The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

”The ambiguity in the crime process and the lack of motive often means the stability of the confession is questionable.”

”If there are inconsistencies during future identification or interrogation, it may very likely affect the characterization of the entire case.”

”I believe it’s necessary to invest more time in this phase to lay a firmer foundation.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang An turned his gaze to Mr. Zhang, speaking slowly, ”Mr. Zhang, I understand what you mean.”

”Although we in Jiangcheng have indeed never dealt with a case involving dual personalities before, this case is in front of us now, and if we rely solely on the confession to determine he is the murderer, I believe the risk is just too great.”

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more cautious, ”Currently, there is no physical evidence to support it.”

”For example, if we could find the clothes he wore the year the crime was committed and detect the victim’s blood on them, then perhaps a certain chain of evidence could form.”

”But the situation now is, over time, material evidence is lacking, and apart from a confession based on guilt and redemption, we have almost nothing.”

”This is far from meeting the conviction standards in criminal evidence.”

He leaned slightly forward, continuing to add, ”Moreover, just now during the questioning, I noticed a few details.”

”When I asked how he entered the scene, he recalled saying that ’it seemed like he climbed.’

”However, according to our records from the scene investigation of the year, no traces of climbing were found on the wall — this is very crucial.”

”What does this mean? It suggests the murderer likely did not enter by climbing over the wall, which also indirectly reflects contradictions between the confession and the scene situation.”

After a brief pause, Jiang An continued, ”Additionally, he confessed that ’he started killing as soon as he entered,’ but scene traces indicate a brief reception inside the room — the placement of teacups and chairs, all inconsistent with the description of ’immediate killing.’”

”If it were really as he said, climbing over the wall to enter, how could the host have received him with relatively normal behavior?”

”That seems more like a thief’s action, not consistent with the behavior logic between acquaintances.”

”Moreover, considering the age gap between him and the victim, whether Li Mountain would truly be welcomed in such a way is also a point worth questioning.”

Finally, Jiang An said in a deep voice, ”In my view, any confession material can lie, but traces and material evidence from the scene cannot.”

Hearing this, Director Hou nodded gently, a strong admiration in his eyes.

In his view, although Li Mountain’s performance in the interrogation room just now showed a bit of quibbling, his statement on key crime issues was the biggest ’hard flaw.’

Not to mention proceeding to court trial, he couldn’t even pass his current stage.

This case hasn’t been thoroughly investigated yet.

After listening to Jiang An’s analysis, Zhang Biao’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by regret and disappointment.

He muttered to himself, ”So it seems, it really is so...”

The suspect, who had been clearly identified just now, disappeared like a phantom in an instant.

Let alone achieving merit and receiving rewards, now even the dawn of solving the case has suddenly dimmed, as if the opportunity to earn third-class merit has quietly slipped away.

Just as his heart was intensely shaken, Director Hou suddenly spoke, ”Mr. Jiang’s analysis makes sense.”

”Earlier, Director Lu and I observed the entire process behind the one-way glass outside the interrogation room, and in fact, I also had a vague feeling — the crime process Li Mountain confessed to still doesn’t meet the evidence requirements for us to investigate homicide cases.”

”Therefore, we need to remain cautious as to whether Li Mountain is really the culprit, and cannot rush to a conclusion.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Biao immediately responded, with a voice full of fatigue and confusion, ”But if he’s not the real culprit, then who is the suspect?”

”Within a 5-kilometer radius centered on the crime scene, only Li Mountain meets our preliminary screening conditions for suspects.”

With that, he sighed lightly, his tone full of helplessness, ”Forget it, solving this case truly has been through twists and turns, more troublesome than imagined.”

At this moment, Director Lu also nodded softly and said, ”Yes, besides him, I really can’t think of anyone else who fits the bill...”

Unconsciously, the few people turned their gaze towards the always silent Jiang An.

At this moment, Jiang An was deeply sunk in thought, his brows tightly knit, seemingly isolated from the surrounding disturbance.

In his mind, scenes of every clue and detail of the case flashed by like movie frames.

The method and execution process used by the murderer in this case were considered shocking even to those accustomed to seeing crime scenes.

It wasn’t just cruel, but it also revealed a calculated coldness and bizarre ritualistic feel, and describing it as ’shocking’ would not be an overstatement.

However, for such a cruel method of crime, upon investigation, it was found that within a five-kilometer radius, Li Mountain was the only individual with clear records of mental illness diagnosis.

Could it be that there are others with similar symptoms who have never entered our sights due to mental disorders?

Perhaps the person is just receiving treatment in other areas and hasn’t been recorded in the local medical system?

Then how far is this ’other area’ exactly?

Is it merely outside the county’s jurisdiction, or could it exceed the city’s limits?

Could it possibly be as far as another province, or even abroad?

Thinking of this, Jiang An’s inner boundaries of investigation involuntarily spread outward, becoming broader and more blurred.

Once the scope expands, the investigation work becomes akin to finding a needle in a vast ocean, with neither direction nor boundary, nearly losing practical feasibility.

If the culprit is not a local resident, but rather moves across districts to commit crimes at random, tracking becomes exponentially more challenging—without solid social relationships to follow, the hope of solving the case suddenly becomes slim.

At this moment, everyone remained silent, each lost in their thoughts with no way out.

How on earth can the suspect’s trail be found in this fog?

How can evidence be locked down to determine their guilt?

The process of reopening this case has been fraught with too many twists and turns.

Hope rises and falls time and again, clues faintly emerge only to suddenly be broken, experiencing several rises and falls.

It’s like riding a runaway roller coaster, repeatedly bumping between peaks and valleys.

After a long while, Jiang An suddenly lifted his head, breaking the silence, ”Director Lu, Li Mountain mentioned he has divorced his wife.”

”I believe it’s necessary to conduct an independent investigation on his ex-wife next.”

Director Hou leaned slightly forward, ”You’re saying, to confirm the authenticity of Li Mountain’s confession through her testimony?”

Jiang An nodded, ”That’s one aspect.”

His tone deepened, each word spoken clearly and cautiously, ”On the other hand, I want to see if there are any other possible suspects in this case.”

”Other possible suspects?”

”Other possible suspects?”

”Other possible suspects?”

Director Lu, Zhang Biao, and Director Hou almost spoke in unison.

The three were momentarily stunned there, like a pause button pressed by this statement.

As they knew, in their understanding, the role of Li Mountain’s family in this case was at most to corroborate the authenticity of his confession.

How could... suddenly the possibility of a second suspect emerge?

Could it be that another suspect is also within Li Mountain’s family relationship network?

Could it be that behind this seemingly simple case, there lies an untouched tangled thread?

For a moment, the three of them looked at each other, with a thick layer of puzzlement overshadowing each face.

At this moment, the most excited person was Zhang Biao.

He suddenly stepped forward, his body unconsciously leaning towards Jiang An, pressing in a deep voice, as if eager to extract the answer beforehand from his eyes:

”Mr. Jiang, the ’other suspect’ you mentioned—who exactly is it?”