The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 85



Only Noblemtl

Heo Ji-yeon denied her crimes until the end and eventually had to go to court.

“The case has been scheduled for trial in two weeks.”

“all right.”

After Heo Ji-yeon’s statement, Im Soo-jung changed her statement and said that she had never actually met Oh Hyeon-nam.

“I knew it. Ms. Im Soo-jung was just used in this incident and never killed anyone.”

“I’m sorry, inspector.”

She finally burst into tears.

An aspiring writer who wanted revenge on a world that didn’t recognize him.

She was in a mental hospital and was just being used by drugs.

“I thought it was just a simple drug… but it was such a scary drug.”

Kim Ji-cheol said in disbelief after staying up all night with us.

I checked the documents and answered him.

“The reason Jeong Yu-ra and her group supported the local Japanese pirates hiding in our country and tried to place them in high positions, including as politicians, was probably because they wanted to use the drug.”

After that incident, we collaborated with Japanese prosecutors to discover a secret drug that was intended to be created through human experiments during World War II.

I learned that secret experiments had been carried out to inject thoughts into humans and turn them into perfect slaves, and that this had trickled down to Aum Shinrikyo.

– I’m glad that this case was closed in Korea.

“Is it really over?”

– At least Yuki-san will be executed in a month.

Yuki, who returned to Japan, was sentenced to death, contrary to her expectations.

I knew I was completely fooled, but what could I do?

“I envy you. You can wipe out the devil’s seed······.”

– I heard that they don’t carry out executions in Korea.

“That’s the situation. But sentencing someone to death means that they will never step foot into this society again. Because it is absolutely impossible to reduce their sentence.”

The death penalty is necessary.

At least I thought so.

“Inspector. The data from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, which we commissioned for precise drug analysis, has just arrived.”

Hyejin shouted while checking her email.

Jiying.

I printed out that drug fact sheet.

Kuk.

I walked over to the whiteboard and put up that sign as another piece of evidence.

“Heo Ji-yeon. I will completely separate demons like you from this society.”

〈We have been aware of hundreds of incidents caused by that drug even in this day and age, but our AI prosecutors cannot investigate them. Kang Ji-hyeok.〉

A guide spoke to me in my head.

“That means······.”

〈I can’t tell you any more. It’s a forbidden area for AI. It’s evidence that you’re connected to the cartel that killed you.〉

“I understand. It’s enough that I can’t figure it out anymore.”

Insight kicked in.

The drug that the cartel that killed me was trying to spread into the world through Jeong Yu-ra’s group was stopped, but the remaining remnants must have somehow connected with my case.

“So, we will completely isolate Heo Ji-yeon from society. We must prepare to sentence her to death.”

The goal was set and the investigation continued accordingly.

* * *

The day of the trial.

Since the incident started through a broadcasting station, reporters paid attention to the results of the investigation.

Quite a few reporters flocked to the area to hear about Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok’s comeback.

“Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. Did you find the culprit properly this time too?”

“Prosecutor Kang. What will be your sentencing request in this trial?”

Damn it.

As I stopped walking and turned my head towards the reporters, their gazes turned to me.

I met their gazes and said.

“I always go to court with the same mindset. I want to make sure that those who commit crimes are punished accordingly. That’s what I have to do as a prosecutor.”

Clang.

The camera flash went off.

[Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. Standing in court to realize a just society]

[The car suicide and rooftop fall incidents that shook the nation. Was it suicide or murder? It will likely be revealed in court.]

As the courtroom doors opened and I entered, my mind was extremely calm.

“We are currently investigating two cases: Case No. 2008godan647, a car arson murder case, and Case No. 652, a rooftop suicide murder case.”

Although there were two separate incidents, they were connected murders and the suspects presented by the prosecution were also the same.

So these are two incidents, but they are merged into one incident.

When the trial began, the judge seriously explained the outline of the case.

“These are two cases, but they have been consolidated and will be pronounced as one verdict. Therefore, the prosecution and the defense should focus on the essence of the case.”

The judge took his seat after giving a brief statement of the case.

I submitted all the evidence I brought, and the defense also reviewed the evidence.

After completing the usual procedures, I shook hands with my lawyer.

Attorney Lee Cheon-su.

I know him well.

He had been focusing on civil cases rather than criminal ones, but he started working in criminal cases when he took on the defense of a murder case involving a friend of his.

If I remember correctly, it was probably last year.

Attorney Lee Cheon-su’s friend raped and murdered a female college student.

During the police investigation, he admitted all of his wrongdoings.

However, he changed his statement in court, and in the end, it was revealed that it was a murder-for-hire case carried out under duress, and he was given a suspended sentence.

There was a detective I was close with who worked on that case, and he only confessed the truth to me years later.

“Ji-hyeok. That kid from back then. He clearly confessed that he felt sexual desire for a female college student and killed her.”

“What? But why didn’t the prosecution reveal that? Didn’t they hand over the evidence?”

The friendly detective grimaced and took a sip of his soju.

“The confession was made too easily, and the evidence was clear because the semen and murder weapon were tested through DNA testing.”

“And yet you changed your mind in court?”

“Fuck. The prosecutors relied on the statements our detectives gave. They didn’t conduct a separate investigation and went to trial based only on the statements and evidence we gave.”

There were times like that.

If the evidence investigated by the police and the statements made at the time are reliable, the prosecutor applies for trial based on that alone.

In most cases, the trial ends without any problems as suggested by the prosecution, but sometimes, there are times when the defendant changes his statement in court, turning the case into a completely different case.

“This is why detectives shouldn’t investigate! What the hell is this?”

Prosecutors often end up blaming the police for their own mistakes that they did not investigate.

I learned a lot from that incident.

After all, statements are not credible.

What this means is that believing a criminal’s statement without comparing it to the evidence never serves a court of law.

To put it more specifically, this is because the suspect interrogation records, investigator testimonies, and video recordings prepared by investigative agencies other than the prosecution are either not recognized as evidentiary or are ineffective.

“No matter how many statements detectives like us take, they’ll never be accepted unless they’re a prosecutor. Damn it.”

Is that why?

After becoming a prosecutor, the part that concerned me the most was the statement.

So we recorded and videotaped and tried to get statements from the criminals through various methods.

But this case was the most difficult to secure a statement for.

It appears that Heo Ji-yeon received proper education on legal statements through the Yuki and Jung Yu-ra cases.

‘Yes, Heo Ji-yeon. You will bring out the devil in the human mask with evidence and testimony here. Look forward to it.’

Attorney Lee Cheon-su approached me and extended his hand. I didn’t bother shaking his hand, but instead looked into his eyes.

“Thank you for your consideration. Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok.”

“Or so.”

The opposing lawyer’s eyes slightly distorted at the unexpected greeting.

So I threw one more thing at him.

“Because I’m not a good lawyer. Especially in a case like this.”

“Well, I know. Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok is famous. But let’s not be unreasonable. Us.”

You said us?

You and I will never be able to be bound by those words.

“Well, I’ve never been unreasonable before.”

From the moment the court opens, the defense and prosecution can never be on good terms.

That would be the case in any trial.

This was especially true in this trial, which involved a case of suicide or murder.

Because the severity of the crime can vary greatly depending on the outcome.

“Let’s start with the prosecution’s summary of the case.”

The judge spoke with a serious face.

The audience seats were already filled with numerous reporters and related personnel.

“Both cases are murders committed by the same suspect. They are particularly vicious murders in that they took advantage of the mentally weak and fabricated evidence to hide their own crimes.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su, who was reviewing the materials, raised his hand and asked the judge to speak.

“The two cases have not yet been decided. So I think it would be premature to draw a clear line.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su continued his speech gently, looking at the judge and the audience.

“If the verdict is guilty after the trial according to the presumption of innocence, then what Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok said is correct, but what if it was suicide?”

The audience was in an uproar at Attorney Lee Cheon-su’s remarks.

“Well, there is such a thing as the presumption of innocence, right?”

“That’s right. It could be suicide, right?”

The reporters were busy writing their articles.

“Quiet. Everyone, be quiet.”

The judge brought the microphone close to his mouth and spoke gravely, calming the courtroom.

“Article 27, Paragraph 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. The presumption of innocence is the principle that criminal defendants are presumed innocent until a final judgment of guilt is rendered.”

As a prosecutor, I explained the principle of presumption of innocence. The judge nodded and continued with me.

“It is exactly as Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok said. The case outline is literally an explanation of the case from the prosecutor’s perspective, so I hope there is no misunderstanding.”

“Your Honor, I withdraw my objection.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su greeted us politely and took his seat.

‘You’re being ridiculous. You want to beat the player? Yeah. It’s fun to break things when you’re a lawyer.’

Kuk.

I clenched my fists and placed them on the table, and the judge announced the start of the trial.

“In chronological order of the events, we will start with case number 2008godan647, automobile arson murder.”

The judge pointed to me as he reviewed the evidence.

“Then, Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. Let’s begin.”

In a typical criminal trial, the prosecution presents evidence and the defense presents a rebuttal.

“This incident was broadcast live on TV, and the personal information was incorrectly reported as Oh Hyeon-nam. The actual victim of the incident is Jeon Jun-woo.”

Beep.

I brought the evidence up on the screen.

Photo of a burnt car.

And nearby were the tire tracks scattered in a mess.

“The victim, Jeon Jun-woo, was murdered by someone and his body was later destroyed when his car was set on fire.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su raised an objection.

“Murdered? Wasn’t this a suicide case? Didn’t he commit suicide and then set himself on fire?”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su submitted the materials.

“This is a hospital consultation document about Mr. Jeon Jun-woo. He had been to a mental hospital, and he quit baseball when he was a third-year high school student due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. It seems that he wanted to die because of the trauma.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su glared at me and said.

“After becoming a professional athlete, he borrowed a lot of money and even wrote a promise to repay it. His family was completely ruined, so Jeon Jun-woo must have wanted to die. But you are certain that this was murder? Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. Is that right? Is this murder?”

The judge looks at me.

His expression seemed to demand an answer.

I continued the story without answering the question.

“The car was completely burned, so it was difficult to find any evidence of a crime inside. However, the messy tire marks you see in the photo next to it are those of a motorcycle.”

Attorney Lee Cheon-su squinted his eyes and raised his voice.

“Hey, Inspector Kang! You’re not talking about suicide or murder, and you’re suddenly explaining the evidence!”

Empty.

I lightly tapped the table in front of me with my palm.

“Look at the following evidence.”

Beep.

It was CCTV footage of a motorcycle entering the broadcasting station and the back of a person dressed in black.

“This is the footage of the person who brought the footage of the murder scene to the broadcasting station at the time of the incident.”

A commotion.

The audience was in an uproar.

Only then did I look at Attorney Lee Cheon-su and say: