The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 56
Only Noblemtl
Episode 56 I’ve only just finished the first witness interview
The trial began, and it was time to examine the witnesses. The first witness was Jeong Jun-su, who had written the death certificate at the hospital.
After taking the witness oath and sitting down, Jeong Jun-su looked at Min Chi-seung and nodded his head slightly without being noticed. It was to tell him not to worry about his testimony.
In Min Chi-seung’s eyes, the figure looked quite sturdy.
‘I guess I’ll have to return the envelope once the trial is over. No, that gentleman’s son said he was in the job training class.’
While he was wondering whether it would be better to give money to Jeong Jun-su or to help his son find a job, Do Hyeon-gwang stood up from his seat.
It was the moment when the full-scale witness examination began.
“Mr. Jeong Jun-su, could you please introduce yourself and what you do?”
“I am an emergency medicine doctor at Hanil Hospital.”
“Are you the person who wrote the death certificate for Sung Jun-ho regarding today’s incident?”
“yes.”
Jung Jun-soo answered quite relaxedly, as if he had practiced beforehand. Everyone gets nervous in court, but Jung Jun-soo was different. He was a doctor who was called whenever medical opinions were needed by the law firm Bando, so this was nothing special.
Moreover, since he had practiced the questions in advance, there was nothing to worry about. Min Chi-seung decided to relax and watch what kind of shit Do Hyeon-gwang would kick.
“Can you tell me how Mr. Sung Jun-ho died?”
“Due to a fall down the stairs… … .”
“Hey. No.”
Jeong Jun-su, who had been talking into the microphone, looked at Do Hyeon-gwang with a puzzled expression.
“You have to tell me exactly what is written on the death certificate. You can’t make things up like that since you’re not a writer. Just tell me the direct cause of death.”
Do Hyun-kwang pointed to the death certificate that was large on the screen and said. It wasn’t exactly wrong, so Jeong Jun-su cleared his throat and started speaking again.
“There were contusions and lacerations on the back of the head, and edema was observed. The immediate cause of death was traumatic subdural hematoma due to occipital injury.”
“Yes. I have heard the difficult medical terms. There are many people here, including our attorney Min Chi-seung, who do not know medical terms, so could you explain it in simpler terms?”
Moon Sungjae flinched from where he was sitting. He felt like he had turned his back on his superior, Min Chi-seung, but he felt it would be too petty to find fault with him and raise an objection. But if he just sat there, he would notice Min Chi-seung’s expression.
I glanced at Min Chi-seung and, as expected, he had a very unpleasant expression on his face.
‘Well, maybe I should have raised an objection?’
But Jung Joon-soo had already continued talking, so he missed the timing. Moon Sung-jae sighed. It seemed like he wouldn’t have any shins left after the trial was over.
“That means the back of her head was very swollen, and there was a trauma and a laceration from something hitting her. This caused a subdural hemorrhage, which was the direct cause of death.”
“The defendant claims that the subdural hemorrhage was caused by a fall down the stairs. If you look at the death certificate, it doesn’t seem to be the case. Regardless of what it was, can we assume that it is certain that there was a large impact that caused a contusion and laceration to the back of the head?”
The defendant’s representative lawyer was Moon Sung-jae, but Jeong Jun-su ignored him and looked at Min Chi-seung. After all, the final position to give orders was Min Chi-seung.
Do Hyun-kwang seemed to be trying to claim that it wasn’t a ‘fall’, but since what he was saying wasn’t exactly wrong, it was ambiguous to answer that it wasn’t true. When Min Chi-seung nodded slightly, Jeong Jun-su answered.
“That’s right. But in this situation, the students testified that they fell down the stairs… … .”
“Okay. Just answer my questions.”
When Do Hyun-kwang held out his palm to stop him, Jeong Jun-su frowned. It would be unpleasant to be interrupted by someone who was as young as his son.
“Well, could you please take a look at this? You’re a doctor, so you probably know what this means.”
Jeong Jun-su said, looking at the newly appeared paper on the screen.
“… … It’s an autopsy report.”
“Ah, as expected. You didn’t get your medical license by just looking at someone. Judging from how you can tell just by looking at them. This is the autopsy report of the deceased Seong Jun-ho.”
Jung Jun-soo looked at Min Chi-seung as if he was asking what was going on. This was because there was no mention of the autopsy report when he was preparing his testimony with the lawyers from the law firm Bando.
Min Chi-seung was also flustered. Min Chi-seung, who was watching the testimony, leaned back from his chair. Moon Seong-jae, who was sitting in front of him, seemed flustered as well and started searching through the files he had.
“What? Why is the autopsy report in that guy’s hands?”
“Oh, that. I don’t know either.”
“Do you think that means you don’t know?”
When Min Chi-seung scolded him in a low voice, Moon Seong-jae stuttered and broke out in a cold sweat.
“Father, I was definitely told by Pro Kim that he would omit it when it was sent to trial. I, I wonder what happened to me… … .”
“What kind of work are you doing like this?”
“sorry.”
There was no way to know how Do Hyun-kwang obtained the autopsy report. It must not have been handed over by the investigating prosecutor, since it was covered in oil.
Min Chi-seung clicked his tongue once and turned his eyes back to the witness. There was no use in urging poor Moon Seong-jae now. He had to figure out what Do Hyeon-gwang was really thinking. He had to figure out his intentions quickly. To minimize the damage.
Min Chi-seung was clearly whispering to Moon Seong-jae, but Do Hyeon-gwang looked at Min Chi-seung as if he was listening to their conversation and smiled quietly without anyone noticing. Then he continued with the question.
“As you know, the autopsy report is written by the coroner. He is called by the police when there is suspicion of homicide or criminal circumstances. He is the first person with medical knowledge to examine the body. Therefore, he is the person who can most objectively and accurately record the body immediately after death.”
Do Hyun-kwang gave a brief explanation so that everyone could have a general understanding of the ‘autopsy report’.
“What you are looking at now is the autopsy report written by the coroner. There are things written here that are not in the death certificate. So, can you explain it to us in simple terms this time? Our attorney Min Chi-seung… … .”
Do Hyeon-gwang glanced at Moon Seong-jae, whose butt was shaking as he tried to raise his hand, and then continued speaking.
“… … and for non-medical professionals like me?”
“… … .”
Moon Sung-jae, who had missed the timing to say that he had an objection, sat back down awkwardly in his chair while looking at Min Chi-seung’s expression. Jeong Jun-su, who had been looking at Min Chi-seung’s expression as well, had no choice but to look at the screen and open his mouth.
“There are purpura on the face, shoulders, chest, and sides. So, there are bruises all over the body. There are purpura and lacerations on the face, especially around the eyes and mouth.”
“It’s a burn and a fever.”
Do Hyeon-gwang nodded, looked back at the judge, and spread his arms.
“There are dark red bruises on her face and body. They are fresh bruises. There are lacerations on her face as well. If she had fallen down the stairs, she would have bruises on her arms, legs, buttocks, and other parts of her body that were in contact with the ground. The wounds on her face, chest, and side are unlikely to have been caused by a normal fall or crash.”
Judge Hong Sang-jin listened to Do Hyeon-gwang’s words with an expression of interest. Min Chi-seung clenched his teeth at the sight, and Do Hyeon-gwang leisurely stared at Min Chi-seung.
Do Hyun-kwang seemed to think for a moment, then put up a picture on the screen. A collective inhalation sound could be heard from the small audience. A picture of the dead Seong Jun-ho’s face was on the screen.
At a glance, it was obvious that someone had hit her hard. Sung Jun-ho’s aunt, who was sitting in the audience, took a few deep breaths with her eyes wide open, then wiped her eyes and lowered her head.
“This is the photo that came with the autopsy report. It’s what Sung Jun-ho looked like when he was found on the stairs of the academy. Could this really be the wound from falling down the stairs? His eyes are bruised, and the corners of his mouth are torn. It looks to me like the wounds were caused by assault. What do you think?”
“Objection! Those wounds have nothing to do with the deaths that occurred.”
When Moon Sung-jae raised his hand to object, Do Hyeon-gwang also objected.
“Why doesn’t it matter? The victim died of a traumatic subdural hematoma. That was the direct cause, but we still don’t know the indirect cause that caused the trauma. The defense says the cause was a fall down the stairs, but this autopsy report shows that the cause could have been someone else’s assault.”
Judge Hong Sang-jin, who had been pondering the facial injuries and the cause of death for a moment, nodded to Do Hyeon-gwang.
“Prosecutors, please continue.”
The judge sided with the prosecutor.
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
Do Hyeon-gwang, who bowed his head toward the judge, asked Jeong Jun-su again.
“Could an assault on a victim cause a traumatic subdural hematoma?”
Jung Jun-soo’s eyes stayed on Min Chi-seung for quite some time. However, Min Chi-seung is not a coach for boxing matches. He cannot coach a boxer in the ring. As Jung Jun-soo’s silence grew longer, Do Hyeon-gwang asked again. He spoke loudly and clearly so that everyone could hear.
“Did you not hear the question, or are you too busy thinking of an answer? Why don’t you have an answer? Let me ask again. Can a victim’s assault cause a traumatic subdural hematoma?”
“… … Yes. It is possible.”
“Then I will ask witness Jeong Jun-su. Why was this information omitted when the death certificate was written? Regarding the purpura on the face and body.”
“That, that wasn’t the direct cause of death… … .”
“That contradicts what you said earlier. Didn’t you say that assault can cause a subdural hemorrhage?”
“Ah… … . T, that’s true. Uh, in this case, so… … .”
Jung Jun-soo’s voice shook slightly. He grabbed the collar of his shirt with his hand, as if he was nervous, and swallowed hard. It wasn’t the confident look he had shown at first. He seemed flustered because it wasn’t a question he had practiced beforehand.
‘Hey, you’re so stupid.’
Min Chi-seung clenched his fists. How much money do you receive for such a question? Even if you answer, you have to speak shamelessly and clearly to be credible. If you stutter like that, everyone will think that you are lying, cheating, or hiding something. It is fatal for a witness.
While Do Hyeon-gwang was questioning the witness, he leisurely glanced at Min Chi-seung’s face. It seemed like he was teasing him, which made Min Chi-seung feel even worse.
Do Hyun-kwang turned to Jung Jun-soo to ask another question. He didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping here.
“I understand that Hanil Hospital is quite far from the elite academy. Why did the ambulance go to Hanil Hospital instead of the closer Myeongsu University Hospital?”
“Ah… … . T, I’m not good at that… … .”
“You have given medical testimony in court many times at the request of the law firm Bando. Do you remember when it started?”
Jung Jun-soo wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even a dog passing by could tell that he was looking at Min Chi-seung, who was sitting on the defense team. However, Min Chi-seung kept his mouth shut and his eyes tightly shut. Jung Jun-soo had no choice but to answer as he knew.
“Well, well, it’s been about three years.”
“There were a whopping sixteen cases in the past four and a half years. I guess you must be quite close to the law firm Bando.”
“Your Honor, the prosecution is now… … .”
“That’s all!”
Moon Sung-jae tried to refute, but Do Hyun-kwang quickly finished questioning the witness. Do Hyun-kwang turned around and went back to the prosecutor’s office, looking at Min Chi-seung. There was a slight smile on his lips.
Min Chi-seung glared at Do Hyeon-gwang as if he was going to kill him.
‘I let my guard down.’
I let my guard down because he was only a first-year rookie prosecutor. No, rather, I trusted the junior lawyers’ handling of the case. How many cases of third-generation chaebols had he handled? This was not something I could really do.
But it was a good thing he got hit with a punch. The autopsy report that the prosecutor had tampered with ended up in his hands, and somehow he even had information about Jeong Jun-su.
With this one witness examination, Do Hyun-kwang planted a seed of suspicion that the cause of Sung Jun-ho’s death was not a fall accident, but perhaps an assault. Furthermore, he undermined the credibility of his testimony by raising suspicions about the connection between the law firm Bando and Jeong Jun-su. He had only just finished the first witness examination.
Min Chi-seung gritted his teeth as he watched Do Hyeon-gwang leisurely sit down on the examination table.