American Gossip King

Chapter 165 Court Hearing (Part 1)

On this day, the entrance to the Los Angeles courthouse was packed with reporters from all sides.

The black Rolls-Royce stopped in front of the courthouse, and Ian got out of the car, straightening his collar.

Reporters swarmed in from all directions, pointing their microphones at Ian:

"Mr. Carl, were you personally involved in the downfall of the MS gang?"

"Did you personally kill dozens of MS gang members?"

"I heard you even forced Jessica and the others to kill people with their own hands?"

"Mr. Carl, you killed four robbers in the hotel shooting and then desecrated the corpses of two who tried to rob you. Do you believe that you are filled with violence and a bloodthirsty desire?"

"Mr. Carl, do you feel you would be better at being an assassin than a journalist or a business owner?"

Faced with a barrage of probing questions from reporters across various media outlets, Ian smiled and said, "This is a public trial. You can watch CBS's exclusive report for more details."

Fake!

All the reporters cursed inwardly.

Ian strode into the courthouse, accompanied by his secretary and assistant.

This wasn't Ian's first time in court; he had been there before for the desecration of a corpse, but back then the evidence was conclusive, leaving little room for discussion, so the matter was quickly classified as Ian Carl's legitimate self-defense.

But this time it's different.

Some people accused him of murder and even forced Jessica and others to shoot gangsters.

This is a bit troublesome!

But Ian didn't care, or rather, after the incident, he spent more time comforting Jessica and the others, reassuring them.

Now, as I enter the courtroom and stand in the dock, I first swear, as per procedure, that everything I have said is true before God, followed by the prosecution's statement.

The prosecution lawyer shouted, "We request that witness Easterbrook be called."

Soon, a young Black man appeared in the witness stand. He wore a nose ring and was dressed in bright colors, but his eyes were filled with fear.

Clearly, he was regretting it and was afraid!

The prosecution attorney began by asking the opposing counsel, "Mr. Brooke, what is your role in the Cripples' Gang?"

The defense lawyer shouted, "Objection! The 'Crippled Gang' is just a colloquial term; it's not a registered organization. We cannot characterize an unidentified organization as a target."

The judge nodded: "Please, prosecution, do not mislead the witnesses."

The prosecutor shrugged: "Mr. Brooke, what is your job?"

The young Black man said, "I don't have a job. I work for Mr. Kreps, and he gives us some benefits."

"What exactly will you do?"

"Fighting, collecting protection money, that's all."

"Aren't there any more?"

The Black man shrugged: "That's none of my business. I just do odd jobs."

"Then tell me what you saw on the night of June 12th."

The young Black man answered skillfully, "That night, Boss Kreps sent me and some other men to Ackerman Street."

"What are you going there for?"

"Collect the body, and follow one person's orders."

Is that person present now?

"Yes."

Can you point it out?

The black man looked at Ian and pointed at him: "It's him."

The audience erupted in uproar.

In a sense, this tells everyone that Ian Carl has close ties with the Cripples Gang.

Ian smiled.

The prosecution attorney continued, "Tell me what you saw."

The young Black man said, "I didn't actually see Ian Carr kill anyone. We were all waiting outside when we heard gunshots. Then Filileso told us we could go in. When we went in, we saw bodies everywhere. A girl ran out of the crazy guy Gitte's room, and we chased her back inside..."

The black man stammered as he spoke, and Kreps, sitting in the audience, looked grim.

asshole!

asshole!

I'm going to tear you to pieces!

I was whipped ten times for this!

After hearing Ian force the five girls to shoot the MS thugs, everyone looked at Ian again, who was still smiling.

The prosecution attorney asked, "So you saw Officer Catherine being tied up?"

"Yes."

The prosecution attorney shouted to the judge, "As we have heard, things are clearly not as Ian Carl's newspaper describes, that Officer Catherine single-handedly stormed into MS, killed the intruders, and rescued the girls. She was bound; she couldn't have done that. It was Ian Carl who did it, and he had no law enforcement authority! This is murder! It was a bloody massacre orchestrated by Ian Carl to get his exclusive story! He even forced five poor girls to commit murder!"

He then returned to his seat.

Ian's defense attorney stepped forward: "We request that Officer Catherine be summoned."

Catherine appeared in the witness stand upon being summoned.

The latest novel is first published here!

The defense attorney asked, "Officer Catherine, how did you deal with those thugs at MS?"

Catherine replied, "With a gun."

A chorus of low laughter erupted from the audience.

The defense attorney chuckled, "Were you arrested by MS?"

Catherine glanced at Ian, who had a confident smile on his lips.

Catherine took a deep breath: "No, I didn't."

The defense attorney said, "But someone saw you being captured by the madman Jitter that night."

Catherine shook her head: "If that's the case, I'll be sold to rich people just like Jessica and the others. I'm fairly confident in my looks."

Laughter erupted again from the gallery.

The defense attorney said, "They say it was Ian Carl who killed him."

Catherine glanced at Ian and sneered, "His marksmanship is only good for bullying small fry; he's not capable of that. Besides, he's a journalist; he's focused on filming, not killing."

For a moment, Catherine really didn't want to clear Ian's name, but she had no choice.

If she admits to it all, she herself will become a stain.

Faced with her own interests, Catherine ultimately couldn't go that far.

After Catherine, Jessica and others followed suit, all denying everything and claiming that they had not experienced those things.

Next, Ian himself was questioned.

The prosecution attorney stood before Ian Carl, holding a large copy of the Los Angeles Herald, and asked, "Mr. Carl, how did you know there would be a gunfight that night?"

Ian smiled: "It's the butterfly that knows, not me."

He is dead.

Ian shrugged: "It's a real shame. I've lost one of my best journalists."

The audience burst into laughter again.

The prosecutor glared at Ian: "But Mr. Carl, don't you think this is too much of a coincidence? The killing of the Bates gang and their subsequent wipeout were also reported by The Butterfly. You always seem to be the first to get involved in these large-scale gang fights."

Ian Carl raised his eyebrows: "Coincidence? No, there are no coincidences in this world, only relentless persistence and life-risking struggle. Filippo is the best journalist in the world; to obtain the truth of the world, he risks his life on the front lines. There are no coincidences, only hard work and the excellent qualities of a professional journalist. This is the Los Angeles Herald; every one of our reporters possesses a fearless spirit of sacrifice. We are braver than soldiers..."

"That's enough, this isn't the place for you to do your GG!" The prosecution lawyer was speechless.

Have you no shame?

He glared at Ian: "Eastbrook saw with his own eyes you force five girls to kill those guys!"

Ian Carl smiled. "I heard that, but unfortunately he's lying. Actually..."

He paused, then looked at the judge: "Your Honor, I would like to have a direct conversation with Easterbrook, and I will prove that he is lying."

(End of this chapter)