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

"How exactly did you commit the crime the night before it happened?" Wang Shuai pressed.

A flicker of fear crossed Zhang Huaide's eyes as he slowly said, "The night before the incident, I changed into my green jacket, put on a mask, and left home to wait for him on the patrol route on Zhangfeng Road. Around 10:30 p.m., I saw him patrolling to the entrance of Xingfu Community, and I started to follow him. I knew he would then patrol Jianshe Road Community, where there are blind spots in the surveillance cameras."

“When he walked to the drainage ditch behind Building 3 in Jianshe Road Community, I felt the time was right, so I rushed up to him, grabbed his neck from behind with my arm, and dragged him toward the drainage ditch. Zhang Fenglu struggled desperately and shouted for help. I was afraid of being discovered, so I tightened my grip on his neck and covered his mouth with my hand. He struggled for about a minute or two, then stopped moving. I checked his breath and found that he was no longer breathing.”

"What did you do after you killed him?"

“I was terrified and wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible. But I was worried that someone would find the body, so I thought about throwing him into the ditch. I used all my strength to drag his body to the edge of the ditch and pushed it in. Then I looked around the scene again to make sure no one had found it, and then I left quickly. When I left, I threw the mask I was wearing into a trash can on the side of the road, and took the green jacket home to wash it.”

"What shoes were you wearing when you committed the crime? Are the size 43 sneaker footprints found at the scene yours?" Wang Shuai asked.

“They’re mine,” Zhang Huaide said. “I was wearing size 43 sneakers when I committed the crime because sneakers are quiet and don’t make much noise when I walk, so they’re not easy to spot. After the crime, I washed the shoes and left them outside to dry for two days.”

"Did you ever imagine that we would find you so quickly?"

“I never thought of that.” Zhang Huaide shook his head, his tone filled with regret. “I thought I had done everything perfectly, but I didn’t expect you to find me. Now I regret it. I shouldn’t have killed Zhang Fenglu because of gambling debts. He was actually a good person. I’m sorry to him and his parents.”

Wang Shuai looked at Zhang Huaide before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. A murderer who, due to gambling debts, brutally killed his fellow villager, ultimately could not escape the punishment of the law. "Zhang Huaide, every word you have said will be recorded as evidence. Do you have anything to add?"

Zhang Huaide shook his head and said, "No, everything I said is true. I am willing to bear all legal responsibility, I just ask for a chance to reform myself."

At 6 PM, the interrogation concluded. Zhang Huaide confessed to murdering Zhang Fenglu, and the interrogation record was completed. Zhang Huaide signed and affixed his fingerprint to the record. Wang Shuai brought the interrogation results to Lu Chuan's office and reported the entire investigation process. After listening to the report, Lu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction: "Good! Wang Shuai, you've worked hard! The successful resolution of this case is inseparable from your meticulousness and tireless efforts. Immediately complete the case materials and transfer them to the procuratorate for review and prosecution. We must ensure that Zhang Huaide receives the legal punishment he deserves, give Zhang Fenglu justice, and provide an explanation to the community residents."

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Wang Shuai answered at attention. Walking out of Lu Chuan's office, Wang Shuai looked at the setting sun outside the window, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. Several days and nights of hard work had finally resulted in the case being solved. Although the process was arduous, it was all worthwhile.

Subsequently, the team members began organizing the case materials, classifying and categorizing all documents, including the crime scene investigation report, autopsy report, surveillance footage, interrogation transcripts, and evidence examination reports, ensuring that every document was complete and accurate. The technical department also properly preserved all trace evidence, preparing to transfer it to the procuratorate.

At 8 p.m., after the case materials were compiled, Wang Shuai led his team to deliver them to the procuratorate. The procuratorate staff received the materials and stated they would review the case as soon as possible and file a public prosecution in accordance with the law.

Back at the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Wang Shuai convened a brief debriefing meeting with all the team members involved in the case. "Comrades," Wang Shuai said, "thanks to everyone's joint efforts, the case of the corpse found in the ditch of Jianshe Road Community has been successfully solved. The suspect, Zhang Huaide, has been apprehended and has confessed to his crimes. Everyone has worked hard these past few days, fighting continuously without a single complaint, fully demonstrating the excellent work ethic of our criminal investigation team." Wang Shuai's words were full of affirmation and praise for his team members.

The team members all expressed that this was their duty; solving the case and bringing justice to the deceased made all the hardship and fatigue worthwhile. After the debriefing meeting, Wang Shuai arranged for the team members to take turns resting and recuperating.

The next day, Wang Shuai personally went to Zhang Fenglu's hometown to tell Zhang Fenglu's parents the news that the case had been solved. The two elderly people were moved to tears upon learning that the murderer had been caught. They tightly grasped Wang Shuai's hands, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, police officers! Thank you for getting justice for my son!" Wang Shuai comforted them, saying, "Grandpa and Grandma, it's what we should do. The murderer has been caught and will be punished by law. You must take care of yourselves."

News of the case's resolution quickly reached the Jianshe Road community, where residents breathed a sigh of relief and praised the criminal investigation team for their swift action. "Great! The murderer has finally been caught; we can finally live in peace!" "Thank you, officers, for ridding our community of a major menace!" The residents' praise was the greatest affirmation of the criminal investigation team.

At 9:00 AM the day after Zhang Huaide's arrest, the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment, following standard investigative procedures, organized officers to escort Zhang Huaide to the Jianshe Road community and surrounding crime scenes for on-site identification. To ensure the smooth conduct of the identification, Wang Shuai served as the on-site commander, leading an identification team composed of 8 investigators, 2 technicians, and 2 bailiffs. The team planned the identification route in advance, starting from Zhang Huaide's temporary residence in Heping Community, passing through Xingfu Community and the core area of ​​the crime scene in Jianshe Road Community. A cordon was set up along the entire route, and onlookers were dispersed to prevent unrelated personnel from interfering with the identification process.

The police escort vehicle slowly drove into Heping Residential Area and stopped in front of Unit 2, Building 3. A bailiff opened the car door, and Zhang Huaide, handcuffed and shackled, stepped out under the escort of two bailiffs. He looked haggard, his eyes darting around, avoiding eye contact with his surroundings. "Zhang Huaide, is this where you prepared your tools and changed clothes before committing the crime?" (End of Chapter)