Jimmy thought for a moment. Since he had already caught the person, there was no need to worry about it for a day or two. He contacted Chuck and waited until Dave, the shooter, was sure that he could leave the hospital. He would throw it to the detention center and let it dry for a while.
Chuck thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to take over the gunman first, because it was too similar to their two cases. When the hospital examined Dave, they found that his hands were covered with glue, completely covering up his fingerprints. , this file written by a doctor can be used as evidence.
Jimmy received a call from Chuck and thought about it, but still couldn't give him the suspect directly. Because the reason for finding this suspect was actually the taxi driver case, and those cases have been handed over to the FBI, unless if Chuck takes the lead, Jimmy will return the case to the NYPD.
However, Jimmy did not reject Chuck outright. He agreed that Chuck could be present during the interrogation and that both parties would handle the case together.
Chuck also agreed, but he had to come over in the afternoon to get a clear understanding of the previous investigation by Jimmy and the others. In short, it would be very troublesome to deal with such cases that are interspersed with the responsibility of different agencies. This is because they still have a good relationship. If it were someone they didn't know very well, they would have to wait until Jimmy's side was over before they started again.
The hospital had determined that there was nothing serious about Dave's injury and that it only required regular inspections. After receiving the notification, the NYPD patrol assigned by Chuck directly arranged for Dave to go to the detention center.
Everything went smoothly, and Dave was given the opportunity to call and inform his lawyer while in the detention center. Then Jimmy got the news that the lawyers would be in place on the third day, and the trial could be arranged then.
Jimmy arrived at the detention center in advance. There was Dave's registration information here. Because he was going to be detained, he had to fill in all his personal information. In the hospital before, there was no regular interrogation process there, so Dave didn't say anything and it wasn't a big problem. But when he entered the detention center, I'm sorry, it's not up to you.
After obtaining the registration information from the detention center, Jimmy contacted Hughes. Finally, after communicating with Hughes, he obtained a search warrant issued by a judge. Forensics officers went to Dave's apartment with a search warrant, and Jimmy followed.
Dave's apartment was opened, but of course the door was not broken in. Dave had been arrested and his keys were in the hands of the forensics department. Dave's home looks very suitable for a single middle-aged man. The house is fully equipped with household equipment, but there are also a lot of scattered things. The floor is not full of garbage, but it is definitely not clean.
This caused a lot of trouble for the forensic department, because they needed to inspect the room in detail and check all kinds of things. The messier the room, the more work they had.
What Jimmy is most concerned about is whether there is anything here that can convict Dave. Basically nothing on the taxi driver was missing except money, and there were no fingerprints at the scene. The best incriminating evidence is the gun. The gun Dave used when he was arrested has been sent for ballistic testing. The shrapnel used by the previous taxi drivers who were shot and killed will also be tested for bullet marks. If there is a match, we can try to convict as much as possible. The results are not yet available.
If more were found in his room, there would be a greater chance of a match.
Jimmy didn't do anything. He just stood at the door and watched the people in the forensics department busy. He was mainly worried that he would accidentally destroy fingerprints and other things. There is a lot about investigation and evidence collection in American TV dramas and movies, so I won't describe it in detail here. In short, Jimmy's wait was not in vain.
The forensic officers successfully discovered a movable wooden board in the cabinet, and behind it was a wooden box embedded in the wall. There were two pistols and some bullets in it. The key was that there was another one with a silencer.
Jimmy finally breathed a sigh of relief. If they couldn't find it again, he would have to do it himself. He had already seen the abnormal space in this wall, but he couldn't show it too much.
At this point, Jimmy has achieved his goal, and all that remains is to see the match in the laboratory. After I get back, I have to find a way to rush the laboratory. It's really cool to jump in line like in the previous bombing case. The results will be available in a day or two. But now, it has been two days and the ballistic comparison results have not been released. I guess the priority is too high. Low.
Jimmy returned to the office and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped that the laboratory could give him some good news. The taxi driver case had been going on for more than a month, which was longer than the longest terrorist bombing case that Jimmy had dealt with before. As soon as possible You can get relief as soon as possible after the end.
While Jimmy continued to hang out with Dave and wait for the lab report, the society did not stop. The gang "war" that Ruiz asked him to put on hold a few days ago was in full swing.
The reason why gangsters declare war in advance is actually to attack their opponents, make them panic, and make their younger brothers and middle-level personnel quit as soon as possible. The battle between gangs is to occupy territory, occupy the market, and have more subordinates, not just to kill people. Therefore, Trinidad wants to trouble Razor just to expand its territory to Brooklyn. In that chaotic city Occupying a small site in the region facilitates market expansion and prepares conditions for occupying more sites in the future.
Jimmy had checked the situation of Razor before. The people there were pretty good. They were not involved in drugs, which Jimmy hates. They were just engaged in small businesses such as collecting protection fees and underground casinos. Although these also affected some people, But at least it's much better than other vicious gangsters. This is part of the reason why Jimmy is willing to save Razor's life.
Trinidad is different. What these guys did before was not considered a red line, but their cooperation with Azite is different. Since Azite is active on the US-Mexico border, he is definitely involved in drugs. , which means that this group of people in Trinidad will soon step on the red line. Jimmy has never had a good impression of such a person, not to mention that he was also involved in what the fat Kag did for his son, and he also contributed.
After not receiving news for a few days, Jimmy thought about it and went to Ruiz's office to learn more.
Jimmy: "Ruiz, what's going on over there at Razor? Where's Serra in Trinidad?"
Ruiz looked at Jimmy: "Didn't I tell you to leave this matter alone? I will handle it. Don't worry."
Jimmy smiled and said: "I just caught a suspect in the past two days. I am just idle now. I just came to understand the situation. Don't worry, I won't interfere. I just want to know the progress of your investigation."
Ruiz: "The situation on the Razor side is not very good. Some people have been shaken. They have been moving very frequently recently. I suspect they may have obtained a batch of weapons. It has not been determined yet.
The situation in Trinidad is similar, except that their strength has increased a bit. Recently we have discovered several new faces. These people are not from Trinidad, but they are now active with them. They may be Aztena. People on the side.
The battle hasn't started yet, don't worry, this matter can't be solved in a day or two. "
Jimmy: "OK, if I need to take action, let me know in advance."
It's not within your scope, so you can't just meddle in it. Organized crime was still Ruiz's sphere of influence. If he stepped in, he would be tampering with his cake. Although they had a good relationship, it was a bit taboo.
After get off work, Jimmy called Nia, but unfortunately it was still the same. He couldn't come out to meet Jimmy because he was busy. Jimmy suddenly had an ominous premonition. It seemed that something was wrong with Nia. This was not a good sign.
Jimmy went to the bar in a depressed mood. The bartender Woody was really a good employee. He could be seen busy at the bar every time he came.
Jimmy ordered a glass of wine, drank alone, and was not in the mood to find a girl. After thinking about it, Jimmy finally made up his mind to go to the detention center to interrogate Dave tomorrow, and then investigate Nia's situation and her current condition after returning. , nine times out of ten it has something to do with family members.
Woody saw that Jimmy was not in a good mood, so he took the opportunity to chat with him for a few words. Unfortunately, he was a rough man who didn't know the reason for Jimmy's current troubles. However, after Jimmy made up his mind, he happily paid the money and bought another Had two glasses of wine and then went home to rest.
Early the next morning, Jimmy and Chuck made an appointment to meet at the detention center to formally conduct a joint interrogation of Dave.
Dave's lawyer has arrived. They are sitting on one side of the long table in the interrogation room. Jimmy and Chuck are sitting on the other side. Nia did not come with Chuck today. The reason Chuck gave is that Nia is now trying to handle the case independently. , then take it as true.
Jimmy: "OK, Dave, your lawyer is here, you can talk now. Why did you shoot the homeless guy?"
Dave glanced at the lawyer. There was no way he could escape from shooting the homeless man. Jimmy caught him on the spot and he still had the gun in his hand. This was inevitable. But he still had to try harder: "I didn't shoot the homeless man. I picked up the gun at the scene."
Jimmy waved his hand, "Stop talking about this. Your fingerprints are all over that gun, including the bullets in the magazine. There's no need to tell lies like this."
Dave was immediately choked by Jimmy's words. He and the lawyer had discussed this issue before. Because the evidence was too conclusive, the lawyer also suggested that he not to fight this part too hard and just work hard.
To put it bluntly, when the evidence is too strong, words can do very little. Not all criminals are Simpsons, and they can take advantage of some mistakes in the police evidence collection process to directly invalidate evidence. Dave was found at the scene where he shot the homeless man and was arrested on the spot, and he also shot Jimmy once. This shot was actually more serious. It was normal for Jimmy to kill him on the spot.
Dave nodded to the lawyer, and the lawyer nodded, "Detective, can we go out and talk?"
Jimmy looked at the lawyer, are they so cooperative? There was no need to think about it, he could guess what the lawyer was going to say, and Dave was probably going to make a deal.
Jimmy looked at Chuck, "Let's go together. Chuck."
Chuck shook his head, and Jimmy stood up and left the interrogation room, followed by the lawyer.
In fact, Jimmy was right. The lawyer did want to make a deal. He just wanted Jimmy to contact the federal prosecutor in advance. He hoped that after making a deal with the federal prosecutor first, Dave would then make a deal with him. Plea guilty to criminal conduct.
In fact, the normal logic should be that the FBI investigates first, reaches a conclusion and then submits the case to the prosecutor. Then the prosecutor files a lawsuit, and the lawyer makes a deal with the prosecutor.
Now it is obvious that Dave does not even want to plead guilty. After making a deal, he will then determine which charges he needs to admit based on the contents of the deal.
Jimmy: "That won't work. The evidence for Dave's shooting of the homeless man is complete, and I arrested him on the spot. This is definitely a charge of first-degree murder. Don't try to escape this charge. As for whether he has other criminal facts, We are continuing to investigate."
Jimmy didn't give him a chance to speak again and went directly into the interrogation room. Jimmy speculated that the reason why they did not plead not guilty and wanted to make a deal with the prosecutor directly was because the evidence was too unsolvable.
Unfortunately, Jimmy's goal is not this case of a homeless man being shot dead, but to continue investigating several previous cases. When both parties have inconsistent information, the lawyer obviously thinks too simply. The lawyer hopes to complete the case as soon as possible, but this case is destined to be impossible to complete as soon as possible.
The lawyer thought for a while outside, and then entered the interrogation room after a while. The lawyer took his seat and whispered a few words to Dave. Jimmy did not interrupt them, but continued the interrogation after they finished talking. During this period, Chuck said nothing to Dave at all.
Jimmy did not mention the previous cases, but continued to interrogate Dave for this case. He wanted to confirm this case first, and then wait for the test report to arrive before taking up the previous cases.
This is Jimmy's strategy, simple, but potentially miraculous. When they only believe that there is one criminal fact, they usually weigh whether to admit the criminal fact and judge whether the consequences of admission are acceptable. After they admit it, other cases will pop up one by one, adding weight to the top bit by bit.
Dave didn't intend to admit many facts at once. After more than an hour, he just admitted that the gun was his and that he shot Jimmy. These two items were inevitable. . As for the rest, he didn't admit it and didn't let Jimmy do it all at once. He even mentioned a theory that the gun belonged to a homeless man, but Jimmy just said that the gun only had his fingerprints on it, so he just suppressed it.
Jimmy and Chuck finally left the detention center with only such a small gain. Jimmy also told Chuck his thoughts on the way. Chuck had no objection. This was Jimmy's case and he couldn't interfere too much. , I just hope that several other cases can be solved together in the future.
Additional information:
The plea bargaining system in the United States is simply outrageous. The defendant and the prosecutor are parties to the lawsuit. They can negotiate the content of the lawsuit, the charges and sentencing. If there are multiple charges, they can also negotiate whether to prosecute multiple charges. Or just choose one of them to litigate. It is normal for felons who are punished for multiple crimes to be sentenced to life imprisonment or even the death penalty through negotiation to be sentenced to more than ten or twenty years in prison. It is not impossible for a prison sentence of more than ten or twenty years to be negotiated into a few years' imprisonment plus probation.
What's even more outrageous is that American law actually allows the defendant to plead guilty but not admit the facts of the crime, which is an "Alford plea." Nine times out of ten, the lawyer will also let Dave make such a plea, and The deal he was prepared to make with prosecutors was probably the same as Alford's, pleading guilty to second-degree murder to avoid the death penalty.
The Alford case was a case in the 1970s. Alford was charged with first-degree murder, which was punishable by death according to North Carolina law. Later, on the advice of his lawyer, he accepted the prosecutor's deal, second-degree murder, with a maximum penalty of 30 years. year sentence. When answering the judge's questions, he stated that he did not commit murder, but pleaded guilty. The judge continued to question him about the voluntariness of the decision and concluded that Alford knew the consequences of pleading guilty and accepted Alford's plea.
Later, the defendant Alfred appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of the voluntariness of the guilty plea. Alfred argued that the guilty plea was invalid because he entered the plea under the threat of a possible death penalty.
The U.S. Supreme Court's attitude in the Alford case was clear. Even if the defendant does not admit his guilt, he can plead guilty to the charge. If the defendant pleads guilty only to avoid being sentenced to death and is making this plea If the defendant received effective legal help and the defendant made the plea after considering all possible options, then the defendant's guilty plea is voluntary and sensible, and does not violate the Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution against compulsion to commit suicide. the right to prove his guilt.
(End of chapter)
