Free Web NovelChapter 783: Chapter 741: Irrefutable Evidence
Seeing Su Ming’s silence, Kara knew she had successfully made a breakthrough. The ironclad facts lay before him, and the suspect had no room for denial.
"Let me tell you how you committed the crime. Of course, you can confess or deny it, but the evidence is all there. If you plead guilty now, perhaps I can tell the prosecution that you have a good attitude, and maybe they will arrange a better cell for you later."
There’s no death penalty in Metropolis, and psychopathic killers are usually sentenced to life imprisonment. Looking at his current crimes, the sentence is at least over 300 years.
This includes the murder of minors and dismembering of corpses, among other serious charges. There really isn’t much that Kara can offer as a bargaining chip.
There’s a Hell Island off the coast of Metropolis with a prison that’s quite decent. The cells there can be considered ocean-view rooms. Since serving time is the same everywhere, the prosecutors do have this bargaining power.
If the suspect voluntarily pleads guilty, everyone will save quite a bit of trouble.
But if he refuses to confess, the hard evidence is sufficient to prove Slade is the murderer, and a life sentence is certain.
However, in that case, there will be no negotiation at all, and he’ll be sent straight to Gotham’s Black Gate Prison, where all the psychopathic killers are.
"...It wasn’t me."
Kara secretly rolled her eyes. Still denying it? She had so much evidence she was too lazy to present it. This person was dead set on going to trial.
She bit her lip, pushing her anger back down.
"According to the video timing, at 10:02 last night, you arrived at the street where Mr. Feisher’s residence is located. According to witnesses’ testimonies, you smoked a cigarette outside his courtyard. This action was witnessed by over a dozen people who saw your face, and we’ve already collected the cigarette butt from the scene; the DNA test results are on their way."
"...."
Kara didn’t react to his silence and continued: "After smoking, you pushed open the garden gate, approached the house, and rang the bell. Mr. Feisher opened the door for you, smiling and welcoming you inside. Neighbors can testify to this process, and your fingerprints are on the gate and the doorbell."
"...." Su Ming’s mind was in chaos, with a vague feeling that he was indeed there, and his actions were exactly as this female police officer described.
"Next, you entered the living room. The editor-in-chief, who was going to rest, thought you had found big news, so he entertained you in the living room. On the coffee table were two glasses, a bottle of bourbon, and your fingerprints were on them."
"I....."
"Ah, don’t say those were old fingerprints. Now our world’s technology can determine when fingerprints are left. Old prints and fresh prints have significant differences. By calculating the time salt and oils have weathered, we can provide a very accurate time."
Kara shook her head, interrupting his attempt to speak, as breaking down the opponent’s psychological defense had to be done in one swift move.
"But then, after drinking, you suddenly went berserk, using a dagger to kill Mr. Feisher by first slicing his carotid artery and then damaging his heart. He was already dead by then, but you went on to dissect his body, spreading the organs everywhere. What were you thinking?"
"I....."
"No, don’t speak; I don’t want to hear your psychopathic logic. You listen to me." Kara interrupted him again: "Next, you went upstairs and killed the family one by one as they slept, placing their bodies around the dining table."
"After that, you checked the refrigerator, took out ingredients, and cooked a meal. The fridge and kitchen utensils have blood palm prints, very clear ones. You adjusted the corpses’ seating positions, pried open their eyelids, and under the gaze of seven empty eyes, you had dinner...."
Kara shook her head, as if unable to accept it. She wanted to gag but held it back with effort.
"Why did you do it? Did eating under the gaze of the dead give you pleasure? Psychological or sexual pleasure? Or do you believe in some mysterious religion?"
Seeing Su Ming about to argue, she turned away, waving her hand.
"Forget it, save your thoughts for the television. I’m a police officer, only interested in evidence, not drama."
"After dinner, you dismembered everyone, except for the editor-in-chief, who you left somewhat intact. You dragged him to the roof, hanging him with bed sheets on the iron railing, leaving a lot of footprints and blood fingerprints. Next, you ransacked his home. I don’t know how you opened the safe, but you only took gold jewelry, which, of course, was found in your car’s trunk, all covered in blood."
"After placing the other bodies back in their beds, you used the bathroom in his home, washing yourself but leaving behind a lot of hair. After that, you left with the stolen goods, pretending to be an innocent person and returning to the Daily Planet. Such skill—have you killed people in Gotham before?"
"I didn’t...."
"Stop quibbling. After you returned to the Daily Planet, you continued to finish your article, disguising yourself. This wasn’t an impulsive crime but premeditated, and the motive was money, right?" Kara scanned her report, stroked her chin: "Your bank account has only a few hundred dollars. Your neighbors confirmed you have a seriously ill girlfriend who plans to have a baby soon. Are you short on money? Among those you know, the editor-in-chief is the wealthiest, so you thought...."
"No! Not me! I didn’t kill him; if I had borrowed money from him, he would have lent it to me. He’s a good person!"
Su Ming started struggling, as if trying to escape, his emotions highly agitated.
Kara took two steps back, tilted her head slightly, and slowed her speech:
"Ah, it seems like that’s indeed the case. Was there a snag with borrowing money? Was he not as generous as you imagined? So you had to use a backup method, gave him a hit, and then suddenly tasted the flavor of blood, arousing your suppressed perverted psychology? Now it makes sense."
"You didn’t deliberately conceal your whereabouts on the way to his house, but the result of drinking and talking didn’t go well. You had to kill him and take the money yourself. The supermarket’s video also has the latter part, capturing the time you left at 10:35, originally going to the editor’s house empty-handed, but leaving with a mysterious black bag."
"After that, to cover up the crime, you returned to the newspaper office to destroy the security footage and its backup, erasing traces of your departure. As for the computer backend’s recorded sleep state, perhaps you lack the hacking skills to alter it, but you believe you could excuse it as having fallen asleep or gone to eat during that time."
"At 11:30, after preparing everything, you uploaded an article to the server, then left the Daily Planet, and intentionally ignited your vehicle on Joy Street." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Intentionally?"
"We found an ignition device in your car’s hood. Only you had the chance to set this up. Originally, the vehicle catching fire on the road was a move to destroy evidence. A burned vehicle would be towed by the traffic department to a scrap yard. If it didn’t cause personal or public property damage, no one would inspect it if you didn’t request an investigation."
"Real gold doesn’t fear the fire. You can retrieve the gold from the trunk anytime later. The scrap yard has no monitoring, and the stolen goods will be clean, with all bloodstains erased. Bystanders will all become your witnesses, proving it was an accidental fire. If successful, those who mocked you would turn into fools. Aren’t you quite pleased with yourself?"
"But something unexpected happened; you unexpectedly ran into colleagues, Clark and Louise. They not only put out the fire but also towed the stolen car back to your doorstep. If you deal with the car at midnight, it would seem too deliberate. You had to accept this unexpected turn; today, you planned to reclaim the stolen goods, but unexpectedly, we found you directly."
"This isn’t true. I don’t remember doing any such thing." Su Ming shook his head even though all evidence pointed at him. He was convinced of his innocence but wondered if he was hypnotized or drug-controlled?
Kara shook her head; she anticipated this reaction: "Now it’s too late to feign insanity; you don’t have split personality nor any history of illness. Do you know why we found you so quickly? Besides a pile of evidence, it’s because you left a handwritten note at the crime scene!"
As she spoke, Kara smacked a photo onto the table.
You could see words written with blood on a paper, with a clear background on the dining table; it read: "You ask me why I kill? Because I am... Batman!"
"After receiving the report, we immediately compared this letter with the handwriting of everyone in the editorial department. The result is out, perfectly matching your usual handwriting. Moreover, after apprehending you, we also found the murder weapon—a dagger—in the lower compartment of your camera bag."
Kara took out the photo; it was a beautiful dagger, with a flying owl on the grip.
Su Ming could certainly say he’s never seen this dagger; it was not his belonging at all.
But without a doubt, just by looking at Kara’s gaze, he knew it not only tested positive for the victim’s blood but undoubtedly also had his fingerprints.
Kara flexed her wrist, unbuttoned her suit, and took out a sympathetic approach, asking gently.
"Do you love your girlfriend?"
"....Of course."
"Then does she know you rob and kill people for her? Killing is a serious mistake, but maybe she can understand your pain; don’t you want her to forgive you? I can arrange a visit depending on you confessing now."
Kara softly tempted him, using family, lovers—they can all be utilized. Many suspects can’t bear to see their closest ones lie.
"I really didn’t kill; I regard the editor and their family as my kin. If I lie, I’ll doom my entire family!" Su Ming desperately defended himself, with handcuffed fists banging on the table before him.
Little did he know, after his declaration, Kara’s gaze turned even sharper. Isn’t the current situation just like his family is doomed...?
Kara irritably put away the evidence photos; though the suspect denied it, she held witnesses and material evidence, all ironclad. Moreover, through dialogue and analysis, she had understood the crime motive and some criminal psychology.
These are enough to convict ten times over; just waiting for the Star Laboratory footprint and DNA testing results to present the case to the prosecutor for filing charges.
Yet she didn’t feel accomplished; with so much evidence, even a traffic cop could crack this case. But as a top detective, the suspect still didn’t self-confess—her work was incomplete yet...
No choice left, the suspect is stubborn as hell; then see you in court.
"Your girlfriend’s name is Diana, right? She’s really unfortunate, thinking she fell for a good man, but you are just a coward—a coward who dares to act but not admit, a perverted killer. She misjudged! Thankfully you don’t have children yet, otherwise, she’d suffer more!"
Throwing down some piercing words, Kara gathered her thick folder and prepared to leave. There were still hours before the public prosecutor’s office came to collect him.
Saying these words might wake him to confess, perhaps? It’s worth a try, and what’s this ’I am Batman’? It still feels like there’s an underlying story, maybe a cult organization?
Yet before she could leave the table, a strong explosion occurred in the interrogation room.
The wall behind the suspect was installed with directional explosives, which upon detonation sent debris flying, concrete blocks attached to rebar scattered everywhere, and the intense airflow blew Kara away, slamming her hard against the wall.
