Episode 16 recap: Wang Peng recanted his testimony in court.
During the phase of incrimination, Wang Peng admitted that the vest was his own, and even the leather shoes found at his home matched those at the crime scene. In fact, the shoes were bought for Wang Peng by his daughter. Because of this incident, Wang Peng scolded his daughter and blamed her. She had worked and earned money to buy him new shoes, but Wang Peng was reluctant to wear them.
Next, it was time for the witnesses to testify. On that evening, Wang Peng went to the barbecue stall in Zheng'an, where he had dinner and even drank a bottle of wine. He spent over an hour at the stall because he didn't want to disturb his daughter studying for the university entrance exam. Wang Peng consumed quite a bit of alcohol and was visibly intoxicated on his way back. Under pressure from the prosecutor, Wang Peng admitted that he had consumed a lot of alcohol with the intention of harming Qu's daughter. However, the location where he had eaten was more than ten minutes away from the crime scene. The prosecutor asked Wang Peng which hand he had used as a weapon, and he admitted it was his right hand. However, Ma La Song could clearly see that Wang Peng's right hand was uncontrollably twitching.
After contemplating for a while, Wang Peng realized that Ma La Song was right. He hadn't worn those shoes that night because he had told his daughter to save them for Chinese New Year, even though the shoes belonged to him. Initially, Wang Peng had been focused on what his defense lawyer had advised him, urging him to confess as soon as possible since the evidence was already presented before them, in order to mitigate the severity of his crime.
However, when Ma La Song asked him again if the shoes were the ones he had worn that night, Wang Peng began to hesitate and claimed that he couldn't remember. Subsequently, when the witness was summoned, they also stated that they remembered Wang Peng wearing a pair of worn-out cloth shoes. Ma La Song inquired about how many times Wang Peng had worn those leather shoes, and he stated that he had only tried them on briefly. Ma La Song clearly noticed some inconsistencies in Wang Peng's statements and proceeded to question him about how he had caused the death of Qu's daughter. Wang Peng's responses were vague, and every time he was asked about crucial evidence, he claimed not to remember clearly.
Wang Peng became anxious under the pressure and quickly claimed that he did not commit the murder. He had an eighteen-year-old daughter, and he couldn't afford to lose her. In fact, Ma La Song had already noticed many suspicious points in the case, so he kept pressing Wang Peng. Wang Peng denied the accusation of murder, and Ma La Song immediately announced a recess to suspend the trial.
After returning to the office, Ma La Song briefed his superiors on the specific situation. He believed that the only way to prove Wang Peng as the culprit was to investigate by reconstructing the crime scene. Yang Guo Liang asked Ma La Song about his plans for the next steps, and Ma La Song shared his thoughts.
Luo Huai Gong also learned that this case was very tricky. He knew that Qi Heng was a stubborn person who would undoubtedly offend many people. Luo Huai Gong decided to send his own people to act as the defense lawyers this time. The case had already attracted significant attention on the internet, so success was the only acceptable outcome.
After returning home, Zhang Yan Jun informed his wife about the scene he witnessed with Teacher Ling and Luo Huai Gong. Perhaps for them, it was an important opportunity. Qu's daughter, Qu Xiao Yan, sought out her university professor and presented him with the gift she had prepared for him. The professor was deeply touched and expressed that Qu Xiao Yan was one of the best students he had ever taught. He also felt extremely saddened by Qu Xiao Yan's passing.
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