Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

“I wandered around the alleys of the urban village for about an hour, making sure no one was following me, before slowly walking out and returning to my sister Deng Chengying’s hardware store. It was already past 2 a.m., and my brother-in-law Zhao Jianguo was still in the store. He asked me where I had been, but I didn’t dare tell him the truth and just said I went out to buy something. After I returned to the attic, I changed my clothes and hid them in the corner of the wardrobe, and put the more than 300 yuan I had stolen in the drawer of the table. The next morning, I saw the wanted notice issued by the police and knew that I had been exposed, so I packed a few simple bags, intending to find my sister and then escape Jiangcheng City together. I didn’t expect that I would be caught by you before I could find her.” Deng Chengzong’s confession was complete and coherent, and every detail was highly consistent with the results of the on-site investigation, forensic autopsy, and subsequent investigations, without any contradictions.

Around 11:00 AM, the on-site identification work concluded. Deng Chengzong was put back into the police car by SWAT officers and taken to the Criminal Investigation Detachment. Yang Lin and Yang Sen sealed the physical evidence collected at the scene, including the belt and bloodstain samples, preparing to take them back to the technical department for further examination. Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui stood at the crime scene, watching the police car slowly drive away, with relieved smiles on their faces. After several days of continuous efforts, all the details of this taxi driver murder case have been clarified, the chain of evidence is complete, and Deng Chengzong's confession further corroborates his criminal acts.

Back at the Criminal Investigation Division, the forensic team conducted a detailed examination of the black leather belt found near the trash can. The results showed that the bloodstains on the belt belonged to Zhang Tiancheng, and Deng Chengzong's fingerprints were also found on the belt, perfectly matching the unfamiliar fingerprints collected at the scene. At this point, all the evidence was conclusive, and Deng Chengzong's crime of murdering Zhang Tiancheng was undeniable.

During the subsequent interrogation, Deng Chengzong added some details: "I chose to strangle Zhang Tiancheng because it was a more discreet method, less likely to leave obvious external injuries, and it could quickly subdue the victim. I had heard other prisoners in prison say that strangulation was a relatively effective way to kill someone, and I never thought I would actually use it myself." He also explained that he chose taxi drivers as his robbery targets because taxi drivers are highly mobile, making them less likely to be tracked after the crime, and they usually carry some cash, allowing him to escape quickly after the robbery.

When asked if he regretted his actions, Deng Chengzong shed tears of remorse: "I deeply regret that I robbed and killed someone because of gambling debts, ruining my own life and Zhang Tiancheng's family. I'm sorry to Zhang Tiancheng, his family, and my own sister and brother-in-law. If I could do it all over again, I would never get involved in gambling, I would be a good person, find a decent job, and be filial to my parents." But no amount of remorse can bring back a life lost, and he will face the severe punishment of the law.

The technical department compiled all the test results and Deng Chengzong's confession into a booklet and submitted it to the procuratorate. After review, the procuratorate determined that Deng Chengzong's crime was clear and the evidence was conclusive, and approved his arrest according to law. When the news reached Zhang Tiancheng's wife, Liu Mei, she shed tears again, this time tears of relief. Holding Zhang Tiancheng's photo, she choked out, "Tiancheng, the murderer has finally received his due punishment. You can rest in peace now."

The members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment finally breathed a sigh of relief; their intense work over the past few days had not been in vain. With their professionalism and dedication, they uncovered the truth of the case, upheld the dignity of the law, and gave the deceased and their family closure. Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui looked at the case files on the table, their hearts filled with emotion. They knew that solving this case was just one of countless cases they had handled, but the solving of each case meant the realization of justice.

However, less than a week after the Deng Chengzong case was closed, the Criminal Investigation Detachment received another report.

At 9:27 a.m., the city's Criminal Investigation Detachment Command Center received an emergency call. The caller, Li Yajuan, spoke urgently, her voice filled with barely suppressed fear: "Police officers, please come to Jianshe Road Community! I found a body in the ditch behind Building 3 while I was clearing weeds. It's terrifying!" The dispatcher immediately activated the major case response mechanism, calming Li Yajuan down while quickly recording key information: the incident occurred in the drainage ditch behind Building 3 in Jianshe Road Community; the caller, Li Yajuan, was a 54-year-old female community cleaner; the body was discovered at 9:25 a.m.; and the scene had not been disturbed.

At 9:35 a.m., Captain Lu Chuan led his investigation team to the scene, accompanied by technicians Yang Lin and Yang Sen, who were in charge of the on-site investigation, and 12 other investigation team members. As soon as the investigation vehicle came to a stop, Lu Chuan got out to observe the environment: Jianshe Road Community is an old residential area built in the 90s, with densely packed buildings. The drainage ditch behind Building No. 3 runs east-west, is about 1.2 meters wide and 0.8 meters deep, and is filled with weeds and garbage year-round, with slow-flowing and murky water. The north side of the drainage ditch is adjacent to the back wall of Building No. 3, and the south side is a cement path within the community. Old sycamore trees are planted on both sides of the path, their branches and leaves drooping over the drainage ditch. A number of residents had already gathered at the scene, and discussions were rising and falling.

"Immediately set up a cordon and expand the perimeter!" Lu Chuan decisively ordered. "With the drainage ditch as the core, extend northwards to cover 5 meters beyond the back wall of Building 3, southwards to cover 10 meters beyond the cement path, eastwards to the community wall, and westwards to the passage between Buildings 2 and 3. Prohibit any unauthorized personnel from entering the cordon area. Arrange for four team members to patrol around the cordon to prevent onlookers from disturbing the scene and to protect the safety of the person who reported the incident."

The investigation team acted swiftly, setting up yellow warning tape and dispersing the onlookers. Yang Lin and Yang Sen quickly donned their investigation gear beside the vehicle: dark blue investigation suits, puncture-resistant shoe covers, latex gloves, protective masks, and goggles. Then, the two men carried investigation kits filled with specialized equipment to the entrance of the cordoned-off area. The kits contained dozens of investigation tools, including multi-band light sources, electrostatic adsorbers, fingerprint brushes, bristle brushes, wool brushes, black, silver, red, and fluorescent magnetic powders, trace extraction tape, fiber adhesive devices, footprint plaster injection kits, measuring tapes, compasses, scene drawing boards, digital cameras, video recording equipment, evidence bags, and markers.

"Investigation principles: from far to near, from outside to inside, static observation before dynamic extraction, ground level before three-dimensional evidence, ensuring no trace or physical evidence is missed." Yang Lin reiterated the investigation guidelines to Yang Sen while organizing the equipment. (End of Chapter)