Li, who was injured in the collision, was abandoned near the funeral home. He slowly died while waiting for help. A forensic examination determined that Li died from hemorrhagic shock. Zhong, the driver who had wrestled with his decision all along, was arrested on suspicion of intentional homicide; the three young men who had stolen the keys and found the car were helpless because none of them knew how to drive.
This week, attending the trials of these few cases left a deep impression.
Case One: From traffic accident to intentional homicide is just one thought away
This was a traffic accident.
At around 10 p.m. on October 13th, after attending his cousin's funeral, Li left. But he did not make it home, instead being hit by a van on the road. Instead of taking him to the hospital, the driver lifted Li and stuffed him into the trunk, leaving him on the roadside near the funeral home until Li died from hemorrhagic shock.
At around 7 a.m. the next morning, people nearby doing business noticed and reported it. From 10 p.m. until being discovered at 7 a.m., Li waited to be saved, but he unfortunately passed away.
From the incident until being summoned by the police, Driver Zhong also endured days like years. He said that the moment he carried Li onto the car, he intended to take him to the hospital, but later...
Zhong is 33 years old and from Jiangxi Province. That night at 10 p.m., he was driving the van back home from Gaqiao after delivering goods. Near a resettlement neighborhood in Lituoxiang, he suddenly saw someone crossing the road, so he slammed on the brakes to avoid him, but still hit the person. After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhong got out of the car and saw the person lying motionless on the ground. Zhong broke out in cold sweat and carried the injured person into the trunk. Zhong said he could still hear the person's breathing at the time.
After closing the trunk, Zhong sat restlessly in the driver's seat. He slowly started the car, intending to take the injured person to the hospital. "I don't have money, I'm afraid the hospital won't save him," Zhong said. When the car passed the intersection of the Yuhua District Traffic Police Team, he changed his mind again, turned eastward, drove to Wanjieli Road, then turned right onto Wanjieli Road heading south. But not far down the road, he turned back, drove north on Wanjieli Road, and when he approached the Yuhua District Government, he turned right onto a small road leading to the funeral home.
On the way to the funeral home, Zhong drove onto a dirt road and stopped directly at the end. Zhong said that seeing someone come out from a nearby house, he carried the injured person out and placed him on the side of the road, hoping someone else would call 110 to save him. Zhong said that after putting the person down, he drove back home. Zhong remained conflicted until being captured by the police.
Zhong's behavior is suspected of intentional homicide. Currently, Zhong has been approved for arrest, and the case has entered the public prosecution stage.
Courtroom Reflection: From a traffic accident to intentional homicide, it's just one thought away, and Zhong took a big wrong step.
Case Two: The car was stolen, but the three men couldn't drive
The cold wind howled. Li tightened his coat. Li is 23 years old and from Yuanling County. From the indictment, it was learned that Li has a spotty record, having been imprisoned four times for theft. This time, the prosecution charged him again with theft. Standing together with Li on the defendant's bench were his two accomplices.
The prosecution accused that at around 1 a.m. on January 13, 2010, the three came to Datuo Town. Gao and Yuan kept watch while Li pried open the door. After entering the room, Li stole over 200 yuan in cash from the pants pocket on the sofa in the living room and also took the car keys hanging on the pants.
With the stolen keys, the three found the car, a black BYD sedan. At this point, they realized that none of them could drive. After discussing, they decided to ask a friend who could drive for help. They called Xiang (handled separately). Subsequently, the three pushed the car away from the scene. Xiang met them at the bus stop, saw the car being pushed out, immediately drove it away, and sold it off. A judicial appraisal determined that the car was worth over 40,000 yuan. Upon waking up, the owner found the car stolen and called 110 to report it. Two months later, the three were successively caught.
In court, facing the prosecution's charges, the three denied stealing the car.
Today, the Tianxin District Court reopened the trial of this case.
Courtroom Reflection: "Stole the car keys and used the remote key to find the car downstairs," the prosecutor said, this is a new type of car theft method. Car owners need to be more vigilant and must not leave their car keys around carelessly.
Case Three: Checking for gas leaks with a lighter caused a fire
Using a lit lighter to check if there was a gas leak in the liquefied petroleum gas pipeline resulted in a major fire. All 21 households in Building No. 4 of Chaoyang Alley in Tianxin District were burned down, and a century-old mansion was also destroyed in the flames (see B01 on July 6). Fire investigations revealed that Xu Sifen, a cleaner at the Xipailou Farmers Market, was the one who lit the lighter.
At around 4 p.m. on July 5, 2010, a sudden fire broke out at No. 4 Chaoyang Alley in Tianxin District. The century-old house and over 20 residents' homes were reduced to ashes in the fierce flames. It was understood that this building was originally located at Taiqing Palace and had a history of over a hundred years.
Ms. Li, who lived on the second floor, said that she heard a "boom" sound nearby, and then saw bright flames. Ms. Li shouted as she rushed downstairs. Residents playing mahjong heard the shouts and immediately rushed into their homes to "grab" televisions and hot water bottles. Seven fire trucks quickly arrived, but due to the narrow alleys around the burning building, they were unable to enter. The flames gradually engulfed the entire building. Since the nearest building to the burning house was only a few meters away, surrounding residents all ran out, some without even having time to put on outer clothes, and others only wearing slippers.
After nearly two hours of strenuous firefighting efforts, the fire was extinguished. After the fire was put out, the Tianxin District Fire Brigade organized personnel to investigate the cause overnight and confirmed that it was caused by Xu Sifen, a cleaner at the Xipailou Farmers Market.
Xu Sifen, male, 44 years old. Xu Sifen said that while using liquefied gas, he discovered a problem with the connection between the gas stove and the tank. To check if the joint was leaking gas, he lit a lighter and looked at it, resulting in the leaked gas catching fire and spraying flames. In a panic, Xu Sifen tried to cover the flames with clothing, but the clothing also caught fire and spread to the surroundings, causing nearby objects to catch fire.
Yesterday, Xu Sifen was prosecuted by the Tianxin District People's Procuratorate for suspected arson, and the case will soon go to trial.
Courtroom Reflection: We've seen careless people, but never anyone who caused such trouble. According to statistics, the fire caused property losses of 70,560 yuan to Changsha Henglong Asset Management Co., Ltd., and combined property losses of 308,343 yuan to the 21 affected households, with total direct property losses amounting to 378,903 yuan.
Special thanks to correspondent Meng Zhihua and Liu Yu.