Chapter 52 Lin Weidong: I can try to create a precise portrait.
Jiang Ling did indeed meet Su Xinwan in his previous life.
Although we only brushed past each other, I did see him.
I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it at the time, and because it was so long ago, I couldn't recall it for a while.
Su Xinwan's younger brother, Chu Xinyan, was the murderer in the June 21, 1995 murder case in Yan City.
After the verdict, Chu Xinyan served her sentence in the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital. Su Xinwan would visit her every month, which led to their connection in their previous lives.
After understanding why Su Xinwan looked familiar, Jiang Ling retrieved Chu Xinyan's criminal record from his mind.
Criminal record number: JJ-95-0621
Case Name: Yancheng 6.21 Murder Case
Date of the incident: June 21, 1995
Location of the incident: No. 18, Guangming Road, Chengxi District, Yancheng
The victim's name was Chu Jingen, 48 years old, the factory manager of a brick factory in Changhe Town, Yancheng City, 178cm tall, and slightly overweight. His wife, Hu Shuifen, 46 years old, was a full-time housewife, 160cm tall, and frail.
The murderer, Chu Xinyan, is 21 years old, a sophomore majoring in Chinese Literature at Beijiang University. She is 175cm tall and has a slender build.
Chu Jingen and Hu Shuifen are a blended family.
Su Xinwan and Chu Xinyan are both children of Hu Shuifen and her ex-husband. Fifteen years ago, Hu Shuifen married Chu Jingen, bringing with her ten-year-old daughter Su Xinwan and six-year-old daughter Su Xinyan with her. A year later, Su Xinyan changed her name to Chu Xinyan. After her remarriage, Hu Shuifen did not have any more children, and the family of four lived together.
Chu Jingen was a pervert who had been sexually abusing his stepson for a long time. Chu Xinyan could no longer bear the humiliation and, after a long period of desperate struggle, in June, during his university graduation season, Chu Jingen threatened him with his future. In a fit of rage, Chu Xinyan slashed his neck three times, killing him. Hu Shuifen heard the commotion and came downstairs, trying to separate the two with her body, but was slashed in the left arm by Chu Xinyan's knife.
Chu Xinyan hid the murder weapon in the basement and burned the pornographic magazines collected by Chu Jingen to destroy evidence. Later, persuaded by Su Xinwan, she turned herself in and was arrested by the police.
During the public trial, Chu Jingen was charged with "hooliganism" because the law at the time did not explicitly define "child molestation," causing a public outcry. Chu Xinyan was ultimately sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for intentional homicide, but this also raised questions in the legal community about whether "masochistic women syndrome" applies to male victims.
Subsequently, Yanshi established its first "Minor Assistance Station," and the Women's Federation opened a "Domestic Violence Confidentiality Hotline."
This case prompted further revisions to the Law on the Protection of Minors, which added a clause "prohibiting sexual assault against minors".
Because Chu Xinyan's surname is Chu and Su Xinwan's surname is Su, Jiang Ling did not connect the two at first.
But she was all too familiar with the name Chu Xinyan.
During his imprisonment, Chu Xinyan was depressed and attempted suicide. After being comforted by prison guards, he began writing novels. His debut work, "Prisoner's Heart," immediately attracted attention in the literary world upon publication. He continued writing diligently and eventually became famous, earning the title of "prison writer."
Jiang Ling vaguely remembered that Chu Xinyan mentioned in an interview: "The person I am most grateful to is my sister. It is because she never gave up on me, never abandoned me, and insisted on visiting me and encouraging me every month that I had the courage to live on, and that is why I am where I am today."
Unexpectedly, the person Chu Xinyan was most grateful to was Su Xinwan, who stood before her with her eyes downcast.
Is Su Xinwan now asking me for help because she knows about her brother's ordeal?
Jiang Ling was deep in thought when Li Zhenliang interrupted her: "Jiang Jiang, Captain Lei is calling you."
Jiang Ling snapped out of her daze and looked at Lei Xiao.
Lei Xiao waved to her: "Come, come, please take a seat. Lao Jiang and I are both waiting to hear your lecture."
Jiang Ling turned to Su Xinwan and said, "Come find me later, I can help you."
Su Xinwan's eyes shone brightly as she nodded emphatically, "Okay!"
This time, Su Xinwan mustered all her courage to ask for help.
She had only met Jiang Ling twice, so it was somewhat presumptuous of her to speak up.
However, Su Xinwan heard a lot about Jiang Ling in the brigade.
She recognized Shen Xiaowei, who was begging, at a glance and judged that Xiaowei had been abducted.
Without saying a word, she took action on the street and apprehended the human trafficker;
She guided the anti-trafficking team's operational plan and worked with Yuan Yi to locate the human traffickers' hideout and the ringleader;
She innovated a method for handwriting analysis and lie detection, which made Chen Zhigang so angry that he vomited blood.
...
Each and every incident filled Su Xinwan with respect for Jiang Ling.
As a woman, Jiang Ling was far braver than her.
She dared to confront Team Leader Lei and dared to command Team Leader Jiang.
At the meeting hosted by Director Chung, she led her team in a lively discussion, radiating brilliance like the sun.
Su Xinwan quietly encouraged herself.
Perhaps the fear she harbored in her heart wasn't so terrible to Jiang Ling?
Perhaps, if she asks Jiang Ling for help, she might be willing to assist?
Su Xinwan found an opportunity to speak and quickly received a positive response, her eyes sparkling.
Ah, Jiang Ling is so nice!
She really was willing to help me!
Su Xinwan looked at Jiang Ling's retreating figure with gratitude.
Jiang Ling strode into the conference room.
The meeting room was carefully decorated, with a podium, blackboard, and projector, just like a classroom.
Lei Xiao started the discussion.
A buzzing sound filled the air below.
Everyone was curious about Jiang Ling, whom Lei Xiao had introduced.
"Our bureau hasn't held any professional lectures in a long time."
"Of course! The lecturer is so young, yet I heard he helped the criminal investigation team solve several major cases. That's impressive!"
"You guys don't know yet, but Professor Jiang published a paper specifically on criminal profiling. This time, she'll not only be giving a lecture on theory, but she'll also be solving cases on the spot. We're all waiting for it."
Because of this lecture, everyone respectfully calls Jiang Ling "Teacher Jiang".
Jiang Ling walked up to the podium and looked up.
Wow! The ground below was packed with heads.
Lei Xiao explained, "I heard you were going to give a lecture on the Three-Fixed Investigation Method, so almost everyone from the Criminal Investigation Brigade came, as well as some police officers from local police stations."
Jiang Ling grunted in agreement, glanced at her watch, and wrote the five characters "Three-Fixed Investigation Method" on the blackboard.
Li Zhenliang and Liu Haoran turned on the projector and took out the prepared slides and arranged them.
Zhou Wei diligently took notes.
As soon as Jiang Ling stepped onto the podium, all the buzzing from the audience disappeared.
The meeting room was very quiet.
Everyone craned their necks to look at Jiang Ling, eager to memorize everything she said.
Jiang Ling was wearing a police uniform. She was slender with a thin back and flat shoulders, which made her look even more heroic and upright in the uniform.
She stood on the podium, her face dignified, her gaze calm, and her demeanor composed. Although she was only twenty-one years old, she was able to command the entire large audience.
The slideshow turned on.
Where the beam of light focused, everyone saw a page of a speech, which clearly described the core content of the "Three-Fixed Investigation Method".
— Determine the nature of the crime and analyze the motive;
— Define the scope and indicate the direction of the investigation;
— Define the profile and create a criminal psychological profile.
In the past, slides were mostly used to display photos, but I never expected that Teacher Jiang would use them to demonstrate her lecture notes in class.
The colleague who was diligently taking notes was very happy. It had been so long since they had written anything down that they didn't even know which sentence was important. Now, they could just copy from the slides.
Thanks to the PowerPoint presentation from later generations, Jiang Ling presented all the criminal police officers with a novel and innovative lesson.
Jiang Ling spoke eloquently, covering everything from theory to case studies.
Everyone tilted their heads slightly, listening attentively.
A breeze was blowing outside the window, lifting the white blinds and bringing a faint floral fragrance.
The weather in May is perfect, and the pomegranate flowers are blooming bright red.
At this time, Jiang Ling also fully demonstrated her solid theoretical foundation and rich practical experience.
He spoke for a full hour.
All of you here are practitioners in the field of criminal investigation. This is the first time you have come into contact with such advanced theoretical knowledge. Every point can be combined with your past experience. How can you not be moved?
Jiang Ling is giving a final summary.
“These three points are interconnected and indispensable. Only by accurately determining the nature of the case can we clarify the direction of the investigation; by narrowing down the range of suspects, we can make the investigation more targeted; and the characteristics of the suspects that are delineated through clues at the scene are the key to breaking the case. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle; each piece is important, and only when they are put together can we restore the truth of the whole case.”
After a brief pause, Jiang Ling scanned the room and said, "Next, I will analyze the rope murder case that the First Brigade has been handling recently, following the three-pronged investigation method. Please leave if you are not involved."
Upon hearing this, everyone put down their notebooks and looked up at Jiang Ling.
Should irrelevant personnel leave?
I was really enjoying the show, how can I leave now?
Lei Xiao walked up to the podium and said loudly, "This case is still under investigation. In order to avoid the leakage of information, please have all members of the First Brigade stay. The rest of you leave in turn."
The crowd below immediately erupted in commotion.
"This can't be done. The lecture was supposed to last two hours, and only half of it has passed."
"We can guarantee that we won't leak any information, so please let us continue listening."
"Yeah, we were really enjoying it, why are you kicking us out? We're all from the same company, don't do this!"
Lei Xiao showed no mercy: "First of all, I invited Teacher Jiang to this lecture so that she could help our team improve our theoretical knowledge."
One of the people below replied, "Pshaw! So you mean we're all just here to audit the class?"
Lei Xiao's gaze swept across the entire room, a smug smile on his face, as if to say: Yes! That's exactly what I meant.
"Secondly, Teacher Jiang has just broken down the Three-Fixed Investigation Method into its entirety and put it into your mouths. Whether you can swallow it and digest it well depends on yourselves. Why don't you go back and find a case to study on your own? Don't delay our team's case discussions."
Jiang Chenzhou was the first to stand up and signaled his team to leave the office. Before leaving, he called out to Jiang Ling, "Teacher Jiang, please come to our team to give a lecture next week. You must come!"
With Jiang Chenzhou taking the lead, the rest of the students had no choice but to get up and leave.
Since they were leaving, they had to say goodbye to Teacher Jiang. The meeting room suddenly went from being extremely quiet to being lively.
"Teacher Jiang, please come visit our Chaoyang Road Police Station next time."
"Teacher Jiang, you explained it very well. Our team happens to have a case and we would like to ask you for your guidance. I will contact you when the time comes."
"Teacher Jiang, the Jinwu Road Police Station is right next to our jurisdiction. We'll come over tomorrow to get to know each other better and also ask you for your advice."
After a period of commotion, things finally quieted down again.
The meeting room suddenly became empty.
Lei Xiao closed the door in a good mood, then turned to Jiang Ling and said, "We can begin."
What a joke! The principle of case confidentiality is deeply ingrained in his mind. How could he possibly let an "outsider" hear it?
Jiang Ling smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Li Zhenliang began to present the case details using slides, while Jiang Ling provided explanations.
"First, determine the nature of the problem."
"It is clear that this is a serial murder case. The killer used the same murder weapon and left similar chalk circle marks at each scene. The modus operandi was consistent and there were obvious characteristics of a series of crimes."
“Analyzing the motives behind the crime, the possibility of revenge against society is quite high.”
Upon hearing this, Fan Wei, the officer in charge of the case investigation, stood up: "Why is it revenge against society? We used the process of elimination to determine it was a crime of passion. Whether the perpetrator is even a local is unknown. What basis do we have to conclude that the motive was revenge against society?"
Jiang Ling first affirmed the previous investigation: "Officer Fan, your investigation was very detailed. You dug up all of the deceased's social relationships and finally concluded that it was a crime of passion, which I think is reasonable."
Fan Wei's complexion improved considerably.
To be honest, the person most nervous about using the rope murder case as a case study was Fan Wei.
He was in charge of the case and worked tirelessly for over a month, but to no avail. To be honest, he was extremely frustrated.
Having witnessed the horrific state of the three victims before their deaths and seen their families weeping uncontrollably, Fan Wei was filled with rage. It was this rage that fueled his team's efforts to travel far and wide, searching for evidence.
However, no matter how hard he tried, Fan Wei felt like he was in a fog.
He had been listening attentively to Jiang Ling's explanation of the three-pronged investigation method, hoping to dispel the fog and find the murderer from the vast sea of people!
Therefore, as soon as Jiang Ling spoke, he stood up on his own initiative.
He was too hasty.
He desperately wanted to know the outcome.
Fan Wei persisted in asking, "A crime of passion is just a momentary impulse by the killer. How can we confirm it was a retaliatory killing?"
Jiang Ling said patiently, "Let's take a look at these three victims first."
The slideshow lit up, and photos of the three victims were clearly visible.
Jiang Ling asked, "Have you noticed anything in common among these three victims?"
Someone in Fan Wei's team raised their hand and stood up: "Although there are men and women, and they are of different ages, our investigation found that they have a very good reputation and their social circles are very clean."
Jiang Ling pointed to the distance: "Yes! That's the word, clean. One of them is a private business owner, another is a waiter, and the third is a teacher. They seem to have nothing in common, but they all have happy marriages, happy families, and enjoy their jobs. They have no lovers, no enemies, and their relatives and friends are all happy to deal with them."
Fan Wei did not sit down, but stood in the front row, looking intently at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling said, "Officer Fan, please sit down and let's talk. You've been investigating for so long, it must be very tiring. I'm here today to discuss the case with everyone and provide some ideas for solving it."
Jiang Ling's words conveyed a message—she wasn't here to give orders or judge right and wrong; she simply wanted to discuss the case with her colleagues.
"Thank you." Fan Wei sat down as instructed.
Jiang Ling continued, "Unless someone is truly a psychopath, even a crime of passion will be selective. Revenge killings are usually driven by jealousy. Because of their own unhappy family life, they hate all couples who are happy together; because of their own physical disability, they hate those with beautiful figures; because of their own poverty, they hate those who are rich."
Someone else said, "But these three victims are not successful people in the conventional sense."
Yes, a small business owner, a waiter working in a restaurant, and a kind primary school teacher are all ordinary people. How could they attract the murderer's hatred?
Jiang Ling shook her head and showed photos of the three victims: "Did you find anything in common in their faces?"
Seeing that Jiang Ling was approachable and encouraged everyone to speak, more and more people started to talk.
"They are all good-looking."
"She loves to laugh, and her smile is beautiful."
"His face is so lovely, it's very pleasing to the eye."
The phrase "carrying a loving look" is unique to Hunan Province.
It means that this person has a likable appearance and is popular.
Jiang Ling nodded: "Everyone's analysis is correct. Okay, then let me ask you, how could such a person bring about his own demise?"
After a moment of silence, a lively discussion suddenly broke out in the conference room.
Finally, Fan Wei stood up abruptly and answered somewhat excitedly: "They will incur the anger of the weak. Perhaps it's a smile, perhaps a warm greeting, or... perhaps it's the sight of them working busily, all of which could arouse the resentment of those who are unhappy with their lives and struggling at work."
Lei Xiao gestured for Fan Wei to sit down: "Why are you so excited? Teacher Jiang said that you don't need to stand up to speak."
Fan Wei chuckled and scratched his messy hair sheepishly: "I'm so excited, so excited."
Another voice came from the crowd: "Could it be one of those laid-off workers? They have a lot of free time, and without work and income, they can't take it all in, so they kill to vent their anger?"
The wave of layoffs in the 1990s led to a surge of unemployed people entering society, resulting in frequent public security problems. This statement certainly reflects the current social context.
Following the sound, Jiang Ling saw a woman's face; it was Zheng Yu.
Jiang Lingchong nodded to Zheng Yu: "Officer Zheng is right, that is indeed possible."
Fan Wei, however, had a different opinion: "They might not necessarily be laid-off workers. They could be women who are unhappy in their marriages and have just divorced, and are jealous of the happiness of these three families; they could also be women with extreme personalities who are ostracized by those around them, and are angered by the way these three are liked; or perhaps..."
Inspired by Jiang Ling, Fan Wei launched into a long and rambling speech.
Zheng Yu wanted to speak, but Jiang Ling stopped her with a look.
Jiang Yu looked at the entire room: "Regardless of the reason, we can all agree on the point that it was a retaliatory killing, right?"
Everyone nodded.
Jiang Ling turned around and wrote a line on the blackboard.
1. Nature of the crime: Retaliatory homicide.
"Okay, now that we've confirmed the nature of the problem, let's define the scope."
Jiang Ling gestured to Li Zhenliang to switch slides.
Using a map of Yan City as a base, the crime scene was marked with a red pen.
"Judging from the crime scene, the crime occurred in a relatively remote area of the city and its surroundings. Although the victims' activity areas were different, they were all within the city limits. Therefore, it can be inferred that the murderer may live in this city and be quite familiar with it."
This conclusion was an inference made by Fan Wei and his team after their investigation, and Jiang Ling also felt that there was no problem with it.
"From a psychological perspective, the perpetrator needs to be familiar with the scene of the crime, but is also afraid of being discovered by acquaintances. Therefore, he will choose a relatively convenient place to commit the crime."
Li Zhenliang and Liu Haoran exchanged a glance.
They know each other well.
Jiang Ling once said something similar in the bicycle bell case.
Jiang Ling picked up the prepared pointer and pointed to the three locations marked in red: "In this way, a psychological boundary will be formed with the murderer's residence as the center and the farthest distance that can be reached as the radius. Experience shows that the radius of this boundary is generally about 500 meters."
The criminal police officers in the first brigade were clearly a level above Li Zhenliang and Liu Haoran; they understood things immediately.
Fan Wei immediately went up to the podium and carefully examined the map.
He instructed his men to take out a map and draw three circles with a diameter of 500 meters, centered on the crime scene.
After a while, he pointed to the central area surrounded by three circles and said loudly, "Triangle! Do you see it? The crime scene is centered on this place, forming a triangular layout. This is the old town in the east of the city. There are many mountains to the north and east, and tea is produced on the mountains, where more than a dozen tea factories are located."
His subordinates were also excited: "Yes, I visited that area during my investigation. I heard that the tea factories used to be quite profitable, but they haven't been doing well in recent years, and several have gone bankrupt. The area is under the jurisdiction of the Chayuan Road Police Station, and there are many laid-off workers there, so the public security is rather chaotic."
Jiang Ling was surprised that her brief guidance had immediately caught up with the key points of the case. She was genuinely pleased and said with a smile, "That's right, the murderer's residence is most likely in this area, so we can focus our investigation there."
Fan Wei was surprised that Jiang Ling had narrowed down the scope of the investigation to the Chayuan Road area so quickly.
He didn't know how to express his joy. He stared wide-eyed at Jiang Ling and urged, "Teacher Jiang, hurry up, hurry up and finish the makeup."
Jiang Lingchong made a gesture to Li Zhenliang.
Li Zhenliang immediately switched the slides.
The slide features a hand-drawn table that lists the main characteristics of a psychological profile.
Jiang Ling said, "Okay, now let's decide on the facial makeup."
Her gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the entire room. Everyone was startled, straightened their backs, and sat up straight.
Jiang Ling: "First, gender."
Fan Wei immediately chimed in: "It's definitely a man. Strangulation requires a certain amount of physical strength, and women don't have that much strength. Moreover, compared to women, men are more likely to commit this kind of violent crime."
Jiang Ling: "Second, age."
Fan Wei thought for a moment, then remained silent.
Zheng Yu stood up and said loudly, "They are probably between 30 and 45 years old. People in this age group have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. They may be more affected by the wave of layoffs, which may lead to extreme psychological reactions."
The topic has returned to laid-off workers.
Jiang Ling intended to give Zheng Yu some pointers, and the reason she stopped her from speaking earlier was to give her enough time to fully demonstrate her abilities.
Jiang Ling asked, "Why laid-off workers?"
Zheng Yu usually doesn't have a chance to shine in the first brigade, but this time Jiang Ling gave her a rare opportunity, so she immediately answered loudly.
“The victim and the perpetrator did not know each other. It is difficult to know from simple contact that the victim had a happy family and a fulfilling marriage. However, there is one thing they both had and that can be understood at a glance: they both had jobs.”
"Furthermore, analyzing the physical evidence at the scene: hemp rope, a work ID, an enamel teacup, and chalk circles were left behind. Hemp rope is commonly used for binding items and is often found at construction sites and warehouses. Based on the previous conclusion of narrowing down the scope of the crime, I infer that the murderer may be a worker packing items in the warehouse of a famous tea factory. The photo on the work ID was blurry and was deliberately placed next to the body. The enamel teacup is also a commonly used item at work. Deliberately leaving these items behind after the murder is a form of dissatisfaction with being laid off and losing one's job."
Zheng Yu's speech was reasonable and well-founded, attracting the attention of Lei Xiao, Fan Wei, and others.
Who would have thought that there was a hidden talent for deduction in the team?
Jiang Ling continued to encourage Zheng Yu: "Officer Zheng, then please analyze the killer's personality traits."
Zheng Yu's palms were sweating and her heart was beating fast.
She worked in the brigade for seven or eight years, always doing internal affairs work.
However, Zheng Yu refused to admit defeat. She studied both academics and martial arts at the police academy and came to the criminal investigation branch with great enthusiasm, not wanting to just write reports and be a background figure.
She longed for her abilities to be recognized and hoped to become a frontline criminal investigator.
Now, the opportunity is right in front of us, and we must seize it firmly.
"The killer was withdrawn and resentful, blaming others for his misfortunes. He was cruel, as evidenced by his method of strangulation, which showed his desire to inflict pain on his victims."
“He has a certain degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He draws circles at every crime scene, pursuing a kind of criminal ritual he sets up himself.”
"In addition, I suspect he may have a military or sports background, because he has the strength to subdue the victim, and strangulation requires a certain skill."
"The perpetrator must have followed the victims beforehand, learned their activity patterns, and deliberately chose a secluded location to commit the crime."
Having said all that in one breath, Zheng Yu took a deep breath.
Everyone looked at Zheng Yu, as if they didn't recognize her.
She was still the same Zheng Yu who diligently wrote case closure materials and was cheerful and always smiling, but at this moment she spoke eloquently, displaying a completely different demeanor than usual.
"Excellent analysis, Officer Zheng," Jiang Ling affirmed Zheng Yu's analysis.
Fan Wei looked at Jiang Ling excitedly: "Teacher Jiang, is this psychological profiling? It's amazing!" Based on these analysis results, we can definitely find the murderer by re-examining the laid-off workers from the tea factory.
Jiang Ling wrote the key information about the characters on the blackboard.
"male."
"Ages 30-45"
"A withdrawn personality."
"Obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"Military or sports background".
A clear and strong voice came from the doorway: "I can try to create an accurate portrait."
Jiang Ling turned her head and saw Director Zhong and two men push open the door and enter.
The man who spoke was in his forties, with a slender and tall build, his temples slightly graying, and his eyes shining brightly.
With just one glance, Jiang Ling knew who he was.
—His own biological father, Lin Weidong.
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