Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 362: She Only Gave Me 300 a Month!

"What... what are you talking about, something about murder?"

Zhang Chaoqiang remained calm: "I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

"You don’t understand?"

Sun Jun picked up a file folder on the interrogation table: "Zhang Chao, our country’s law is lenient to those who confess, but strict with those who resist."

"Since we were able to catch you, it means we have evidence in our hands."

"If you keep this attitude, then I think we have nothing more to discuss."

"This is the record from when you reported your wife’s murder back then."

"According to your statement at the time, on the day of the incident, you came home from work as usual, opened the door, and smelled blood, then saw your wife lying on the bed bleeding in the secondary bedroom."

"Then you didn’t enter the room, and reported it right away."

"...these details...I don’t remember very clearly, at the time...maybe I was too nervous, it’s possible I forgot..."

Too nervous?

"Zhang Chao, the records of the inquiry made back then have your signed and fingerprinted evidence, as well as video surveillance to testify."

"Do you think claiming nervousness, forgetfulness, or unclear details can refute it?"

"I’ll give you one last chance to honestly confess all the details about murdering Wang Huifang."

Sun Jun picked up another file folder: "If I reveal the evidence in here, Zhang Chao, you really won’t have any chances left."

At this moment, Zhang Chao, across the stainless steel bars, stared at the other file folder in Sun Jun’s hand.

His Adam’s apple moved, and beads of sweat were already seeping on his forehead.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, veins popping out.

Sun Jun had seen such reactions many times, and exchanging a glance with the colleague interrogating together, it was clear that Zhang Chao was definitely the killer and couldn’t escape.

Even if he doesn’t confess this time, after a few more interrogations, he wouldn’t be able to hold out.

In fact, according to usual legal identification, Lu Chuan’s discovery was already enough to confirm Zhang Chao’s guilt.

But there were still some details that had to be clarified.

For instance, the murder weapon; Wang Huifang was stabbed to death, but the weapon was missing.

And the method of murder; at the time of Wang Huifang’s death, Zhang Chao was indeed in a meeting at work, so what method he used to delay murder Wang Huifang.

These details were also crucial in the investigation process, otherwise the case would be imperfect and flawed.

The entire evidence chain wouldn’t be complete, affecting the final conviction.

"Not talking?"

Sun Jun pretended to open the file folder.

Clatter.

Zhang Chao’s entire body tensed suddenly, but because of the restraint of the interrogation chair, he couldn’t stand up.

"Don’t!"

Don’t?!

"Zhang Chao," Sun Jun placed the file folder back on the table. He was well aware that trump cards only had deterrent power if they weren’t revealed.

So, even if Zhang Chao hadn’t shouted out just now, he would have used other rhetoric, putting the file folder down.

For example, Zhang Chao, I’m doing this for your own good, I hope you can reconsider, and so on.

But now, Zhang Chao couldn’t hold it anymore, which was the best result.

"Actually, you made a mistake back then. You should have cleaned the scene, wiped off all fingerprints and footprints. That way, even if you came home after work and only your footprints were left in the house, you could have explained it clearly."

If all traces were erased, and Zhang Chao found his wife dead when he came home, leaving footprints in the room was a normal occurrence.

"But you were too clever for your own good. You thought not erasing the traces, leaving many footprints and fingerprints in the house, police would focus their suspicion on several other people."

"What you didn’t know was that we could determine from the footprints in the room who entered first and who entered later."

"How...how is that possible?"

"Nothing is impossible. Four years ago, due to technical limitations, it wasn’t possible to distinguish, but today, four years later, it’s easy to distinguish."

Sun Jun picked up the file folder on the table again: "Zhang Chao, do you think your footprints were the first to enter the room or the last?"

Large beads of sweat dripped from Zhang Chao’s forehead.

Huff huff huff.

His breathing gradually grew heavier, and at this moment, Sun Jun said nothing more.

He had interrogated no less than eighty, if not a hundred, suspects.

Zhang Chao’s current state was a display of extreme nervousness and fear.

And such suspects often committed crimes out of compulsion, or due to having no other choice.

In other words, such suspect, still had some conscience.

Moreover, it was mostly their first crime.

They had little to no prior experience tangling with police, and facing these aggressively intimidating interrogations was their first time.

Actually, this was the normal behavior of a person.

The pressure faced during an interrogation is very different from a normal situation.

Especially for suspects with real cases against them, every word they say must be considered whether it could be used against them.

Every word needs careful consideration, and every expression requires effort to control, resulting in very fast consumption of their energy and stamina.

Faced with phrasing that attacks their mental state, they might uncontrollably display micro-expressions.

Such as Zhang Chao just sweating, being nervous, clenching his fists, and even he himself didn’t know.

After a while, Zhang Chao sagged in the chair.

He exhaled several heavy breaths, looking at Sun Jun: "Officer Sun... is there still a possibility of a reduced sentence for me?"

That...

Interrogators never make promises about reduced sentences because it’s not something that the criminal investigation process can decide.

"Zhang Chao, whether or not you get a reduced sentence is not up to me; it depends on the judge’s verdict."

"However, we will report your behavior during the interrogation, whether you were cooperative or resistant."

"I can only say that if you cooperate voluntarily, anything is possible; if you refuse to confess, definitely not."

Sigh.

"I... will talk..."

"Back then... yes, I did kill Wang Huifang."

"Why did you kill her? According to the information we gathered, based on your neighbor’s feedback, your relationship with your wife seemed fine, with no significant conflicts or disputes."

After Wang Huifang was murdered, the police conducted a detailed investigation of her interpersonal relationships.

Her husband Zhang Chao, of course, was the most important person investigated.

The two of them didn’t have children at the time, but their relationship seemed good, neighbors reported rarely hearing arguments, and Wang Huifang was kind but frugal and stingy.

Zhang Chao was considered a model husband, turning over all his salary.

Colleagues reported Zhang Chao was well-liked, just stingy about paying for meals.

Based on information from various channels, Zhang Chao and Wang Huifang seemed to be a typical, not necessarily affectionate but amicable couple.

Why?

Zhang Chao smirked: "Actually, for no particular reason, I just wanted to kill her. If I had to say why..."

"It’s because... she only gave me three hundred yuan a month."