National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1015 - 951: Starting from the Time of Death

"The initial suspect, Mai Zuqing, went to karaoke and drinking on that day, and at around 11 p.m., he arrived home to find the bodies of his wife and daughter, then reported it to the police. The police arrived at the scene around 11:40 p.m."

"Mai Zuqing worked as a cost analyst in the cost department of a real estate company, which was a relatively high-paying job at the time. He had a busy schedule, often working overtime and going out for business entertainment, and he personally liked to drink. Therefore, there were many quarrels between Mai Zuqing and his wife. Mai Zuqing also had a history of physical violence, having once broken the corner of his wife Sui Yingxue’s mouth."

"However, Mai Zuqing was very good to his pair of children, and through our conversations with his colleagues, we felt that he didn’t seem like the type of criminal who would kill his own daughter. Moreover, if it were Mai Zuqing coming home, then there would have been no reason for the mother, Sui Yingxue, to hide their son. Similarly, if Mai Zuqing had the intention to kill his wife and erase his children, he wouldn’t have left his son alive."

"We’ve collected some witness testimonies related to the case, and they mostly support the alibi that Mai Zuqing provided. Adding to that the testimony from the survivor..."

Lang Heng briefly explained the case and then looked at Jiang Yuan to ask, "Do you want to meet with this young survivor?" Lang Heng asked this pivotal question.

The child, who was 8 years old back then, is now 18 and able to fully articulate what he saw, heard, and thought. On the other side, because one of the suspects is his father, whether this young man can truthfully express his observations and thoughts is another question.

But, compared to having no information, even false information can be useful. Besides, there is a very good chance that what the survivor has to say is the truth.

"Let Meng Chengbiao talk to him," Jiang Yuan wasn’t particularly sociable, and a witness who had already undergone multiple rounds of questioning was like a sponge that had been wrung out many times; Jiang Yuan didn’t have the strength to wring it anymore.

Lang Heng responded with a sound and then looked at Jiang Yuan expectantly.

As Jiang Yuan was thinking, he looked up to meet Lang Heng’s gaze and couldn’t help but say, "Director Lang, that look on your face... Do you have an idea?"

"I have no ideas... I just want to see if there’s a chance that you could take a look at the pictures or something and crack the case right away," Lang Heng laughed heartily.

He had witnessed the quick efficiency from Jiang Yuan before, so his expectations were naturally different.

Jiang Yuan was amused by him and firmly stated, "That’s not possible; this case is somewhat complex."

"Alright. I was hoping this case could be wrapped up quickly," Lang Heng felt a bit disappointed but also relieved. freewebnσvel.cøm

If a case that their side had been working on for 8 years could be solved by Jiang Yuan with just a wave of the hand, it would genuinely be too much for some to handle.

"However..." Jiang Yuan’s voice came through once more.

Lang Heng’s eyes widened: "However what?"

"However, you’ve been too hasty in ruling out this suspect," Jiang Yuan didn’t give Lang Heng much hope but continued, "I’m not saying that the suspect is the murderer. But looking at your reasons for excluding him, such as witness statements, the suspect’s colleagues’ testimonies, cell phone signals, surveillance video from the place of work, and other alibi evidence..."

"Is there a problem?" Lang Heng didn’t know whether to be happy or not.

Jiang Yuan’s fingers scrolled through the PAD, pondering: "The alibi evidence is relatively objective, so we won’t discuss other testimonies for now. The issue is that the alibi is based on the time of death, and your determination of the death time wasn’t accurate enough, which makes the exclusion of the victim’s husband rather hasty."

"Is there an issue with the time of death?" Lang Heng sat up.

"There’s not too much of a problem, just that it isn’t very accurate. I think it could be moved up by two hours, at least by an hour and a half." Jiang Yuan moved the image to the number he had noted earlier, then continued: "Look here, the window is completely closed, and the air conditioning is also off... By the time the forensic doctor arrived, the earlier crime scene investigators had already opened all the windows and doors, coming in and out, stirring up the airflow, so the indoor temperature must have been lowered by several degrees."

Lang Heng realized suddenly, and with some embarrassment, said: "The crime scene investigations from the earlier years were indeed not up to standard."

Actually, the current ones are also not up to standard, but that’s just the way humans work and manage things.

Jiang Yuan naturally wouldn’t delve into how the crime scene investigation of a case from 10 years ago was conducted, simply saying: "Determining the time of death a bit more accurately may or may not be useful regardless, the suspect still needs further investigation. Even if he was really entertaining guests in the evening, he would have had free time at noon."

The LV6 time of death determination is his trump card, and he definitely intends to use it. Whether the suspect is the killer or not, many of the subsequent judgments may still rely on this.

However, Lang Heng was already getting excited: "If Mai Zuqing doesn’t have an alibi, then his suspicion is still very significant... He could take advantage of the noon time to commit the crime, and during the lunch break, there was no one around Mai Zuqing..."

"Then why kill the daughter and leave the son alive?" Jiang Yuan countered.

Lang Heng thought for only a moment before responding: "The daughter was older and might not comply with Mai Zuqing’s narrative anymore. He had to kill to silence her. The son was only 8 years old that year; he might have been naive or did not witness the full event, or perhaps he was hidden away by the mother who foresaw the danger..."

Jiang Yuan felt that Lang Heng’s explanation was somewhat forced. Speaking of maturity, an 8-year-old is already quite sensible, as can be understood from the interrogation records from later on. The 8-year-old spoke clearly and articulated very clearly what he knew. As a father, Mai Zuqing should have had a good understanding of his son’s verbal abilities and comprehension.

However, this level of reasoning is something that Jiang Yuan usually would not delve into.

Humans are irrational creatures, and rational reasoning can only identify trends, but it is difficult to explain whether, in that environment, at that moment, that person would commit such an act.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and said: "We can follow up on Mai Zuqing... However, you must have interrogated Mai Zuqing thoroughly back then."

Lang Heng hesitated for a moment, then sighed: "That is indeed the case."

Although in murder cases, the implicated parties all know the gravity of the charges and tend to resist strongly, the police interrogation techniques are not to be underestimated.

Given that Mai Zuqing himself was already under heavy suspicion, the police interrogation that day must have been carried out thoroughly. Although there is new evidence now, frankly speaking, compared to the dimensions of the police’s suspicion, it is still too immature.

"Are the evidences involved in the case still preserved?"

Jiang Yuan asked another question, raising Lang Heng’s expectations again.

"Yes, they are," Lang Heng hurriedly said: "The evidence for this case was specifically organized. Ah, back then, it was little Su crying while organizing the special case team’s evidence, and now in a blink of an eye, we have to call him old Su."

Su Mingshan ten years ago probably wasn’t yet the squad leader.

Jiang Yuan smiled briefly, then continued: "First, bring over the evidence for a look. Some things are better seen in person. Especially this door lock, check to see if it’s still around."