Outside the courtroom, the viewers watching the trial livestream erupted.
"Holy shit, that sounded pretty damn impressive. Are we about to win this case? I'm backing him!"
"Same here! But what I want to ask is, what's that emergency response thing? Teacher Luo, could you explain the appellant's argument to us?"
"Yeah! I want to hear about it. What exactly does it mean?"
"Explain it to us, Teacher Luo!"
After listening to Su Bai's courtroom argument and reading the comments, Luo Daxiang smiled faintly and nodded.
"All right. Since everyone wants to hear about it, I'll start with the most crucial issue in this trial."
"You've all heard what both sides are asking for. The key question in this trial is whether Qi Feng's actions constituted lawful self-defense!"
"That's also why the appellant's lawyer, Su Bai, keeps emphasizing that Qi Feng acted in lawful self-defense, while the prosecution's lawyer, Lü Wei, keeps denying it. This is the central issue in their arguments."
"Attorney Su's statement just now put forward a particular position: Qi Feng's offense wasn't intentional, but a reaction to acute stress."
"Why is the appellant's lawyer building his defense around this point?"
"Because a stress-induced offense refers to a criminal act committed in response to a sudden situation.
Take this case, for example.
According to the appellant's lawyer,
Qi Feng acted out of an intense urge to defend himself. His actions were driven by emotion rather than criminal intent."
"If the presiding judge accepts this point, there are two possible outcomes for Qi Feng's appeal.
The first is lawful self-defense, which carries no criminal liability.
The second is excessive self-defense. His actions would still constitute a crime, but he would receive a lighter sentence."
"In any event, once this point is successfully established, Qi Feng will no longer face a death sentence in this case.
But the exact outcome depends on how Attorney Lü, representing the prosecution, responds to the appellant's arguments-whether his rebuttal is reasonable and legally sound, and whether it can overturn the appellant's statements.
The presiding judge will then reach a final decision based on all of this. I believe Presiding Judge Lin Youping can deliver a reasonable, lawful ruling."
A comment appeared: "So the appellant's lawyer is basically setting a trap for the other side? As long as this defense is accepted and established, Qi Feng won't get the death penalty, no matter what?"
Luo Daxiang nodded slightly. "That's more or less what it means.
But I wouldn't go so far as to call it a trap.
Attorney Lü will probably have some compelling counterarguments too. We'll have to see how the appellant's lawyer responds in court, and which way the presiding judge leans.
This is a fascinating trial! Let's keep watching!"
Back in the courtroom.
Lü Wei met Su Bai's gaze and frowned slightly.
Bang!
After hearing Su Bai's defense, Presiding Judge Lin Youping briefly checked the documents and struck his gavel.
"Does the prosecution, as the respondent, have anything to say regarding the defense presented by the appellant?"
At the respondent's table.
Lü Wei looked at the evidence in his hands and began slowly.
"We disagree with the appellant's claims of lawful self-defense and a lack of intent to kill."
"Under Article 20 of our country's Criminal Law, lawful self-defense refers to defensive action taken when a person encounters a violent crime that seriously threatens their personal safety."
"In this case, however, Qi Feng was holding a knife and already had the means to protect himself. The other two individuals did not pose a serious threat to his personal safety!"
"Furthermore."
"Under the circumstances at the time, when the other two individuals attacked Qi Feng, he fought back with a knife. During that process, he swung the knife at them. If he had no subjective intent, why did he swing it at both of them?
If it had only been one person, we might say it was unintentional. But when it involved two people, there are grounds to suspect intent.
On this point, we maintain that his actions were conscious and intentional."
"Your Honor, that concludes our statement."
Lü Wei spoke slowly, then set the documents in his hands on the table.
As an experienced criminal lawyer, he knew the case hinged on the findings regarding lawful self-defense and intentional injury.
As long as he could hold his ground on those two points, that would be enough.
After finishing his statement, Lü Wei raised his head and looked toward Su Bai.
The corners of Su Bai's mouth lifted slightly.
Lü Wei frowned. He's smiling? How can he smile at a time like this?
Does he actually think he's won?
For some reason, a sudden sense of unease crept into Lü Wei's heart.
But he was also certain that there was nothing wrong with his arguments. Every answer had addressed the central issues.
That reassured him somewhat.
At the bench.
After hearing both sides' arguments regarding lawful self-defense and intentional injury, Presiding Judge Lin Youping glanced down at the documents in his hands, then looked up.
"Both sides have presented their opinions on whether Qi Feng acted with subjective intent."
"Does the appellant have anything further to add?"
Su Bai straightened his suit slightly and pulled a document from the stack.
"Your Honor, I disagree with the prosecution counsel's assertion that, because Qi Feng held a knife and had the means to protect himself, the other two individuals posed no threat to his safety."
"Your Honor, this is law enforcement's report on the backgrounds of the other two individuals. The report clearly states the following.
Both had frequently been involved in fights before. This demonstrates how difficult they were to deal with.
Qi Feng held the knife merely to give himself some psychological reassurance. He did not initially choose to attack."
"But the other individuals intended to continue assaulting my client, Qi Feng, and were actively doing so.
My client fought back under those circumstances. Subjectively, his actions cannot be deemed intentional injury."
"Furthermore, we have already addressed the definition of intentional injury under criminal law.
First, my client did not prepare the knife in advance. He simply happened to see a knife in the shopping mall while trying to defend himself. He had no premeditated purpose at the outset.
Second, my client's subjective intent was very clear. He only wanted to frighten them and force them back as a defensive measure. He did not anticipate
that events would lead to the subsequent outcome."
"The evidence provided by law enforcement already describes Qi Feng's mental state at the time. It states that he was extremely frightened and panicked, and that his primary aim was to protect himself."
"Now the prosecution has suddenly asserted that my client's act of swinging the knife at two people was not subjectively defensive, but intentional.
Is prosecution counsel saying that he intends to overturn the evidence provided by law enforcement?"
"We ask that the prosecution produce new evidence or present an argument refuting law enforcement's findings!"
With a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, Su Bai looked toward Lü Wei.
If you can't resolve the conflict, redirect it somewhere else!
If you're stubborn enough to insist on arguing with me, go try banging your head against an iron wall!
After noticing Su Bai's gaze, Lü Wei struggled to keep his expression under control.
*???*
You want me to overturn the evidence provided by law enforcement?
How the hell am I supposed to do that?
And isn't your approach to this defense a little too wild?
You're a downright legal shark!
Fuck!
Lü Wei nearly lost his composure and swore aloud. Only by forcefully swallowing the words did he manage to regain control of his expression.
(End of chapter)
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