eurekapd Chapter 1212 Arrest of Zhang Baoshan
Chapter 1212 Arrest of Zhang Baoshan
This perfectly matches the description of the "man in the black jacket" previously reported by colleagues at Beishan Auto Repair Shop! Technicians quickly reported back: Zhang Baoshan, male, 42 years old, unemployed, with a prior gambling conviction, was administratively detained for 10 days in 2019 for gambling, and had several outstanding gambling debts recently; his bank statements showed a transfer of 20,000 yuan on August 17, with the receiving account being the "ghost account" that Li Kui received; communication records showed that at 2:30 pm on August 18, he used an unregistered virtual number to call Li Kui, and the call took place near Beishan Auto Repair Shop, which highly coincides with the timeline of Li Kui's murder.
More importantly, Zhang Baoshan is 180 centimeters tall and wears size 43 shoes, which perfectly matches the characteristics of the suspect inferred from the on-site investigation; his fingerprint sample, after preliminary comparison, highly matches the fingerprint on the door handle of the suspect vehicle, and also has many similar characteristics to the hand features of the owner of the Martin boots extracted from the Beishan brick kiln.
To confirm the timing of Zhang Baoshan's crime, Xiao Zhou retrieved surveillance footage from the residential area and its surroundings. At 3 PM on August 18th, Zhang Baoshan drove a black Volkswagen Lavida away from the residential area, with a black bag on the passenger seat. At 3:20 PM, his car appeared in surveillance footage near the Beishan Auto Repair Shop, lingering for about 10 minutes before heading towards the abandoned brick kiln. At 5 PM, his red motorcycle appeared in surveillance footage on the mining road near the brick kiln. At 8:15 PM, he drove his black Volkswagen Lavida out of the mining road towards the city center, perfectly matching the timeline of the black sedan seen by the villagers of Donghe Village. At 8:28 PM, his car appeared in surveillance footage near the Donghe Village convenience store, lingering for one minute before leaving, consistent with Aunt Zhao's testimony. At 9 PM, he rode his red motorcycle back to the residential area, stored it in the bike shed, and did not leave again.
These surveillance records completely reconstructed Zhang Baoshan's crime spree, perfectly matching the time and location of Li Kui's murder, and provided no alibi whatsoever. Xiao Zhou immediately summarized the investigation results and reported to Li Ming: "Based on the interviews and surveillance footage, Li Kui's neighbor Zhang Baoshan is a prime suspect. First, the two had a heated argument over parking a week ago, and Zhang Baoshan threatened Li Kui. Second, Zhang Baoshan owns a black Volkswagen Lavida (with white scratches on the body) and a red motorcycle, which match the characteristics of the suspect's vehicles, and the mud inside the motorcycle matches the mud on Li Kui's body. Third, he transferred 20,000 yuan to the 'ghost account' on August 17, which coincides with the time Li Kui received the 20,000 yuan transfer. Fourth, his height and shoe size match the suspect's characteristics, and his fingerprints preliminarily match the fingerprints on the suspect's vehicle. Fifth, surveillance footage shows that his driving trajectory on August 18 completely corresponds to the time and location of the crime, and he has no alibi. Sixth, a witness saw him contacting a strange man before the incident, and his clothing matches the description of the 'man in the black jacket'."
After hearing the report, Li Ming immediately convened an emergency meeting to deploy the arrest and further investigation: "Xiao Zhou, you lead the team to the locations where Zhang Baoshan might be hiding, focusing on checking the homes of his gambling buddies and relatives, as well as the casinos he frequents; Xiao Wang, you are responsible for retrieving the complete driving trajectory of Zhang Baoshan's vehicle, especially the details of the brick kiln and mining road on August 18, to confirm whether they match the traces at the crime scene; Xiao Yang, you take technicians to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Zhang Baoshan's residence, vehicle, and motorcycle, to collect more evidence and confirm whether it is related to Li Kui's murder; Zhang Lin, prepare to conduct precise comparisons of the collected fingerprints, soil, and vehicle traces to form a complete chain of evidence."
The lights in the Criminal Investigation Division came on again, and everyone was invigorated by this major breakthrough. Holding Zhang Baoshan's photo, Xiao Zhou knew this was a crucial step in solving the case; capturing Zhang Baoshan would reveal the truth behind Li Kui's murder. He led his team quickly to a casino Zhang Baoshan frequented—according to preliminary investigations, Zhang Baoshan had a gambling addiction and often gambled at the "Good Luck" casino in the city.
At 10 p.m., Xiao Zhou received a message on his walkie-talkie: Zhang Baoshan had been spotted in a private room at the "Good Luck" casino. Xiao Zhou immediately led his team there. Inside the casino's private room, Zhang Baoshan was sitting at a gambling table, a high pile of chips in front of him, a cigarette between his right and dice in his left, cursing and urging the person opposite him to "place your bets quickly," completely unaware that the police were approaching.
"Zhang Baoshan, don't move! We're from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division, and we're arresting you according to the law!" Xiao Zhou's loud voice instantly shattered the noise in the private room. Zhang Baoshan looked up sharply and saw the police officers rushing in. The dice in his hand fell to the table with a "thud," rolling to the corner. He instinctively tried to stand up and resist, but Officer Xiao Li grabbed his shoulder and slammed him heavily against the back of the chair. "What right do you have to arrest me? I haven't broken the law!" Zhang Baoshan's voice was filled with anger and fear, the veins on his neck bulging. "Let me go! Otherwise, I'll sue you for illegal detention!"
"Why are you being arrested? Have you forgotten that you killed Li Kui at the abandoned brick kiln in Beishan on the afternoon of August 18th?" Xiao Zhou took out his phone and pulled up Zhang Baoshan's vehicle surveillance photos and bank transaction records. "This black Volkswagen Lavida is yours, isn't it? On August 17th, you transferred 20,000 yuan to Li Kui. On August 18th, you drove this car and the red motorcycle to the brick kiln, and left from the mining road around 8 pm. All of this was clearly captured by the surveillance cameras. Are you still trying to deny it?"
Zhang Baoshan's body stiffened visibly, his struggles weakened instantly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he still stubbornly insisted: "I don't know what you're talking about. I did go to Beishan on the 18th, but I went hiking. I didn't go to any brick kilns, nor did I see Li Kui!" His fingers repeatedly rubbed against the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white from the force, trying to cover up his inner fear.
The team members didn't give him a chance to continue arguing. They quickly handcuffed his wrists with a crisp "click," and the cold metallic touch sent a shiver down Zhang Baoshan's spine. "Take him away!" Xiao Zhou ordered. Two team members grabbed Zhang Baoshan's arms and pulled him up from the chair. Zhang Baoshan's legs were weak, and he was practically dragged along. As he passed the gambling table, he subconsciously glanced back at the chips on the table, his eyes filled with resentment, but the team members forcefully pressed down on the back of his neck, forcing him to move forward.
As Xiao Zhou left the casino, night was deep, and the city lights flickered behind him. He watched Zhang Baoshan being led into the police car, knowing that the arrest was only the first step; the subsequent interrogation would be crucial in uncovering the truth behind Li Kui's murder. He took out his phone and sent a message to Li Ming: "Zhang Baoshan has been apprehended and is being brought back to the station. Key evidence, including his vehicle and motorcycle, has been collected from the scene for further testing." Li Ming quickly replied: "Okay, I'll be waiting for you at the station. Be prepared for the interrogation."