Outside the courtroom.
In Luo Daxiang's legal commentary livestream, everyone watching the trial was furious!
"Fuck! It froze right at the crucial moment? That's like pulling your pants down only for it to be over already! This is so damn frustrating. Resume the hearing! Get it started now, I'm telling you!"
"Exactly. And a second recess? That's pretty rare, isn't it?"
"Not just rare. Extremely rare!"
Seeing the complaints in the comments, Luo Daxiang smiled and explained, "A second recess is indeed very rare. Normally, the presiding judge would have familiarized himself with the general circumstances before the hearing and formed a preliminary judgment."
"After the first recess, they determined that the charge of intentional injury against Qi Feng did not hold."
"So what do you think the second recess was for?"
Inside the livestream.
Those watching the trial fell silent at his words. A few seconds later, someone slowly typed a tentative question into the comments.
"Could they be... preparing to rule it justifiable self-defense?"
"Now that Teacher Luo's asked that, it really does seem possible! Very possible, even!"
"Holy shit, if that's true, then this Lawyer Su... is fucking incredible! He argued someone straight from a death sentence to an acquittal and immediate release?!"
"Fuck! Now I'm seriously hyped!"
Watching the viewers' excitement in the comments, Luo Daxiang felt a little excited himself.
He was a professor specializing in criminal law.
He had worked in criminal law and devoted himself to legal commentary for years, seeing countless cases along the way. In some cases, a lawyer's interpretation could take the outcome in completely opposite directions.
Qi Feng's case was one such example.
Originally, he had asked Su Bai to take Qi Feng's case just to give it a try.
Honestly, getting the intentional injury charge overturned was already a pleasant surprise. If they could actually establish justifiable self-defense...
That would represent progress in the justice system!
He was eagerly anticipating it, too!
Thirty minutes flew by.
Thirty minutes after the second recess was announced.
The hearing resumed as Lin Youping, Fang Mei, and Zhu Xiong, the three members of the collegial panel, entered the courtroom.
Once the hearing resumed.
Lin Youping struck his gavel and looked at Qi Feng.
"Qi Feng, do you have anything else to say?"
Qi Feng was incredibly nervous. He shook his head. "Presiding Judge, I have nothing else to say. I will accept whatever judgment the court delivers."
"Very well."
Lin Youping nodded slightly and slowly rose to his feet.
"The court will now announce its judgment."
The clerk said, "All rise. The presiding judge will now announce the judgment!"
There was a flurry of movement.
Everyone in the courtroom stood.
At that moment, no one was more nervous than Qi Feng.
As the defendant in this case, he had the most at stake in the sentence. Qi Feng raised his head toward the presiding judge's seat.
Holding the court documents, Lin Youping radiated authority without any trace of anger. He announced the judgment clearly:
"This case arose from the appellant's dissatisfaction with the first-instance judgment and the filing of an appeal."
"This court has jurisdiction over the case, and all applicable laws are domestic laws."
"The court will now announce its judgment."
"Following deliberation by the collegial panel, the court rules as follows on the appellant's requests:"
"First: regarding the case involving Qi Feng's killing of others at the shopping mall, pursuant to the provisions on justifiable self-defense under Article 20 of our nation's Criminal Law:"
"An act undertaken to stop an ongoing unlawful infringement in order to protect the state, public interests, one's own or another person's rights to person, property, or other interests, which causes harm to the perpetrator of that infringement, constitutes justifiable self-defense and entails no criminal liability."
"Defensive action against an ongoing assault, murder, robbery, kidnapping, or other violent crime that seriously endangers personal safety, resulting in injury or death to the perpetrator, does not constitute excessive self-defense and entails no criminal liability."
"In this case, Qi Feng's defensive actions met the requirements for justifiable self-defense."
"The court rules that the first-instance judgment is overturned!"
"Qi Feng acted in justifiable self-defense and bears no criminal liability. He is acquitted and shall be released immediately!"
As those words rang out, a stir swept through the courtroom!
Lü Wei's eyes were filled with disbelief. How could this be? How could they rule it justifiable self-defense?
Two people were killed or seriously injured. How could they rule it justifiable self-defense!
Lü Wei felt a surge of frustration and desperately wanted to vent it, but forced himself to hold back.
Because there was nothing wrong with Lin Youping's ruling!
It simply went completely against his own conception of procedural justice!
"Order!"
Lin Youping struck his gavel and continued announcing the judgment:
"Second: regarding the appellant's request for state compensation, under the State Compensation Law, when a second-instance judgment overturns a conviction and acquits the defendant, the court that issued the first-instance judgment and the authority that ordered the arrest shall be jointly responsible for providing compensation."
"Third: the relevant authorities are required to remedy the damage to Qi Feng's reputation and issue an apology."
"Fourth: the court approves compensation measures for Qi Feng, with the specific arrangements to be discussed between Qi Feng and the relevant authorities."
"Regarding the criminal charges and requests submitted by the prosecution, as Qi Feng's actions have been ruled justifiable self-defense and he bears no criminal liability, all are dismissed!"
"This is a second-instance judgment. Any party dissatisfied with this court's ruling may initiate the judicial review procedure!"
"The written judgment will be sent to all parties within ten days of the close of this hearing."
Bang! Bang!
The gavel fell.
"Court is adjourned!"
As Lin Youping's commanding voice rang out, the hearing ended.
At that moment, the entire courtroom erupted.
Acquitted and released!
From a death sentence to an acquittal!
Once the final judgment was announced, Lü Wei's expression shifted slightly. He slumped into his seat at the prosecution's table, his eyes vacant.
Of course, far more people were excited, and no one was more thrilled than Qi Feng himself.
The moment Qi Feng heard the judgment, his head buzzed. He could hardly believe the ruling was justifiable self-defense-an acquittal and immediate release!
"Fuck!"
"I don't have to eat fucking prison food anymore!"
The instant the ruling was announced, Qi Feng was free. He could not help roaring out loud.
The officers in the courtroom understood how he felt and let him vent.
Looking at Su Bai, Qi Feng's eyes reddened with emotion. Earlier, he had thought that simply escaping execution would be good enough!
But now.
He would not even have to eat prison food!
"Lawyer Su, thank you. Thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I might have been sentenced to death by now. Lawyer Su... I... I don't know how to thank you."
Qi Feng's voice choked up. From a death sentence to an acquittal in court, no one could know just how wildly his emotions had risen and fallen.
It felt like taking a rocket straight from the bottom of a valley into outer space.
Su Bai smiled faintly. "No need to thank me. I was only fulfilling my duty."
After saying that, Su Bai looked behind Qi Feng at his parents. The elderly couple's faces were also streaming with tears.
"Your parents are here in the courtroom, too. Go see them first."
Following the direction of Su Bai's finger, Qi Feng looked behind him. His parents were standing in the gallery at the back, staring straight at him.
Su Bai handed Qi Feng a few tissues.
Qi Feng took them and wiped away his tears, thanking him repeatedly. "Thank you, Lawyer Su. I'll go see my parents first, then."
Su Bai smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. We can discuss everything else after we leave the courtroom."
Watching Qi Feng embrace his parents, Su Bai let out a long breath.
This hearing.
Had been a resounding victory!
Still, in all honesty, death penalty cases really were difficult to handle!
Criminal litigation in general was difficult!
Without his courtroom arguments, this case might well have ended with a ruling of excessive self-defense. There would have been no chance of establishing justifiable self-defense!
But whatever the case, they had won now!
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Little Li put her hands on her hips ()
(End of chapter)
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