Law America, the Devil's Agent

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Link's gaze fell on the police's preliminary investigation report, his expression grim.

"Benny, tell me everything you know, in the order of time and logic."

Benny took a deep breath and nodded.

He didn't bother to look at the texts again; he had clearly memorized them perfectly. He began to speak directly:

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 45 years old, white male.

Until his arrest, he was still a registered cardiothoracic surgeon at Philadelphia General Hospital.

During his sixteen years in office, his surgical records were clean, with no medical accidents or patient complaints.

But just three months ago, he was formally arrested.

The charge is not medical negligence, nor economic crime or bribery, but first-degree murder!

Prosecutors allege he is linked to four serial murders that occurred in Philadelphia and the surrounding area over the past year.

He pulled out four photos from the file folder and lined them up on the table.

Link reached out and flipped through the photos, his eyes scanning them one by one.

All four bodies were tightly wrapped in white cotton cloth and sealed with industrial nylon cable ties.

"Four victims, three women and one man."

  

Their ages range from twenty-one to forty-three.

The cause of death in all cases was extensive sharp force trauma to the whole body complicated by hemorrhagic shock; the primary wounds were likely stab wounds.

Benny's voice was calm, but his heart was not; this pragmatic lawyer also had some doubts about the case.

"continue."

High concentrations of anesthetic drug residues were detected in the bodies of all victims.

The main ingredients are a combination of propofol and succinylcholine, a powerful combination of anesthetic inducing agents that takes effect quickly and can only be obtained in the operating room or ICU of a regular medical institution.

More specifically, this formula is identical to the potent anesthetic induction agent used in the cardiothoracic surgery department of Philadelphia General Hospital.

Link's brows furrowed slightly.

He wasn't a doctor, but he knew one thing:

Any physical evidence that can be traced to a specific source is the sharpest knife in the hands of the prosecution!

This is common sense.

While the United States is not as strict as the former Celestial Empire in terms of the relevant drugs, it is absolutely rigorous in its requirements.

However, the whereabouts of every single dose of such a unique anesthetic drug should be recorded.

By tracing back the flow of the drugs, the range of suspects can be narrowed down indefinitely.

Even if they are not hospital staff, they must have access to the hospital's drug management system.

What is the full list of charges brought by the prosecution?

"Four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and four counts of desecration of a corpse."

Because the body was dumped in three different counties, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has formally intervened under the Interstate Terrorism and Violent Crime Act.

They indicated they would seek the most severe penalties... even...

"What?"

"death penalty!"

"What about the structure of evidence?"

Link asked.

This is not a general question; the death penalty is an extremely severe punishment that requires a complete structure of evidence.

Direct evidence, indirect evidence, expert opinions, witness testimonies...

Benny pulled a summary of evidence marked in red from the file folder and pushed it in front of Link.

"Three pillars of important certifications".

The first item, naturally, is anesthetic drugs.

The anesthetic used on the four victims was the same formula as the standard formula used at Hawthorne's hospital.

"Does Hawthorne have that authority?"

"There used to be."

He is the deputy director of the cardiothoracic surgery department.

However, before the incident, he had been transferred from the surgical department to the outpatient department.

Outpatient doctors do not handle anesthetic drugs, and after his job transfer, he no longer has the authority to obtain anesthetic induction agents.

However, prosecutors believe that he was familiar with the hospital's drug management system and could possibly have bypassed the access restrictions in some way.

Link's eyes flickered, and he immediately wrote down in his notebook:

"Permissions ≠ Actual ability to acquire."

Then it ended with a heavy question mark.

"The second item?"

DNA.

Skin tissue was extracted from the fourth victim, and DNA testing pointed to Hawthorne.

"Skin tissue?"

Link repeated it calmly, then quickly said:

"Is it dandruff and hair follicles?"

"Yes, sir."

Link nodded, then began to think:

Skin tissue is the most easily transferred type of contact evidence.

Handshakes, medical checkups, and even arm-to-arm contact when passing each other in a hallway can leave detectable skin cells.

What is Hawthorne's interpretation of this evidence?

He denies this. He only says that these victims were his patients, and that he had contact with them during the treatment process, so it's normal for them to have these things.

He claimed that the surgical records could prove it.

However, during the police investigation, the hospital stated that there were irregularities in the signatures and filing of those surgical records, claiming that they "could not confirm their authenticity."

As a result, with all the victims who had contact with him now suffering the same fate, the situation became increasingly perplexing.

Their connections with Hawthorne during their lifetimes only heightened his suspicions.

Link's pen stopped on the paper, and he squinted.

The surgical record contains irregularities. Its authenticity cannot be confirmed.

These words, spoken by the hospital, carry a completely different weight than the accused doctor's own account.

Given the severity of the accident, the hospital seems to be in a hurry to get the doctor to make the incision.

However, he did not comment on this point for the time being, but simply circled it and marked it with an emphasis mark.

"The third item?"

"The third point mainly concerns the problems of our clients themselves."

Benny pulled the last document out of the file folder.

"Hawthorne's psychiatric diagnosis records. Philadelphia General Hospital voluntarily submitted Hawthorne's psychiatric medical records to the police on the day of his arrest."

The records show that he was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder and intermittent emotional blunting, and had been taking risperidone and sertraline for a long time.

The diagnosing physician was Alan Morrison, the chief physician of the Department of Psychiatry at Philadelphia General Hospital.

After reviewing the file, a police psychological expert issued an assessment, concluding that:

"The examinee's behavioral patterns overlap with some clinical features of high-functioning antisocial personality disorder, and the possibility of him engaging in extreme violent behavior in specific situations cannot be ruled out."

"Can someone with antisocial personality disorder become a doctor? Are hospital background checks just for show?"

Link asked in confusion.

"Team leader, the condition may have worsened after working in the hospital, but in any case, the specific findings are here."

Link remained silent.

The only sound in the office was the rustling of papers.

Paranoid personality disorder.

If this diagnosis is confirmed, it will deal a devastating blow to the credibility of Hawthorne's testimony during the trial.

He flipped through the psychiatric records, page by page.

Date of diagnosis, medication regimen, follow-up visit records, doctor's observation notes...

Each item is formatted correctly and logically sound.

He finished flipping through the documents and lightly pressed his fingertip on the signature bar of the diagnosing doctor.

Alan Morrison.

A name with sufficient authority in the field of psychiatry, a seemingly impeccable file, and a hospital that couldn't wait to hand over its employees' mental health information to the police on the day of the arrest.

Putting these three things together doesn't quite feel right.

"About that psychiatrist, Alan Morrison." Link looked up:

What is his relationship with Philadelphia General Hospital?

Was he merely hired by the hospital, or does he have a deeper connection with the hospital's management?

Benny flipped through the documents in his hand and shook his head.

There is currently no information on this. Police have not investigated Morrison's background.

Their logic is very simple and direct:

First, the source of the specially formulated anesthetic was determined, thus narrowing down the scope to Philadelphia General Hospital.

After narrowing down the scope, investigate the victim's background and social activities to identify potential contacts within the hospital.

It turned out that he had been treated by Hawthorne, a cardiothoracic surgeon, which was their common point and a coincidence that was hard to call coincidence.

Subsequently, the police and prosecutors began to focus their investigation on the doctor, conducting background checks and psychological evaluations.

The final assessment revealed that Hawthorne was diagnosed with mental health issues, which could potentially lead to violent behavior.

Final examination revealed that the sharp object wounds on the victims had largely avoided vital areas.

When the killer killed these people, he didn't strike their vital organs; instead, he tortured them.

Such a person clearly possesses extremely high levels of medical knowledge.

Meanwhile, the related wound marks were most likely from a scalpel, and indeed some medical knives were found around the murder site.

While it cannot be confirmed that these are Hawthorne's, they are all commonly used instruments in cardiothoracic surgery.

The killer's modus operandi matches the clinical characteristics of an "organized serial killer".

Based on this complete chain of deductive evidence, they deduced that Hawthorne was the suspect.

"Is this their entire logic?"

"Almost."

Link countered:

"That was a judgment made without identifying the murder weapon, without witnesses, and without surveillance footage."

The prosecution has no direct evidence!

Benny was taken aback by what he heard, but then he said:

"There were indeed no eyewitnesses or surveillance footage, but this chain of evidence and logic is just too tight."

They dared to make judgments without direct evidence.

Link leaned back in his chair, looking at the four photos of the scene on the table.

Is the chain of evidence and logic too tight? Or is it a carefully planned illusion?

This case is highly suspicious!