flstandardbreds Chapter 1411 Zhao Qiang Exonerated
Chapter 1411 Zhao Qiang Exonerated
"Who are you? Why are you arresting me?" Zhao Qiang struggled, his voice filled with obvious panic. "We are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division. We need your cooperation in investigating a murder case." Xiao Wang showed his police ID and took Zhao Qiang back to the Criminal Investigation Division for interrogation.
Inside the interrogation room, Zhao Qiang appeared extremely nervous, constantly rubbing his hands together and avoiding eye contact. "Zhao Qiang, do you know the deceased in the West Suburbs Park?" Xiao Wang asked bluntly. Zhao Qiang quickly shook his head: "No, I've never been to the West Suburbs Park." "Then tell me, between midnight and 2 a.m. yesterday, where were you, and what were you doing?" Xiao Wang pressed. Zhao Qiang's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "I... I was sleeping at home, I didn't do anything."
"Sleeping at home?" Xiao Wang took out a printout of the surveillance footage and placed it in front of Zhao Qiang. "This is the surveillance footage from the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Xijiao Road early yesterday morning. It shows you riding a black Honda motorcycle to the north gate of Xijiao Park, and then fleeing the scene. How do you explain that?" After seeing the surveillance footage, Zhao Qiang's face turned pale instantly. He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "I... I did go to Xijiao Park, but I didn't go to kill anyone. I went to steal something."
Zhao Qiang confessed that he and Sun Hao, the driver of the car behind him, were childhood friends. Neither of them had stable jobs and they often committed petty theft together. Early yesterday morning, they learned that the owner of a shop near the north gate of the West Suburbs Park was out buying goods, leaving only an elderly person guarding the shop. They then conspired to steal from the shop. "We were afraid of being caught on surveillance cameras, so we deliberately chose the early morning, and we even wore helmets and dark clothing," Zhao Qiang said. "We rode our motorcycle to the shop, Sun Hao acted as lookout, I pried open the lock, stole some cigarettes, alcohol, and cash, and then fled the scene on the motorcycle. We didn't go into the park at all, and we didn't kill anyone."
To verify Zhao Qiang's confession, Xiao Wang immediately arranged for his team to investigate shops near the north gate of the West Suburbs Park. About 200 meters west of the park's north gate was a shop called "Honest Tobacco and Alcohol Shop," owned by Zhou Jianguo. Zhou Jianguo told the team that he had indeed gone out to buy goods the day before yesterday, leaving his father to look after the shop. Early yesterday morning, his father discovered the shop had been burglarized, with approximately 5000 yuan worth of tobacco and alcohol and 2000 yuan in cash missing. Because the loss was minor, he didn't report it to the police. "The thieves broke in by prying open the lock. The security camera at the entrance captured two people wearing helmets riding a black motorcycle away from the scene," Zhou Jianguo said.
The team retrieved the surveillance footage from the tobacco and liquor store. The footage showed that at 1:05 AM yesterday, Zhao Qiang and Sun Hao were indeed present at the store. Zhao Qiang pried open the lock and entered the store, while Sun Hao acted as a lookout. At 1:12 AM, the two fled the scene on a black motorcycle with the stolen goods, perfectly matching Zhao Qiang's confession. Furthermore, the team found the stolen tobacco and liquor, along with some cash, at Zhao Qiang's residence, further corroborating his statement.
Subsequently, Xiao Wang arranged for his team to arrest Sun Hao. Sun Hao lived next to Zhao Qiang, and the team arrested him at his home. Faced with police interrogation, Sun Hao quickly confessed to the theft from the tobacco and liquor store, consistent with Zhao Qiang's statement. "We really didn't kill anyone, we just stole some things," Sun Hao said, crying. "After we arrived at the tobacco and liquor store, we stayed in the vicinity of the store; we didn't go into the park, and we didn't see any corpses."
To completely rule out Zhao Qiang and Sun Hao as suspects in the murder, Xiao Wang arranged for the technical department to conduct a comprehensive examination of their motorcycle, clothing, and bodies. The technicians found no traces related to the deceased on the motorcycle, such as bloodstains, hair, or fibers. Fiber samples extracted from their clothing did not match those collected at the scene. Fingerprint and DNA comparisons also did not match unfamiliar fingerprints and DNA samples collected at the scene. Meanwhile, the team retrieved the two men's phone call records and location information, showing that they had been near a tobacco and alcohol shop during the time of the incident and did not enter the West Suburbs Park.
In addition, Xiao Wang arranged for his team to investigate the social relationships of the two men. They learned that Zhao Qiang and Sun Hao mainly made a living through petty theft, had no prior criminal record for intentionally harming others, and had no connection with the deceased. "Based on the above investigation results, we can rule out Zhao Qiang and Sun Hao as suspects in the murder; they only committed theft," Xiao Wang reported to Li Ming. "Although we found the suspicious motorcycle in the surveillance footage, it was ultimately confirmed that it was just a theft case and unrelated to the murder in the West Suburbs Park."
After listening to the report, Li Ming frowned: "Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Wang. Although the lead has gone cold, your work has not been in vain. At least two important suspects have been eliminated. Next, you should continue to increase the intensity of surveillance and investigation, expand the scope of the investigation, and focus on whether there are any other suspicious persons entering or leaving the North Gate of the West Suburbs Park around 1:00 AM, besides Zhao Qiang and Sun Hao. At the same time, cooperate with the technical department to compare the victim's fingerprints and DNA information as soon as possible to confirm the victim's identity. This is currently the key to solving the case."
Xiao Wang nodded: "Understood, Captain Li. We will re-examine the surveillance footage and investigate all leads, leaving no detail overlooked. At the same time, we will intensify our investigation of missing persons information to try and identify the deceased as soon as possible." Although the leads had stalled again, Xiao Wang and his team were not discouraged. They knew that homicide investigations were rarely smooth sailing and required patience and perseverance. They returned to their surveillance investigation, conducting a second review of previously reviewed footage, hoping to find a new breakthrough.
Night fell again, but the lights at the surveillance checkpoint remained bright. Although the team members all looked exhausted, their eyes were filled with determination and perseverance. They reviewed the surveillance footage again and again, carefully verifying every person and vehicle that passed by, afraid of missing any valuable clues. Xiao Wang stood by the window, gazing at the night sky outside, silently vowing that no matter how great the difficulties, he would persevere and find the true murderer to bring justice to the deceased.
Meanwhile, the technical staff were working overtime to examine the trace evidence collected at the scene. They conducted a comprehensive analysis and comparison of footprint samples, fiber samples, hair samples, cigarette butts, and plastic bottles, hoping to obtain crucial information about the suspect. However, the test results were not ideal; the unfamiliar fingerprints and DNA samples collected at the scene did not find any matching information in the database; the origin of the fiber and hair samples could not be determined either. The case investigation once again reached a stalemate.