MWC – Chapter 126 Fighting and Fighting

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“Your Honor, regarding Mr. Jeff Renault’s capability to plan such horrific murders, the prosecution has new evidence and requests the testimony of witness number 53, Silov Lane.”

As soon as the court session started in the morning, Lu Ming was the first to stand up.

Richard slightly frowned as he looked at the witness list. The name was there, but it seemed like Silov was just a minor character related to an attack on the prosecutor, which wasn’t included in the current cases the prosecution was pursuing. Thus, theoretically, he was just a filler witness to distract the defense.

However, Richard keenly noticed that little Renault beside him seemed to frown slightly.

Silov quickly took the witness stand, looking around anxiously with a very uneasy expression.

Lu Ming looked at him. “Mr. Silov, do you know Mr. Jeff Renault, also known as little Renault?”

Silov nodded.

“How did you meet?”

“Two years ago, at a casino. I was caught cheating after losing, and little Renault gave me some money to approach Miss Nicole Hepburn’s assistant and find out everything about Miss Nicole’s whereabouts…”

A murmur spread through the jury as they whispered among themselves.

“Objection, irrelevant to the case,” Richard raised his hand.

Lu Ming looked at the judge’s bench. “Your Honor, I assure you that the witness’s testimony is highly relevant to this case!”

Judge Dempsey looked at Lu Ming and thought for a moment. “Get to the point quickly.”

Lu Ming turned back to Silov. “Mr. Silov, the Miss Nicole Hepburn you mentioned, is she the actress who recently announced her termination with Renault Films?”

“Yes.” Silov nodded.

Though many had already guessed it was the famous Nicole Hepburn, this confirmation still caused a stir in the gallery and the jury.

“What did you do with the money and resources provided by little Renault?”

“I pursued Miss Nicole’s assistant, became her boyfriend, and then reported Miss Nicole’s movements to little Renault.”

“Recently, something happened that made you very uneasy?”

“Yes, starting two months ago, little Renault asked me to find out why Miss Nicole wasn’t renewing her contract and her true intentions. A month ago, he ordered me to report all of her daily activities to him, and soon after, the attack on Miss Nicole occurred.”

The gallery and the jury became even more agitated.

Lu Ming nodded. “I was present during Miss Nicole’s attack. She happened to take a ride in my car and then was attacked by sixteen armed thugs. Fortunately, my bodyguards were strong enough; otherwise, Miss Nicole would not have survived.”

The gallery and jury were in an uproar.

Lu Ming and Nicole’s attack had been suppressed by the Grand Prosecutor’s Office, so media reports were minimal. Even the well-informed only knew that Nicole had once been attacked by gunmen, but not the details.

Richard raised his hand. “I believe it is unprofessional and unethical for the prosecution to imply my client is responsible for the attack on Miss Nicole based solely on the testimony of a gambler. The testimony of witness number 53 is prejudicial, and I request the court to dismiss it.”

Judge Dempsey nodded and said to Lu Ming, “Your questioning is out of bounds.” He then turned to the jury and was about to tell them to disregard the conversation.

“Your Honor, I have another witness to call, who I just convinced to testify this morning. I request the court to allow her testimony. Her statement is closely related to that of witness number 53 and provides a clearer understanding of the case. I ask Your Honor to give the jury the chance to know the truth!”

Before Richard could object, Judge Dempsey motioned for Lu Ming and Richard to approach the bench.

“What new witness?” Judge Dempsey looked at Lu Ming sternly. “And are you trying to sway the jury’s emotions to pressure the bench?”

“She is the mistress of the leader of the thugs who attacked Nicole. She agreed to testify only this morning. Her testimony strongly correlates with that of witness number 53 and directly reveals key issues in the case. Your Honor, you have no reason not to hear her testimony! Even if my new evidence doesn’t hold up as I say, you can punish me, but you cannot refuse my new witness to testify now.”

“If you reject her testimony, I will file a complaint and request a different presiding judge. I heard you had dinner with old Renault last night!”

Lu Ming stared steadily at Judge Dempsey, his gaze firm.

Richard was slightly taken aback. Since the trial began, this young man seemed indifferent to the judge’s deliberate difficulties.

Was it because the previous sessions weren’t very important to him? Is he just getting to the point now?

For the first time since taking this case, Richard felt a vague unease.

And did Judge Dempsey really have dinner with old Renault last night? Richard didn’t know. How did this young man find out?

“Sir Renault is not a suspect. Dining with him is a coincidence and not against the rules!” Judge Dempsey coldly stared at Lu Ming. “If you threaten the bench again, I will hold you in contempt of court and have you immediately detained!”

Then, he straightened up. “The prosecution’s new witness is permitted to testify.”

Soon, a blonde, blue-eyed woman in avant-garde attire took the witness stand.

“Miss Amanda, do you know Bill Marcus, also known as Iron Mountain?”

The woman nodded slightly. “Yes, I am his mistress.”

Lu Ming turned to the jury. “Mr. Bill was one of the main forces of White Rose number 4. According to the captured members’ testimonies, he was involved in eleven murders. However, he and his companions were killed by my bodyguards while attacking Miss Nicole.”

Amanda sighed softly. “I know he wasn’t a good person.”

“Why were you with him?”

“Out of necessity,” Amanda shook her head. “Besides, he treated me well. Few people knew of my existence, not even his closest friends. He said that if he ended up dead in the streets one day, I might be in danger too. But if no one knew about me, I’d be safe.”

Lu Ming nodded. It had been quite difficult to find her. Among the relatives of the dozen or so thugs, none had revealed her existence. They finally found her and convinced her to testify the day Richard openly admitted his defense strategy centered on little Renault’s mental disorder.

It was a tactic from an angle the opposition never anticipated.

Little Renault had hidden his intentions from old Renault and wouldn’t tell Richard either.

He believed that with Bill and his men dead, there would be no trouble.

Therefore, despite Richard’s meticulous planning, the unexpected revelation of Nicole’s attack was unforeseen.

They naturally didn’t make a grand effort to find Bill’s relatives.

In a sense, such oversight could be considered as justice prevailing; hiding a crime is always harder than uncovering it.

“When was the last time you saw Bill?”

“The morning he died. He called me to his place. He was very depressed. I’d never seen him so low. He talked a lot, saying he might cause a huge disaster with a tragic end. Someone originally wanted him to scare Miss Nicole, but little Renault gave him more money to kill her. Killing such a prominent figure as Miss Nicole is different from anyone he had killed before; it couldn’t be hidden. If the police found any clues, he believed little Renault would kill him first.”

“Objection, hearsay,” Richard frowned, raising his hand.

“Little Renault was there when he gave the money. I was present that morning. I remember it clearly. It was also the day Miss Nicole was attacked and the day he… he died. It was September 2. I was at his place listening to his sad farewell when little Renault came. Bill hid me in the closet. Little Renault didn’t know I was there, but I saw him through the closet’s crack. I saw him give Bill the money and heard him say that if Nicole wasn’t dead by that day, Bill would be dead the next day!”

Amanda looked at Little Renault “I will never forget the terrifying look he had when he said those words.”

The jury was stunned. Bombshells kept dropping, leaving everyone a bit overwhelmed. Some jurors were visibly frightened by Little Renault’s menacing glare at Amanda, though he quickly lowered his head.

“Your Honor, given the surprise nature of the prosecution’s new evidence, the defense needs time to prepare,” Richard stood up, clearly bewildered, seeking a recess to gather his thoughts and examine the prosecution’s strategy, particularly the tactics of this young prosecutor.

The case of the attack on the chief prosecutor had suddenly shifted to the assault on the famous actress Nicole.

Was Little Renault the mastermind?

But curiously, the prosecution had not charged Little Renault with Nicole’s assault.

At this point, the prosecution’s focus was entirely outside of the defense’s preparations, and their key defense points hadn’t been challenged by the prosecution.

Lu Ming addressed the judge, “Your Honor, I am not trying to prove that Little Renault masterminded the attack on Nicole. Therefore, the defense does not need to prepare anything.”

“My point is this: from bribing a thug to get close to Nicole’s assistant, to gathering information on Nicole’s movements after she refused to renew her contract, leading up to the attack on Nicole.”

“With Amanda’s testimony proving that Little Renault gave money to the gang leader and directly instructed him to kill Nicole.”

Lu Ming looked at the jurors, “Of course, if we were charging Little Renault with masterminding Nicole’s assault, then based on the principle of benefit of the doubt, there might be some gaps in the evidence. However, in some courts, this would already be enough to convict Little Renault.”

“But here, I am not asking you to convict Little Renault of planning the attack on Nicole.”

“Instead, according to the defense’s expert on mental illness, Mr. Walker, and various recent newspaper articles on the topic, we know that mentally ill individuals are not capable of organizing and planning complex criminal activities in a clear-headed manner.”

“Mr. Walker concluded in just over ten days that Little Renault was killing in a state of delusion.”

“Just because of a video where Little Renault is shown reacting violently to certain music and the presence of straw? I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Renault Pictures who could act more convincingly insane than Little Renault!”

Some jurors couldn’t help but chuckle.

Richard frowned and stood up, “Objection. I don’t believe Mr. Walker’s professionalism should be insulted in this manner.”

Lu Ming nodded, “Mr. Walker is certainly very professional, but mental illness is complex, and the level of awareness in patients can vary greatly. Recent newspaper articles have explained this.”

Richard frowned. Why were these recent articles suddenly counterproductive?

He then looked sharply at Lu Ming. Was all of this intentional? Has this guy been playing dead in court just to turn the public discussion about mental illness to his advantage?

After all, neither he nor the prosecution had asked the jurors to avoid media exposure.

The external narrative was very favorable to the defense, so naturally, he didn’t request jurors to be isolated from it.

But the prosecution’s silence on this matter had always puzzled him.

Was it deliberate?

Was this guy in control of the case from the start?

Just like in the previous cases he had watched Lu Ming handle, where he seemed to control the entire process from beginning to end?

Watching those cases, he used to laugh at Lu Ming’s opponents for not realizing they were trapped.

But now, facing him directly, despite taking him seriously, he still fell into his trap?

Lu Ming ignored Richard’s thoughts and continued, “Even if Little Renault has some mental issues, does that mean he is completely unaware of his actions?”

“Does he truly not know he has killed people? Each time, Bill and his gang kept it well hidden? If Little Renault knew he had killed people, why did he never turn himself in?”

“Did Little Renault really not know about his habit of sleeping with a brain beside him? Why never seek psychiatric help?”

Looking at the jurors, Lu Ming earnestly said, “According to our laws, mental health experts’ assessments of whether a defendant was in a delusional state during a crime are not definitive in court. It is up to you to listen, think, and judge. The principle of benefit of the doubt does not apply here.”

“Similarly, the testimonies of two witnesses corroborating each other, proving that the defendant orchestrated an impossible terrorist attack while supposedly delusional, does not mean we are asking you to convict him of planning Nicole’s attack. Again, the principle of benefit of the doubt does not apply.”

“Instead, I am asking you to fairly and clearly judge based on the evidence presented by both sides: is Little Renault a mentally ill person or not?”

“I believe everyone will reach the same conclusion.”

“Some media suggest I am fixated on the defendant, but I am only seeking the truth.”

“If these two witnesses are committing perjury under my direction, my fate would be dire. You understand this.”

“Let’s step back. Suppose Little Renault kills unrelated people while delusional, but when he is not delusional, he secretly plans to eliminate those who displease him, like a famous star such as Nicole, simply because she won’t renew her contract. And he would brutally kill for this!”

“And he sleeps with a brain.”

“Isn’t such a person even more terrifying?”

“The charge of first-degree public endangerment exists for individuals like this. Thankfully, as one of the oldest criminal charges, it has not been completely abolished.”

“Objection, the prosecution…” Richard stood up, intending to oppose Lu Ming’s habit of summing up his case during trial.

He also opposed the prosecution repeatedly implying without formally charging Little Renault with orchestrating Nicole’s attack, as if it were an established fact.

But even his objections felt cumbersome, and fundamentally, they changed nothing.

Watching the jurors, many were deep in thought over Lu Ming’s words.

A mentally ill person who kills in a delusional state versus someone who, when lucid, hires a gang to murder one of the Western world’s most famous stars—such a person, isn’t he dangerous enough?

And sleeping with a brain…

Richard suddenly regretted that perhaps he had gone too far. Too much is as bad as too little.