Justifiable Defence Episode 2 Recap
> Justifiable Defence Recap
Duan Hongshan was taken to the police station for questioning. Regarding the incident at the East Suburb Fishery where he reported accidentally killing someone, Duan Hongshan remained silent and did not speak a word. He confirmed his personal details, including his name, date of birth, address in Xingfuli Complex, and occupation as a prosecutor.
The officers confirmed the report he made at 6:30 AM on the 28th, arriving at Duanke Town Police Station covered in blood, stating he had accidentally killed someone at the East Suburb Fishery. They asked for the victim's identity, his relationship with the victim, and why he was at the remote fishery, but he offered no response, his silence noted as being quite practiced.
The day before the incident, at Prosecutor Gong's office, Fang Lingyuan saw a fish tank that belonged to Jiang Ting, which had been entrusted to Duan Hongshan to raise and then moved to Gong's office by Duan Hongshan. Later, Duan Hongshan accompanied Fang Lingyuan to the detention center to verify details with Jiang Ting. On the way, Duan Hongshan mentioned Fang Lingyuan being a graduate of Wuyan Third High School and asked if she knew Jiang Ting.
Fang Lingyuan hesitated before saying she wasn't familiar with her. During the meeting, Fang Lingyuan asked Jiang Ting why she was so certain she would be acquitted, given there were no records of her consulting a lawyer. Jiang Ting replied that she was told there was an eyewitness. Fang Lingyuan warned her that the witness's testimony could potentially harm her case.
Jiang Ting became agitated, insisting it was impossible and that she was innocent and had committed no crime, thus could go home. Fang Lingyuan then brought up the fish in the tank, identifying them as blue gourami and mentioning their sensitive nature to light and oxygen levels, which could lead to stress-induced death. She noted that Jiang Ting kept them on the balcony in direct sunlight and asked if she wasn't afraid they would die.
Fang Lingyuan commented to Duan Hongshan that Jiang Ting's reaction to seeing her made it seem like they were not as unfamiliar as she claimed. Jiang Ting suggested Fang Lingyuan should ask her instead. As they left, Fang Lingyuan stated she had somewhere else to go. Fang Lingyuan went to a diving center to find Mei Zheng. She directly questioned Mei Zheng about knowing Jiang Ting, suggesting she was Jiang Ting's neighbor and had given her the blue gourami fish.
She also brought up Mei Zheng knowing Duan Hongshan and Li Mufeng and having a close connection with them, asking what this had to do with the case. Mei Zheng denied understanding Fang Lingyuan's implications and suggested Fang Lingyuan issue an official summons if she had more questions instead of questioning her without evidence. Fang Lingyuan then revealed that Duan Hongshan had been reported, that the allegations were unfavorable to him, and that they were closely related to Mei Zheng.
Mei Zheng insisted she had no connection to the report. Fang Lingyuan left, telling Mei Zheng she knew where to find her if she had anything more to say. That evening, Mei Zheng waited at a small bar, but the person she was expecting did not arrive. Li Mufeng gave a glass ball to Duan Hongshan's daughter, Yingying. Duan Hongshan told Yingying that if Li Mufeng ever approached her again, she must tell him.
Later, while closing a window, Duan Hongshan noticed a person standing outside in the rain, covered completely by a raincoat, staring motionless at their house. After ensuring Yingying was settled, Duan Hongshan said he was going out to meet a friend and left the house. At the bar, Mei Zheng waited until late but the person never appeared. The next morning, Yingying found that Duan Hongshan was not home and discovered another glass ball in the living room.
Yingying went to her mother, Lei Shuang, at the law office, telling her that her father was missing. Lei Shuang tried contacting him but his phone was unreachable, and he hadn't shown up at work, which was unusual for him, especially since he had promised to be at Yingying's interview that afternoon. They decided to report him missing.
Meanwhile, Mei Zheng went to see Fang Lingyuan, stating she had waited for Duan Hongshan at the bar the previous night, but he never showed up or answered his phone. Mei Zheng asked what would happen to Jiang Ting if she stopped testifying. Fang Lingyuan replied that the real question was whether Mei Zheng actually saw everything and if what she claimed was the truth.
Mei Zheng countered by asking if Jiang Ting's testimony fourteen years ago was necessarily the truth, suggesting it had caused her considerable hardship, possibly leading her to work as a diver at an aquarium. She asked if being a fish seemed preferable. Upon learning Duan Hongshan was missing, Fang Lingyuan went to the police station to retrieve surveillance footage of his movements.
The footage showed him leaving his residential complex at 8:30 PM and heading northwest, walking along a commercial street, passing through a tunnel where he paused briefly before disappearing. His last known phone call's location was also traced. Fang Lingyuan followed this lead to a building which turned out to be Li Mufeng's studio, where he creates glass products. Fang Lingyuan pretended to be interested in buying a fish tank and was shown one.
She then directly asked if it was identical to the one sold to Jiang Ting, which Li Mufeng denied, stating he would remember if Jiang Ting had bought it from him. Regarding Duan Hongshan, Li Mufeng confirmed he had visited the previous afternoon. Li Mufeng recalled Jiang Ting from school and her testifying in his past case, which Fang Lingyuan noted she was now handling as a justifiable defense claim regarding Jiang Ting killing her abusive husband.
Li Mufeng expressed gratitude for only being sentenced to four years in his case, which followed Fang Lingyuan's ruling fourteen years prior that it was excessive defense. He denied reporting Duan Hongshan and noted how their professions, glassmaking and prosecution, both involve creating something that can shape a person's life, requiring extreme care. Because Duan Hongshan had contacted Li Mufeng just before disappearing, the police brought Li Mufeng in for questioning until Duan Hongshan was found.
Li Mufeng was released after Duan Hongshan appeared, seeing him arrive at the police station covered in blood. Duan Hongshan signed his statement and was held at the Yuyan District Detention Center. Upon returning to his studio, Li Mufeng faced stares and whispers from surrounding residents, reminding him of his previous time in detention. Although Duan Hongshan had turned himself in, he remained silent about the victim's identity, the motive, and the circumstances of the incident.
Outside the prosecutor's office, families involved in his past cases gathered, expressing doubts and demanding answers. Lei Shuang visited Duan Hongshan and he asked her to take care of Yingying, which Lei Shuang accepted, acknowledging her as their daughter. Lei Shuang then offered to serve as his defense attorney on the condition that he sign over custody of their daughter. Duan Hongshan refused the condition but stated that he acted in justifiable defense.
Lei Shuang detailed a possible scenario for his defense: being knocked unconscious and abducted on the night of April 27th, waking up tied to a platform fifty meters above the sea at the East Suburb Fishery, being repeatedly tortured, and finally fighting back for his life when the captor discovered his escape attempt and tried to kill him.
She instructed him to emphasize that the injuries were inflicted by the other party and that their DNA would be found on the knife due to a fierce struggle. She told him to present this account to the police and leave the rest to her in court, warning him to say only what he needed to say during interrogation and avoid causing trouble.
She threatened that if he didn't sign the custody agreement, Yingying would be the daughter of a murderer. Duan Hongshan maintained he would not sign, insisting he acted in justifiable defense. A prosecutor discussed the challenging nature of Duan Hongshan's case, particularly because of his profession, acknowledging the public's expectation of prosecutors being flawless and the potential for his crime to erode public trust in the legal system.
