please answer the question."
At the prosecution table.
"What... what the hell is this lawyer doing?" Prosecutor Wang Wei frowned, turning to glance at Hu Guang, completely lost as to what the opposing counsel was up to.
Acting bravely for a just cause?
Let alone the reporters and bystanders in the gallery, even those from the Intermediate Prosecutor's Office nearly failed to process it!
He had lived for over forty years.
This was the very first time he had ever heard that getting red in the face, throwing the first punch, and subsequently killing someone could be considered acting bravely for a just cause!
Did this lawyer even know what he was saying?!
"Let's wait and see,"
Prosecutor Hu Guang replied with a frown. He then looked at Xu De and responded loudly,
"They can generally be divided into six categories."
"The police, the victim of the trafficking case, the defendant, the deceased, the family of the deceased, and the villagers of Lijia Village."
Hearing this,
Xu De nodded from the defense table and continued.
"Correct, a total of six categories of people. Let's set that aside for a moment."
"Then, I would like to ask the opposing counsel once more, under what circumstances is the Crime of Intentional Homicide, as stated in the indictment, constituted?"
This sort of thing might be difficult for an ordinary person to articulate clearly.
But not a single person present was a pushover!
Hu Guang answered,
"According to the explicit provisions of Article 14 of the Criminal Code, the original text states: An intentional crime is an act committed by a person who clearly knows that their action will produce socially harmful consequences, and who wishes or allows such consequences to occur, thereby constituting a crime!"
"This includes direct intent, indirect intent, and negligence."
At this point,
Hu Guang raised the document in his hand and pointed to the text on it.
"Regarding this case, the defendant, Wang Qiang, clearly knew that his proactive actions would cause the conflict between the two parties to erupt and result in casualties, yet he still did not stop."
"This subsequently led to the death of the victim, Li Erniu."
"Therefore, the defendant, Wang Qiang, fits the criteria of Article 14, indirect intentional homicide!"
Intentional homicide was also categorized. It was not just when you hated someone and took a knife to kill them that it counted as intentional homicide.
For example: 'I know this might kill someone, but I don't care, if they die, they die. I neither hope for it nor prevent it, and I accept the result if it happens.' This was also considered intentional homicide.
Wang Qiang's actions could be considered either direct or indirect. Connecting the testimony with the evidence, Hu Guang believed he fell into the latter category.
"Defense, do you have any further opinions to express?"
Hu Guang crossed his hands on the desk, leaned his upper body forward, and stared at him with a frown.
Upon hearing this,
Xu De seized the moment. He took a deep breath and declared,
"Prosecution, everything you just stated..."
"Is completely inconsistent with the facts!"
Inconsistent with the facts?
This was no joke. To a prosecutor, it practically bordered on a personal attack!
A look of anger had just begun to surface on Hu Guang's face.
But the opposing counsel did not give him a chance to speak.
Xu De suddenly turned his gaze to everyone present and proclaimed loudly,
"According to the prosecution, the defendant, Wang Qiang, became emotionally agitated due to the conflict over the trafficking. This led to hostility, and he threw the first punch, resulting in death."
"But..."
"According to the clues, the one who struck first was clearly the deceased, Li Erniu!"
The moment these words fell,
everyone at the scene was momentarily stunned. A second later, astonishment appeared on their faces, and a slight commotion rippled through the gallery.
"That doesn't seem right. Although I sympathize with the defendant... based on the information provided by the police, didn't the victim just get into the car and pull at the defendant's family member?"
"There was no extreme behavior, no verbal provocation..."
"Man... I really don't understand this lawyer."
"..."
Someone in the audience raised a hand to scratch their head, staring at Xu De for a long time without making heads or tails of his words.
Let alone the bystanders.
Even Hu Guang, Wang Wei, and the others facing him directly were frowning, clueless as to what tricks he was playing.
'Judging by his logical reasoning, this lawyer is definitely not some clueless greenhorn. In that case...'
'What exactly does he mean by these words? What is his purpose in saying this!?'
Hu Guang stared fixedly at Xu De, as if trying to see through his inner thoughts.
Presiding judge Zhang Bingxin was also dumbfounded for a long moment before he finally spoke with hesitation,
"Defense attorney, please elaborate on your previous statement."
Xu De nodded, a faint smile finally gracing his face.
Immediately after,
a rapid string of words echoed in the ears of the over four hundred people in Courtroom One.
"I ask the opposing counsel, prior to the fatal incident, regarding the other personnel present at the scene—namely the six categories of people I inquired about earlier:"
"The police, the trafficking victim, the family of the deceased, the villagers of Lijia Village..."
"What kind of relationship did these four categories of people hold toward each other?"
Xu De did not wait for anyone else to provide the answer; he immediately blurted it out.
"It was a standoff!"
"It was an illegal and criminal act where over forty people—including the two family members present at this trial—brandished weapons and forcibly besieged seven police officers and the trafficking victim, posing a severe threat to their personal safety!"
"And our defendant."
"Under such circumstances, in order to protect the people's police, our defendant was the very first to step in front of the crowd and fight against all the lawbreakers!!!"
Courtroom One, the largest courtroom in Greenwood City, fell deathly silent.
Over four hundred people stared with their mouths agape at the impassioned lawyer.
"In summary, according to Article Two of the Greenwood City Regulations on Rewarding and Protecting Individuals Acting Bravely for a Just Cause..."
Xu De declared,
"Our defendant was, in fact, acting bravely for a just cause!"
Prosecutor Hu Guang was speechless.
Presiding judge Zhang Bingxin was speechless.
The entire gallery was speechless.
As his voice faded, the entire courtroom descended into silence.