In the trial so far, Wilfrid obviously had the upper hand. Every move Nick Reese made was within Wilfrid"s grasp, and every attack he made Wilfrid resolved.
However, Nick Reese"s calm expression made Wilfrid slightly uneasy and worried.
Wilfrid had battled multiple times against Prosecutor Reese, and from Wilfrid"s understanding of Reese, he was not the kind of prosecutor who would simply accept being in the backseat. As the only prosecutor with a conviction rate of 100%, that was definitely not the entirety of Reese"s capability.
I already have the advantage, but Nick Reese is still as calm as ever. He definitely has something up his sleeve. That"s the only reason why he is so calm. Wilfrid took a deep breath. He knew it wasn"t time yet for him to relax.
Finally, it was Dai Li"s turn to be questioned.
Nick Reese walked to Dai Li"s side. His gaze suddenly seemed very sharp, and his tone also became serious.
"Mr. Li, based on the data available, you successfully freed yourself from the kidnappers, and moreover, subdued three kidnappers. You even managed to rob them of their guns, is that correct?" Prosecutor Reese asked.
"Yes," Dai Li answered.
"Did you subdue them with your bare hands?" Reese asked.
"Yes. Before I subdued the kidnappers, I had no weapons. It was only until after I beat them up that I took the guns from their hands," Dai Li replied.
"Which is to say you subdued three gun-wielding kidnappers while you were barehanded." As Reese spoke, a cold look flashed through his eyes.
"To be exact, two of them held guns." Dai Li didn"t think there was anything wrong with his reply.
Reese did not focus on that. He took out three photographs and continued, "I"ve seen the information of the three kidnappers you subdued. This guy was smuggled in from Colombia. He used to be the subordinate of a Colombian drug lord. He is a savage, and he has claimed several lives."
The photograph Reese took out was a photo of Santos. He showed the photo to everyone and then changed to the other photograph. The person in the photograph was a very tall black man.
"This guy has multiple priors. He was imprisoned for robbery and a.s.sault. His information in the doc.u.ment archive in the police department is around this thick." Reese gestured with his hand, he then moved on and showed everyone the third photograph.
"This guy received professional boxing training. He used to be a boxer, but because he almost beat his opponent to death, he had to bid farewell to the boxing profession. In the crime syndicates in Los Angeles, he is a famous fighter because his fighting skills are very good."
"The three kidnappers are obviously not people with frail or weak bodies. They know how to fight. Truth be told, if it were me, even if they were barehanded, I wouldn"t be able to beat any one of them one on one. I believe most people wouldn"t be able to achieve this feat. Not to mention subduing all three at once. I think a Navy SEAL might be able to subdue all three of them at once, maybe. So, Mr. Li, I"m curious, were you part of the military?" Reese asked.
"No." Dai Li shook his head firmly.
"Then, are you a martial artist? Or have you obtained any rank in martial arts? Like the black-belt in Judo and Taekwondo, or the armbands in Muay Thai, or something else?" Reese asked directly.
"No," Dai Li answered.
Reese laughed coldly. "Then have you received professional martial arts training?"
Dai Li thought that Reese"s question was a trap, he thought for a moment and said, "I used to be the fitness coach of the ultimate boxing champion, Kevin Taylor. In the process of coaching Kevin Taylor, I learned boxing techniques."
"You"ve only learned some techniques as you coached him, and haven"t directly received professional boxing training as a boxer, can I phrase it like that?" Reese asked immediately.
Dai Li pondered for a moment and finally nodded. "Yes."
"Then do you normally have any special interest in martial arts?" Reese asked.
"As a sports coach, I"m interested in all kinds of sports, including martial arts. It"s not just a question of hobbies, it is my job," Dai Li answered.
"Then do you conduct specialized martial arts training?" Reese asked again.
At that moment, Wilfrid suddenly stood up. "Objection, the prosecutor"s question is unrelated to the current case!"
Although Wilfrid hadn"t figured out what Reese"s plan was, Reese hadn"t brought up the shooting incident all day. He had instead placed his focus on the three kidnappers subdued by Dai Li. It made Wilfrid feel uneasy, so he decided to interrupt and stop Reese"s questioning.
Reese, however, said calmly, "Your honor, the kidnapping of the defendant is also part of the shooting, so my questions are completely related to the case."
The judge nodded. "Overruled. Prosecutor, you may continue with your questioning."
Reese turned around with satisfaction and continued asking Dai Li, "Mr. Li, do you train regularly in martial arts techniques?"
"No," Dai Li said.
"A non-military personnel who has no rank in any kind of martial arts, who also does not train in martial arts regularly, how did such a person subdue three kidnappers barehanded? Moreover, one of the kidnappers used to be a boxer! Don"t any of you think that this is just too unbelievable?"
Reese turned around to look at the others, he then spoke, "Obviously, the only explanation is that the defendant has a tendency for violence! Based on scientific research, people with tendencies to violence can exert extra strength and power when attacking someone. It is because Mr. Li has a tendency to violence that he could subdue the three kidnappers barehanded."
"Objection! The prosecutor"s conclusion is without proof. If the prosecutor thinks that my client has a tendency for violence, please show us actual proof." Wilfrid stood up.
The judge immediately looked over towards Reese. "Prosecutor, do you have proof?"
"Because the defendant did not go through a mental evaluation, I currently do not have actual proof. However, this conclusion was deduced from the truths related to the case," Reese stated.
"Prosecutor Reese, do you actually plan to convict someone based on a deduction?" Wilfrid snorted coldly.
"Of course not. However, Mr. Wilfrid, can you provide another answer or explanation? How did a non-military individual, who does not have any rank in any martial art, who also does not train in martial arts regularly, subdue those three kidnappers?" Reese asked.
"It"s because I"m very talented in boxing!" Dai Li suddenly declared.
Everyone"s gaze fell on Dai Li. Dai Li then said, "I believe that I am a boxing genius. There are so-called "geniuses" in all kinds of fields and industries; they don"t need to put in a lot of effort to achieve results. I don"t think it"s hard to find cases like this in real life."
"Boxing genius? Mr. Li, how can you prove that you are a boxing genius? Your opinion alone cannot be used as evidence," Reese asked in a mocking tone.
"Then what proof do you have that I am not?" Dai Li refuted immediately.
The judge felt that it was meaningless to continue arguing about that. He slammed the tiny hammer in his hand and stopped the two people from continuing to express their opinions. "May I remind the two gentlemen that this is a court, don"t discuss things that are unrelated to the case. Prosecutor, you are a professional, please be more conscious."
"I"m sorry." Reese showed the judge an apologetic expression, then turned around and asked, "Mr. Li, my next question is, when you shot Mr. Sam Gardner, was it random? Or was it preplanned?"
"It was part of my plan of calling for help. I planned to shoot and injure a pa.s.serby so that the injured pa.s.serby would surely call the police," Dai Li said.
"Then, before you fired the gun, did you ever think that you might not hit the leg of the person, but instead, hit his chest or heart, or perhaps even his head? The person would have been killed, by you!" Reese asked.
"So I had to make sure I aimed at his leg before I shot," Dai Li said.
"Based on what you"ve said, you have thought of the possibilities that I mentioned? You only have to answer yes or no." Reese"s tone was aggravated.
"Yes," Dai Li nodded.
"Then, before you fired the gun, did it occur to you that the injured person might not be able to call the police due to different circ.u.mstances, such as him not having a phone, his phone having no battery, or that he had fainted from the pain?" Reese asked again.
"No. Under the circ.u.mstance, I could have lost my life at any moment, so I didn"t think that much," Dai Li answered.
"Then did you know that if the injured person did not get help from others in time, he could have died from blood loss?" Reese asked directly.
"I didn"t consider that much," Dai Li answered.
Reese"s voice suddenly increased by a decibel. He said, "Based on the description of the defendant, we can understand that the defendant knew, prior to firing the gun, that his shot might kill the targeted-person directly; however, he still took the shot. At the same time, the defendant also understood that if the person did not get help from the police in time, he might die from blood loss. Obviously, the defendant isn"t as kind and amazing as the defense lawyer said. On the contrary, he is very selfish; he didn"t care if the injured person lived or died, the defendant only cared about being saved."
"And from the fact that the defendant was able to subdue three kidnappers, he excels at fighting, and there is a possibility that he has a tendency for violence. Imagine, an individual with a tendency to violence, with a gun in hand, but due to the constraints of the law and morality, he could not shoot at others. However, one day, he had good reasons for shooting someone. Would he still continue to suppress his tendency to violence? Would he look forward to shooting at someone?"
"This is also the reason why our side decided to charge the defendant with first-degree murder. First of all, the defendant"s action of firing the gun was premeditated; secondly, the defendant might have a tendency for violence. His action wasn"t just a call for help, it could evolve into behavior that endangers public safety. Thirdly, the motive of the defendant. The defendant kept arguing that the motive for him firing the gun was to call for help from the outside; however, in truth, he didn"t care if the person lived or died. He still chose to shoot despite knowing he might kill the person. This clearly complies with the law"s definition of murder! Added to that, his action was premeditated. This, without a doubt, clearly const.i.tutes first-degree murder."
In the defense lawyer stands, Wilfrid furrowed his brows. There were already members of the jury nodding their heads in the jury stand. They clearly felt that Reese"s argument was reasonable.
Just as Reese described previously, the members of the jury were filled with people who were easily influenced by others. When Reese said, "complied with the law"s definition for murder," as well as, "without a doubt, clearly const.i.tutes a first-degree murder," he obviously affected the jury members" judgment.
After all, the members of the jury were not well-versed in law, while the prosecutor was a professional in law. When the prosecutor talked about the law in front of them with such confidence, they had a tendency to believe the words of the prosecutor.
...
Wilfrid felt that the situation wasn"t good. Initially, he had a complete advantage, but now, Reese had reversed the situation significantly.
Reese has surely played his trump card, I initially thought that he would not let go of the term "deliberate action." Who"d have thought he would suddenly s.h.i.+ft to "motivation to shoot." Moreover, he actually forcefully a.s.sociated both actions with first-degree murder. And his action is actually effective, since some members of the jury have wavered.
Wilfrid took a deep breath. He had to think of a way to turn the tables around. It was his turn next to question Dai Li, which would obviously be the best method for turning the tables around.
I need some time to think of a countermeasure, I also need some time to communicate with the client. As Wilfrid thought of that, he glanced at his watch, and an idea instantly popped into his head.
"Your honor, I would like to apply for a temporary recess," Wilfrid stated.
"Defense, what are your reasons?" the judge asked.
"I have some questions regarding the point the prosecutor brought up just now, claiming that people with a tendency for violence are able to exert more strength than normal when attacking people. The prosecutor said that it is scientifically researched, but I"ve never seen research results of the kind, so I would like to have some time to consult with relevant experts to check if it is as the prosecutor says," Wilfrid said.
Reese stood up. "Your honor, the conclusion I mentioned is scientifically proven. Because I am a prosecutor, I am often exposed to suspects with a tendency for violence, so experts who conducted such research projects have contacted me for research subjects before. I have detailed research reports, as well as a research thesis published in relevant journals with me. If the defense lawyer has any questions, I can provide him with them."
"Alright. Prosecutor, how long do you need to have the information given to the defense lawyer?" the judge asked.
"I"ve prepared this information beforehand and placed them in my briefcase. If the defense lawyer needs it, I can give it to him now." Reese was clearly prepared.
"Defense, how long do you need to verify this information?" the judge asked Wilfrid again.
"This depends on how much information is available." Wilfrid gave a vague answer.
Reese waved at his a.s.sistant. His a.s.sistant then brought a thin doc.u.ment over and handed it to Reese.
"I think that you probably don"t need an hour to finish reviewing these doc.u.ments, right?" Reese asked.
The judge looked at the thickness of the doc.u.ments before glancing at his watch. He found out that an hour later would be around lunch time, and by then, there was no way to continue with the trial. Thus, the judge lifted the gavel and said, "The court is adjourned. The court will resume at 2pm."
Bang! The hammer fell, and a crisp sound surrounded the room.