eurekapd Chapter 1298 Perfecting the Chain of Evidence
Chapter 1298 Perfecting the Chain of Evidence
"Why didn't you throw the shovel away too?" Xiao Zhou asked.
“I was too panicked at the time. After burying the body, I threw the shovel into the pit and forgot to take it out,” Liu Jianjun said regretfully. “If I had taken the shovel with me, you wouldn’t have found me so quickly.”
Looking at Liu Jianjun, who was breaking down and confessing, Xiao Zhou felt no relief. He picked up the record sheet and handed it to Liu Jianjun: "Read what you just said carefully. If it's true, sign and put your fingerprint on it."
Liu Jianjun took the record sheet, his fingers trembling as he read it line by line, each word feeling like a blow to his conscience. After finishing, he picked up a pen and wrote his name in the signature area, the pen tip tearing through the paper and leaving a deep ink mark. Then, he pressed his bright red fingerprint on the stark white paper, the imprint starkly glaring.
The interrogation ended at 1 a.m. Liu Jianjun was led out of the interrogation room by the police; his back was hunched, and the arrogance he displayed at the construction site was gone. Xiao Zhou stood in the interrogation room, looking at the evidence on the table and Liu Jianjun's confession, and let out a long sigh of relief. The truth surrounding Zhang Jianxue's death had finally been revealed in the interrogation.
He picked up the phone and dialed Li Ming's number: "Captain Li, Liu Jianjun has confessed and explained the whole process of killing Zhang Jianxue, including the details of stealing the electric tricycle to transport the body and burying it. It all matches the evidence we have. The electric tricycle is hidden in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, and the license plate has been thrown into a nearby river. We can go and retrieve the license plate first thing tomorrow morning to secure the last piece of evidence."
Li Ming's tired but gratified voice came from the other end of the phone: "Good! You've worked hard. Let the team members rest first. We'll start the follow-up procedures first thing tomorrow morning. We must handle the case thoroughly and give Zhang Jianxue's family an explanation."
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Zhou walked to the window of the interrogation room and looked out at the dark night sky. The streetlights in the distance shone faintly, as if guiding the way for this belated justice. He knew that although the case was solved, Zhang Jianxue's life could not be brought back, and Liu Jianjun would pay a heavy price for his impulsiveness—legal sanctions and a lifetime of conscience.
The next morning, members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment arrived at the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city and found the electric tricycle that Liu Jianjun had hidden. They then retrieved the license plate from a nearby river; the number on the license plate matched perfectly with the license plate of Zheng Bin's stolen vehicle. At this point, all the evidence was secured, and the fact that Liu Jianjun had murdered Zhang Jianxue was irrefutable.
When Zhang Jianxue's family learned that Liu Jianjun had confessed, they were anxiously waiting for news in their hometown of Zhoukou, Henan. Zhang Jianxue's wife held his photo, crying her heart out: "Jianxue, you can finally rest in peace. The person who killed you has been caught, and the law will give you justice!"
Standing to the side, Xiao Zhou watched this scene, his heart filled with emotion. He knew that as a police officer, his greatest duty was to uphold justice, to redress the grievances of the victims, and to bring the murderers to justice. This investigation, which spanned several days, was fraught with challenges at every step, from discovering the body to identifying the suspect, from interrogation and confession to securing evidence. But in the end, justice was served.
The morning after Liu Jianjun's arrest, the sky was overcast, threatening rain. The wind in the suburbs carried the earthy smell of dampness, stinging one's cheeks. Three police cars slowly drove along the winding mountain road towards Beishan Park, their flashing red lights standing out starkly against the gray sky. In the back seat, Liu Jianjun, dressed in an orange prison uniform, had his hands handcuffed behind his back. The shackles rattled with the movement of the vehicle. His head was bowed, his disheveled hair obscuring most of his face, revealing only his slightly trembling chin. Compared to his broken confession in the interrogation room the day before, he appeared numb and fearful.
“Liu Jianjun, today I’m taking you to identify the scene where Zhang Jianxue was murdered, the electric tricycle was stolen, and the body was buried. You must truthfully confess every detail; you cannot conceal or fabricate anything.” Sitting in the passenger seat, Xiao Zhou turned to look at him, his voice stern. “We have recorded every trace at the scene. What you say will be verified against the previous on-site investigation and forensic examination results. If you tell even one lie, it will only worsen your crime, understand?”
Liu Jianjun's body trembled slightly. He slowly raised his head, his eyes darting around, and he gave a hoarse "hmm," as if he had used up all his strength.
The police car first arrived at the bushes on the north side of Beishan Park, the site of the burial. The area was already cordoned off, and officers Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun, along with members of the technical department, waited nearby. Forensic kits, cameras, measuring tapes, and other tools were neatly arranged on the ground. Liu Jianjun was helped out of the car by two police officers; his shackles left deep marks on the soft soil. As soon as he approached the bushes, he involuntarily shrank back, his eyes filled with fear, as if he were transported back to the night of the 18th, the night of the murder and burial.
"Liu Jianjun, is this the place where you killed Zhang Jianxue?" Xiao Zhou walked to the bushes and pointed to the burial pit marked with white chalk on the ground. The soil there still showed signs of being disturbed, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding pristine soil.
Liu Jianjun's breathing suddenly quickened, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He stared at the area marked with chalk, his lips trembling, and after a long while, he managed to speak with difficulty: "It's...it's here. Around 7 p.m. on the 18th, I met Zhang Jianxue here. As soon as he saw me, he started cursing, saying that if I didn't pay back the 2000 yuan I owed him, he would report me to the foreman and make me lose my job..." His voice was choked with sobs, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the ground, as if recalling the scene. "I told him to wait a few more days, and I would pay him back when I got my wages, but he disagreed and pushed me, almost making me fall into the bushes."
Xiao Yang immediately stepped forward and, referring to Liu Jianjun's confession, said, "The murder location was identified as the bushes on the north side of Beishan Park, which is consistent with the location of the burial pit previously investigated, and matches the characteristics of the core area of the crime scene." As he spoke, he took pictures of Liu Jianjun's pointing actions to ensure that every detail was clearly recorded.
"And then? How did you lay a hand on Zhang Jianxue?" Xiao Zhou continued to press, his eyes fixed on Liu Jianjun's changing expression.
Liu Jianjun's body trembled violently, and tears suddenly welled up in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks: "I was very angry at the time, so I argued with him. He kept hurling insults at me, saying he would go to my hometown to ask my family for money and make me lose face in the village... I got angry and started fighting with him. He was stronger than me, and he pinned me to the ground, punching me all over..." He raised his hand, pointing to his chest and arms, "Here, and here, they were all bruised from his beatings. I was afraid he would really go to my family, so I grabbed his neck with both hands, trying to stop him from hitting me and cursing me..."