eurekapd Chapter 1416 Investigation into Suspect Zheng Jin
Chapter 1416 Investigation into Suspect Zheng Jin
Back at the investigation point, Xiao Zhou's team immediately began a comprehensive review of the ledgers. There were three ledgers in total, recording the convenience store's purchases, sales, and outstanding payments over the past three years. The handwriting was neat and clear, showing that Tian Bin was a very meticulous person. The team members divided the work, carefully examining each ledger and page, paying particular attention to outstanding payments and any unusual financial transactions.
Around 1 p.m., team member Xiao Li noticed something unusual in the 2024 ledger: "Team Leader Zhang, there's a large outstanding debt here, it's suspicious!" Xiao Zhou immediately went over to check. The ledger clearly recorded that, starting in March 2024, Zheng Jin, a resident of Huifeng Community, borrowed money from Hongda Convenience Store seven or eight times, with each loan ranging from three to five hundred yuan to seven or eight thousand yuan. By the time of the incident, the total outstanding amount had reached 32800 yuan. The ledger also detailed the time and amount of each loan. The most recent loan was 8000 yuan, taken a week before the incident, and Tian Bin had noted "not repaid" in the ledger.
"Zheng Jin? Have we encountered this name during our previous visits?" Xiao Zhou asked. The team members immediately reviewed their previous visit records and found that Zheng Jin was the owner of apartment 401, unit 3, building 5 in the Huifeng residential complex. During previous visits, the team members had been to his home, but no one answered the door. Neighbors said that Zheng Jin was rarely home, often returning late at night, and was rather withdrawn, rarely interacting with other residents in the complex. Since no connection was found between Zheng Jin and Tian Bin at the time, no further investigation was conducted.
"Immediately retrieve Zheng Jin's identity information!" Xiao Zhou's instruction was clear. The team quickly retrieved Zheng Jin's information through the police system: Zheng Jin, male, 38 years old, registered residence in Chengnan District of this city, currently residing in Room 401, Unit 3, Building 5, Huifeng Community, unemployed, with a prior robbery conviction, sentenced to three years imprisonment for robbery in 2018, and released in 2021. More importantly, the system showed that Zheng Jin had a gambling addiction and had been administratively detained twice by the public security authorities for gambling.
“He has a prior robbery conviction and is a compulsive gambler. He borrowed large sums of money from Tian Bin multiple times, accumulating debts exceeding 3 yuan. He also borrowed 8000 yuan a week before the incident and hadn't repaid it,” Xiao Zhou analyzed gravely. “All indications suggest that Zheng Jin is a prime suspect. He likely couldn't repay his debts, and after being pressured by Tian Bin for repayment, he became enraged and lured Tian Bin to the West Suburbs Park to kill him, thus avoiding paying his debts.” Xiao Zhou immediately reported this to Li Ming, who instructed: “Immediately include Zheng Jin in the key investigation, conduct a comprehensive investigation of his social relationships, financial situation, and whereabouts during the time of the incident, and verify his suspicion as soon as possible.”
As per Li Ming's instructions, Xiao Zhou's team immediately split into three groups to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Zheng Jin: the first group was responsible for visiting Zheng Jin's neighbors, friends, and the property management of the community to understand Zheng Jin's daily whereabouts, personality traits, and recent unusual behavior; the second group was responsible for retrieving surveillance footage from Zheng Jin's residence, the area around Hongda Convenience Store, and the vicinity of Xijiao Park to trace Zheng Jin's movements during the time of the incident; the third group was responsible for contacting relevant personnel at the bank and casino to investigate Zheng Jin's financial situation and recent gambling activities.
The first team members visited Zheng Jin's neighbors at the HSBC residential complex. Mr. Chen, who lives next door to Zheng Jin, told the team, "Zheng Jin is usually very quiet and has a violent temper. I often hear things being smashed in his house late at night. He seems to be short of money; he even asked me for money a while ago, but I didn't dare lend it to him." Another neighbor said that Zheng Jin often comes home late at night and always smells of smoke and alcohol. Sometimes, they see strangers coming to see him, who look like people from gambling dens. "Once, I saw him arguing with a stranger at the entrance of the complex. It seemed to be about money. The stranger even threatened him, saying he would break his legs if he didn't pay back the money," the neighbor added.
The team members then contacted the property management office. A staff member stated that Zheng Jin rarely paid his property management fees and utility bills, frequently defaulting. Despite multiple visits from the property management office to collect the payments, he was always verbally abused and driven away. "He has a terrible temper; we're all afraid to mess with him. A while ago, he even got into a fight with a resident over a parking issue, and we had to call the police to resolve the situation," the property manager said. The team members also learned that after his release from prison, Zheng Jin hadn't found stable employment and relied on odd jobs and gambling to survive, facing severe financial difficulties.
The second team retrieved surveillance footage from the area surrounding Zheng Jin's residence and began a comprehensive analysis of his movements during the time of the incident. The footage showed that around 6 PM the day before the incident, the day before Tian Bin's murder, Zheng Jin appeared at the entrance of the Huifeng residential complex, spoke briefly with a stranger, and then went alone towards the Hongda convenience store. Because the surveillance cameras at the Hongda convenience store only retain seven days of footage, and the footage from the day before the incident showed that Zheng Jin stayed at the store for about 10 minutes before leaving, while Tian Bin was working inside, the footage was insufficient.
"Zheng Jin went to Hongda Convenience Store the afternoon before the incident, most likely to borrow money or be pressured by Tian Bin to repay a debt," Xiao Zhou analyzed. The team continued reviewing surveillance footage and discovered that after leaving the convenience store, Zheng Jin went to a mahjong parlor near the residential area, not leaving until around 10 PM. At 10:30 PM, Zheng Jin appeared at the back gate of the residential area and then walked towards Xijiao Park, which aligns with Tian Bin's arrival at Xijiao Park at 8:10 PM. More importantly, the surveillance footage showed that around 1:30 AM, Zheng Jin returned to the residential area alone from the direction of Xijiao Park, his clothes appearing slightly soiled, his expression flustered, and his steps hurried.
"The forensic doctor deduced that Tian Bin's time of death was around 1:00 AM, and Zheng Jin returned to the community from the direction of Xijiao Park at 1:30 AM. The timing matches perfectly!" Xiao Zhou said excitedly. "Moreover, he looked flustered and had mud on his body, which likely indicates that he fled the scene after committing the crime." Subsequently, the team retrieved surveillance footage from the area around Xijiao Park. Although the surveillance camera at the north gate of the park was damaged, the team found Zheng Jin's figure on a small path on the north side of the park. He entered this path around 0:50 AM, and this path leads directly to the core scene of Tian Bin's murder.
The third team investigated Zheng Jin's bank accounts and gambling activities, discovering that his bank account balance was almost zero and he had multiple overdue online loan records. Simultaneously, the team contacted personnel at several casinos in the city and learned that Zheng Jin had recently lost a lot of money at casinos, accumulating substantial gambling debts and being repeatedly pursued for repayment by casino staff.