webnovelfull Chapter 1275 Breakthrough in Case Investigation
Chapter 1275 Breakthrough in Case Investigation
“The third category is the mysterious ‘person in a black hoodie’,” Xiao Zhou added. “Xiao Li, a barber shop employee, confirmed that on the afternoon of the incident, this person had a private conversation with Zhao Baotian in a corner of the shop. Zhao Baotian was depressed afterwards, and the person’s height and build are basically the same as the person in the hoodie seen in the surveillance footage. We have retrieved the barber shop’s surveillance footage. Although the person’s face was not captured, judging from the clothing and physique, he is similar to the landlord Zhang Jianjun and the customer Li Wei. We cannot rule out either of them as suspects at this time.”
After the report, a brief silence fell over the meeting room as everyone sorted through the connections between the clues. Li Ming spoke first: "Now all the clues have formed a preliminary closed loop—the suspect had a conflict with Zhao Baotian, whether economic or emotional, and lured him to the B2 underground parking lot of the Oriental Building under the pretext of 'discussing business.' He had Zhao Baotian take a small amount of sedative drugs beforehand, and then used blunt force to strike his chest in the fire escape, causing injury. After dragging him to a corner of the parking lot, he strangled him with a hoodie sleeve or a strip of cloth, causing him to suffocate to death. Afterward, he drove away in a black Volkswagen Lavida with obscured license plates, deliberately leaving behind a fake business card with the name 'Chen Feng' to mislead the investigation. Furthermore, the suspect was familiar with the building environment and knew about the blind spots in the surveillance cameras and the malfunction of the parking lot's surveillance system."
“I agree with Captain Li’s assessment,” Xiao Yang continued. “The key breakthrough right now lies in Zhao Baotian’s interpersonal relationships, especially Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei—both have motives, physical characteristics that conflict with Zhao Baotian’s, and Zhang Jianjun’s car model matches the tire tracks. I suggest prioritizing the investigation around these two: first, verify Zhang Jianjun’s whereabouts on the night of the incident, retrieve his Volkswagen Lavida’s dashcam and GPS location data, and compare the tire treads with the traces at the scene; second, check Li Wei’s business trip records, retrieve his recent call records and financial statements, and see if there are any connections or unusual expenditures related to the Oriental Building.”
"In addition," Xiao Yang added, "the technical department needs to speed up the fingerprint database comparison process, focusing on comparing the fingerprints of Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei with those extracted from the scene; at the same time, the composition of the black fiber and the clothing of the two men should be tested. If they match, they can be directly linked to the suspects' identities; Zhao Baotian's mobile phone has been sent to the technical department for hacking. After it is turned on, the call records and chat records will be retrieved to see if there are any contact records with the 'hoodie man'."
Xiao Wang offered a supplementary suggestion: "We can investigate the source of 'alprazolam.' Zhao Baotian's wife claims that 'the drug was prescribed by a doctor,' but the pharmacy's sales records show that Zhao Baotian only purchased it once in the past month. If the suspect had given Zhao Baotian additional medication, we need to investigate whether Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei have any records of purchasing 'alprazolam,' or whether they know any medical personnel who can prescribe the drug—this would further solidify the premeditation."
"Based on the autopsy and investigation results, the suspect's modus operandi clearly showed 'premeditation'," Zhang Lin added. "The falsification of identity information, obscuring the license plate, and choosing a blind spot in the surveillance cameras to dispose of the body all indicate that the suspect was aware of counter-surveillance measures; choosing a 'hoodie' as clothing for the crime was both convenient for concealing his identity and allowed him to use the sleeves as a strangulation tool, killing two birds with one stone. It is recommended that when interrogating Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei, the focus should be on breaking through their 'whereabouts on the night of the incident' and 'the details of their conflict with Zhao Baotian,' and using the pressure of the evidence chain to force them to confess the truth."
Xiao Zhou suggested starting with "Zhao Baotian's last activity trajectory": "We have contacted the telecommunications company and recovered Zhao Baotian's cell phone signal records from the night of the incident. It shows that 'at 8:30 pm, Zhao Baotian left the barbershop and drove along Chengnan Avenue towards the Oriental Building. He arrived near the building at 9:10 pm, after which the signal disappeared'—this basically coincides with the time when the black sedan entered the parking lot. We suggest retrieving surveillance footage along Zhao Baotian's route to see if any vehicles followed him or if his vehicle intersected with those of Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei, in order to find more relevant evidence."
After listening to everyone's analysis, Li Ming drew three core investigative directions on the whiteboard, circling the keywords "In-depth verification of Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei" and "In-depth investigation of Zhao Baotian's interpersonal relationships" in red: "Group One, led by Xiao Zhou, is responsible for in-depth verification of Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei—retrieving their dashcam footage, GPS location data, and call records from the night of the incident; searching their residences and vehicles for tools such as black hoodies and cotton strips; extracting their fingerprints and comparing them with those at the scene; ensuring confirmation within 24 hours that the two had the means to commit the crime; Group Two, led by Xiao Wang, focuses on Zhao Baotian's interpersonal relationships and phone hacking—visiting Zhao Baotian's relatives, friends, and customers; searching for other potential sources of conflict; following up on the progress of the technical department's phone hacking; extracting call and chat records; and confirming the true identity of the 'hoodie man'; Group Three, led by Xiao Yang, follows up on the technical department's testing—prioritizing tire tread matching, fiber composition comparison, and fingerprint database retrieval to ensure 12..." Results will be available within hours; the fourth group will contact the market supervision department and the housing and construction bureau to investigate the compliance of Zhang Jianjun's rent and Li Wei's financial situation, further solidifying their motives.
He emphasized, "Zhao Baotian's interpersonal relationships are the core of the case investigation. Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei are currently the most crucial suspects. All work must revolve around 'verifying the suspicions of the two men,' and no detail can be overlooked. In addition, we must do a good job of comforting Zhao Baotian's family, promptly inform them of the case's progress, and let the family feel our determination to solve the case."
Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting long, thin patches of light on the conference table. Xiao Zhou posted photos of Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei, along with a screenshot from the security camera footage of a black Volkswagen Lavida, on the whiteboard. Both men in the photos were dressed casually and appeared relaxed, but the labels "economic dispute" and "threat record" made them seem particularly suspicious. "We will verify their whereabouts and the connection to the evidence as soon as possible. We will report back immediately if there is a breakthrough," Xiao Zhou said firmly, and everyone present nodded in agreement.
As the meeting adjourned, Li Ming watched the departing figures, picked up the autopsy report and crime scene investigation record from the table, and circled key details such as "Volkswagen Lavida," "black hoodie," and "alprazolam" in red pen—these seemingly minor traces could very well be the key to ultimately identifying the suspect. He took out his phone and sent a message to the head of the technical department: "All tests related to Zhang Jianjun and Li Wei must be expedited, especially fingerprint and tire matching. These are crucial to breaking through the case. Notify me of the results immediately."
In the corridor of the Criminal Investigation Division, footsteps echoed, each person carrying a clear goal, moving towards "catching the murderer and uncovering the truth."