Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 380 Sneaky Things Part Two
“Actually… Dr. Shirai is my client now,” Attorney Kiyoshi said at this moment.

Shiraishi guessed it too, otherwise Attorney Ki wouldn't have suddenly brought up this person.

"What? Mom, that person is definitely a bad guy! He even tried to frame Dad!" Xiaolan exclaimed.

“That’s right, he is undoubtedly a murderer. Both the chain of evidence and his own confession point to this. I’m not going to plead not guilty... but even a ‘bad guy’ has the right to hire a lawyer and defend himself.” Attorney Fei said matter-of-factly.

"So... the problem lies in the subsequent assault case, right?" Shiraishi then spoke up.

The facts of the case at the time were that Dr. Shirai took advantage of the opportunity to treat Kogoro Mouri, drugged him with sleeping pills, causing him to become mentally unstable, and then made him witness a fake crime scene, ultimately leading to his actual murder of Dr. Eto, with whom he had a conflict...

Later, when another female doctor, Goto Megumi, seemed to want to report some information that was detrimental to Inspector Megure, she attacked Goto Megumi in the corridor, causing her to suffer severe head injuries, lose her ability to speak, and lose almost all of her memories!
According to Attorney Tsui, Shirai has confessed to Eto's death, but he does not admit to attacking Dr. Goto...

“That’s right, and regarding that assault case, based on what Dr. Shirai told me and the case file, the evidence isn’t perfect,” Attorney Kisaki said matter-of-factly.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi nodded, then looked towards the coffee shop and said, "Let's find a place to sit down and talk."

Coffee shop owner: ? ? ?
Someone just died in the restroom, and the owner can't operate for the next couple of days.

Fortunately, Shiraishi didn't seem to mind and returned...

The boss didn't mind, since he couldn't leave anyway—he still had to clean up the place!
After ordering coffee, seeing the staff busy in the restroom, Shiraishi reminded them, "Use toilet cleaner to scrub, then flush."

……

"I remember back then... the main reason for determining that Dr. Goto was attacked was because Dr. Goto's blood was found on the murder weapon, right?" Shiraishi asked Attorney Kiyoshi for confirmation.

“That’s right, but that’s all. The chain of evidence isn’t closed. In fact, Dr. Shirai had an alibi for the two minutes following the incident, but the prosecution overlooked this evidence that was detrimental to the conviction!” Eri Kisaki said.

"So all they found in the end was blood on the murder weapon..." Shiraishi frowned at this point.

At the time, Shiraishi felt that the second search was not accurate.

If the first murder case hadn't been proven, the second case alone wouldn't have even been submitted for prosecution!
but……

It now appears that, influenced by the first case, the second case was still sent for prosecution and filed together, and... no evidence other than "blood on the murder weapon" was found!

“I see, so it really is an openly 'plea bargain'... So Attorney Kiyoshi is preparing to refute the second charge?” Shiraishi asked rhetorically.

“Of course, the client denied the crime, and the prosecution’s chain of evidence is not clear,” Eri Kisaki said matter-of-factly.

However, Shiraishi further confirmed, "Does your client think the same way?"

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment upon hearing this...

Such a rudimentary chain of evidence would never have reached the point of prosecution on its own, but...

When a murder case has been established, another argument emerges: "Defendant, you wouldn't want to be completely unrepentant, would you?"

That's right. Even if there are problems with the chain of evidence, if one insists on denying the assault, it will undoubtedly affect the sentencing!
In the Eastern Island Nation, the typical defense strategy for murder cases involves finding a group of people involved in the case to give testimonies about "the defendant's difficulties," followed by having some people close to the defendant say things like "the defendant was a good person"...

Afterwards, they honestly confessed their crimes, focusing on "leniency for confession." Generally, unless the case is extremely heinous, has a very serious impact, or is simply a case of money-related murder, most of them can get their sentences reduced to less than fifteen years!

However, in this regard, the scope of discretion is extremely large, and if the sentence is handed down, even life imprisonment or death cannot be considered a wrong judgment.

Therefore, very few people will stubbornly resist, and even if they are truly wronged, the "expedient measure" is to plead guilty first and then try to overturn the case after serving their sentence.

Not to mention, Shirai has no reason to fight back—in the end, he is guilty of murder, followed by aggravated assault. If the judge gives him a lenient sentence, he could be sentenced to twenty years. But if he tries to fight it out, he might end up in life imprisonment.

"I will discuss this matter with my client. This time, I hope to learn about the situation from you," Eri Kisaki said after a moment of silence.

Shiraishi's concerns were valid—Shirai himself had already chickened out and decided to admit to attacking Dr. Goto.

After all, he did kill someone, and if he shows "no remorse," he might really be ruining the rest of his life.

However, Eri Kisaki initially heard him claim that he did not harm Goto Megumi, and that he only wanted to "confess" without being able to provide any corroborating details of the crime, and even had an alibi. Therefore, she strongly urged Shirai to insist on denying the assault charge.

Therefore, Eri Kisaki is also under a lot of pressure...

If the defense fails and the sentence gets longer and longer, it will not only damage the individual's reputation in the industry, but also be a disaster for the client!
However, Eri Kisaki then said, "Officer Shiraishi, you are not an investigator in this case, and it is not forbidden for you to communicate with me privately. Of course, if you have any concerns, just pretend I didn't mention it."

That's right, it's against regulations for lawyers to have direct contact with criminal police officers handling the case.

However, Shirai's case was investigated by the First Investigative Division and was not located in Beika Town. Theoretically, it had nothing to do with Shiraishi. Shiraishi was merely a "witness" who cooperated during the investigation and did not appear on the prosecution's witness list...

Therefore, Eri Kisaki consulted with Shiraishi about this matter without any taboos regarding the rules!

Of course, outside the rules, as a senior police officer, if he assists a defense attorney...

Even if you only provide some known clues, once the prosecutors and police find out, you will definitely be looked down upon and treated like a traitor. Even if you are not directly punished for this, you will be harassed in various ways.

However, Shiraishi's reaction was somewhat strange. After Eri finished speaking, he seemed a little distracted, then muttered, "Could it be because of this..."

This reaction left Eri bewildered, but Shiraishi quickly came to her senses and said, "If you just want to know about the case, of course, that's fine. But I can't help you with the police investigation report."

As an "ordinary person," Shiraishi has nothing to hide from what he sees and hears in cases—being given the cold shoulder... Shiraishi doesn't care at all, after all, Shiraishi has big feet!
These tiny shoes wouldn't scare Shiraishi at all.

However, Shiraishi also followed the rules and did not reveal the details of the formal investigation to Eri.

Since Ran and Conan were also present at the time, they didn't attend this time. Instead, the two of them added a lot of details with Shiraishi.

only……

It was clear that Xiaolan was unhappy that her mother was defending the "person who intended to frame her father."

“With an alibi, I think Mr. Shirai will have no difficulty getting acquitted in the assault case, even in court,” Shiraishi said reassuringly.

However, Eri Kisaki simply said seriously, "I hope so." In fact, there were still many obstacles, such as the alibi. Eri Kisaki found a witness—a hospital nurse saw Shirai shortly before the riots caused by the assault.

Theoretically, this could serve as an alibi, since according to the modus operandi described in the indictment, the perpetrator would have to enter the stairwell from a blind spot in the surveillance footage and hide there...

It's impossible for Shirai to "teleport" to the stairwell in such a short time!

However, the problem is that Shirai really did kill Eto. In this case, it is also a question whether the witnesses are willing to testify in court as the "confirmed murderer".

Although witnesses are only required to "tell the truth" and do not need to provide any additional guarantees, it is conceivable that the prosecution will use this to imply to witnesses that they should "carefully consider whether to help a murderer."

Especially since the witnesses themselves are also hospital staff, choosing to testify means facing additional workplace pressure!

These are things that Eri Kisaki can only worry about herself.

In fact, if we completely disregard fairness and justice, the dignity of the law, and the possibility that another perpetrator might escape legal punishment... then the most cost-effective approach would be to forgo the argument, exploit the loopholes in the second case, and make a tacit deal with the prosecution to receive a shorter sentence.

However, as a lawyer with professional ethics, Eri Kisaki could not ignore fairness, justice, and the dignity of the law, and Shiraishi could not ignore the possibility that "criminals might escape legal punishment," which is why he was willing to provide some assistance.

"That's all I can think of for now. If you need any further assistance, feel free to ask me. As long as it doesn't violate any written rules, just let me know," Shiraishi said, taking on all the responsibility.

after all……

Shiraishi is the kind of person who dares to proactively reveal evidence that the prosecution has been concealing to his lawyers!
I'm sure the Demon Hunters are used to it by now...

"Thank you very much." Eri Kisaki said with gratitude mixed with a sense of relief.

After all, this means that Shiraishi also agrees with his own ideas and beliefs, unlike those prosecutors who resort to pressure tactics outside the courtroom...

Shiraishi then added, "Actually, I also have something I'd like Attorney Ki to help me recall..."

Seeing Eri Kisaki's eager expression, Shiraishi asked, "When you came to the coffee shop just now, do you remember three people who brushed past you? Did you know any of them?"

Eri Kisaki was taken aback when she heard this. She hadn't expected Shiraishi to ask about this; she had thought it was about some kind of case.

However, upon hearing Shiraishi mention this, Eri Kisaki realized that the guy did look somewhat familiar, and she felt that the three people were acting suspiciously. If her wallet hadn't been stolen, she would have suspected them of being thieves...

“It looks familiar…” Eri Kisaki then showed a look of recollection.

Shiraishi then asked a probing question: "Could it be someone from your industry or something?"

"Ah!" Eri Kisaki finally realized what was going on. "Right, it's Attorney Kobayashi... and he's even wearing a baseball cap. I almost didn't recognize him."

"Attorney Kobayashi?" Shiraishi confirmed.

“Yes, it’s lawyer Norio Kobayashi, who runs his own firm,” Eri Kisaki said, her expression somewhat strange.

"Is there any particular rumor surrounding this lawyer, Kobayashi?" Shiraishi asked specifically.

Seeing that Shiraishi had already asked this question, Eri Kisaki then said, "Although it's not good to talk about a colleague like this, but... Attorney Kobayashi is often... to be precise, when providing legal aid, very... um, not so dedicated."

Legal aid refers to the free assistance provided by the bar association to criminal offenders who are unable to hire a lawyer themselves.

Such unprofitable work is, of course, a "tough job," and is basically done by lawyers registered with the association on a rotating basis, or allocated a certain quota to large law firms.

"Not that much effort? Usually, people don't put in that much effort, right?" Shiraishi retorted.

Generally speaking, these types of aid lawyers primarily operate on an "unspoken plea bargain"—on the one hand, they persuade the defendant to plead guilty to everything, and on the other hand, they use this as leverage to ask the prosecution and judge to be lenient...

Being willing to seek out "witnesses who speak well of you" is considered quite diligent!
Since it's a free service, it's probably not very good...

If that's all there is to it, it shouldn't be worth bringing it up specifically.

but……

"Yes, that's it." Eri Kisaki apologized on behalf of her colleagues, then nodded vaguely.

At least Eri Kisaki herself is not that kind of person. Even when providing legal aid, if the client says they are innocent, she will try her best to defend them and even find evidence.

However, regarding Kobayashi Norio, Eri Kisaki also hinted to Shiraishi that she "guessed right"—while everyone else was rather "lazy," Kobayashi Norio was still known for his "slothiness," so...

Bai Shi estimates that this is not a matter of laziness or perfunctory work, but rather that this guy was extremely unreliable when it came to legal aid!

"I see... I understand now." Shiraishi didn't say anything more.

Just now, Shiraishi also recognized one of the three people—Sakurai Jun of the Tokyo High Court, a veteran judge who was not young.

It was when Eri Kisaki mentioned that it "didn't violate the rules" that she gave Shiraishi a hint...

If a judge needs to secretly meet with someone, disregarding other illegal activities and only considering matters related to his profession, then it should be prosecutors and lawyers!
During the trial, the three parties are prohibited from contacting each other privately, and any meetings must be arranged through a special meeting.

That's why Shiraishi asked that question, and he actually got a result...

Of course, although Shiraishi discovered the "handle," he didn't think about doing anything about it at the time.

After all, this matter has nothing to do with Shiraishi now...

Shiraishi's idea persisted until the next day.

Monday, October 4.

A prosecutor died in his home in Beika Town...

(End of this chapter)