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Red Devil Model Murder Trial Day 21, Court accepts the case on the fourth day.
Courtroom No. 9.
At the request of the defendant Curtis, this hearing is open to the public.
The courtroom was packed with journalists carrying cameras and microphones filling the spectator seats, and there were many onlookers blocking the entrance.
Yesterday, the court announced on its official website that the Red Devil Model Murder trial would be held in Courtroom No. 9 on the 9th, presided over by Judge Brooklyn Lee.
When Brooklyn arrived at work this morning, he was once again mobbed by reporters at the door.
He was already used to such scenes.
As a guest assistant, he followed the procedure and announced, "Please rise, the E.D.N.Y. Courtroom No. 9 is now in session, presided over by the respected Judge Brooklyn Lee."
The court police had been an assistant for so long that he was already very familiar with the procedure.
Brooklyn held the indictment and a large cup of water and walked briskly to the judge's bench.
He glanced at both sides of the prosecution and defense, waving to someone he knew from the prosecution.
"Ben, nice to see you again."
Ben politely stood up with a smile, "Yes, Your Honor. But I don't think you want to see me."
"Of course, you represent trouble."
Brooklyn joked, and Ben shrugged, indicating that he was innocent.
Brooklyn turned his gaze to the defendant's seat.
The model named Curtis sat in his chair enjoying himself, scratching his head and posing like an unstoppable hyperactive patient, turning around and posing for the camera behind him.
"Haven, control your client."
Brooklyn warned.
DuangDuang!
He tapped the gavel twice, signaling the audience to be quiet.
"Defendant Curtis, the Prosecutor's Office has charged you with first-degree murder. If convicted, depending on the severity of the circumstances, you may face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. Do you understand?"
Curtis continued to look around, nodding nonchalantly.
He seemed to be like a celebrity standing in the spotlight, enjoying being the center of attention.
Brooklyn scrutinized Curtis for a while.
His behavior basically meant that he had given up his defense.
It seemed like he just wanted the world to know the crimes he had committed. His goal was not to defend himself, but to expose himself!
"Harvin, do you need a psychological assessment for your client?" Brooklyn asked.
Harvin shook his head indicating it was not necessary. He had already felt the judge's dissatisfaction towards his client and quickly hugged Curtis to sit down.
It seemed that the tall Curtis was easily subdued by Harvin.
"Then let him be quiet," Brooklyn warned again and confirmed, "Please confirm again whether the defense challenges the prosecutor's charges."
"The charge made by the prosecutor is first-degree murder. If the jury ultimately finds you guilty, you will be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty. Do you have anything to say about your charges?"
Brooklyn planned to combine the hearing, pre-trial, and summons together and try to finish them this morning.
"Yes, Your Honor," Harvin said, standing up directly without allowing Curtis to answer.
"We do not agree with the charges made by the prosecutor."
"Reasons?"
"First of all, the appearance of my client at the crime scene was coincidental. The NYPD Homicide Division should have fulfilled their obligation to inform citizens during their surveillance, but they did not."
"They just watched my client walk into the crime scene and then arrested him."
"Secondly..."
"Wait a minute," Brooklyn interrupted Harvin's words and looked at Ben Stone.
Harvin's point was simple: If the police want to catch the suspect and set a trap, that's fine, but they should place obvious signs at the periphery to inform unsuspecting citizens that they cannot enter.
It sounded reasonable, but how would the police know who the suspect was?
If they really did that, what if the suspect ran away?
Besides, the crime scene was someone else's house. If you were really innocent, why would you go there?
Just in this round, Brooklyn had already seen through Harvin's superficial argument. If this was his defense strategy, there was no need to waste everyone's time in court.
If Harvin had no other plans, he would be hung up and beaten by Ben Stone.
"Your Honor," Ben Stone smiled, behaved properly, and spoke loudly.
"We have a complete video of Curtis entering the surveillance range and preparing to commit the crime, and we also found the murder weapon and letters communicating with the Red Devil on Curtis's person."
"We have video and transcripts of Curtis in the interrogation room, where he confesses to his crimes and clearly describes the undisclosed details of the crime scene."
Ben did not engage in a direct confrontation with Harvin. He presented the strongest evidence that nailed Curtis' coffin shut.
Brooklyn looked at Harvin again.
"But my client has an alibi, and you have not found any evidence of my client being present at the crime scene."
Harvin immediately refuted.
Ben remained silent.
Brooklyn raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He thought the case was simple, but he did not expect such a loophole.
In Brooklyn's view, Ben's silence could mean two things.
One possibility was that Harvin was telling the truth, and Ben could not refute it.
The other possibility was that Ben had already designed a rebuttal strategy for this loophole, but it was not the formal questioning stage of the trial, so he did not want to reveal his thoughts.
Usually, if there is a serious lack of evidence in a case, the court can dismiss the charges.
If Curtis had not been within the police's surveillance range, had not been caught red-handed, and had not confessed to his crimes in the interrogation room, the court might actually dismiss the charges.
Brooklyn glanced at the defendant's seat. Curtis was still scratching his head, wriggling like a snake. Harvin was more emotional, his chest heaving, his hands on the table, his body leaning forward.
He had taken on a great deal of pressure by taking on Curtis' case.
From the way he referred to Curtis, it was clear that Harvin did not want to take on this case.
If someone wants to draw a line with another person, they will instinctively avoid using their name and instead use a pronoun like "that person" when describing them.
But this case was assigned to him, and he could not refuse.
In the federal system, lawyers have an obligation to provide legal aid to those who cannot afford it. Each lawyer has a fixed quota every year, and they need to complete their quota in order to continue practicing with their license. Otherwise, they will face review by the bar association and the risk of having their license revoked.
Top lawyers usually assign this kind of pro bono work to their assistants and let them do the job for free.
Harvin was clearly not a top lawyer, and he had no assistants, so he had to handle the case himself.
But then again, if Harvin could get Curtis acquitted, he would become famous overnight and become the "rising star" of the New York legal world.
Brooklyn confirmed with both parties again that the prosecution insisted on not dropping the charges, and the defense insisted on pleading not guilty.
"Okay, this case will be officially heard by the Ninth Court of the Eastern District of New York Federal Court."
Brooklyn lowered his head and made annotations on the indictment as he made the announcement.
"Does the defendant have a bail request?"
"Okay."
Hawen was not affected and stood up to answer.
Under Brooklyn's pen, she looked over.
"The defendant lives in Queens and has grown up in New York since childhood. He has hardly ever left New York and has no friends. I urge Your Honor to consider the above circumstances."
This was a prelude to reducing the bail.
"Does the prosecutor have any objections?"
"Your Honor." Ben Stone stood up, his smile disappeared from his face.
"The defendant Curtis used extremely cruel methods to kill several people within just twenty days."
"After being arrested, Curtis confessed to his crimes without hesitation and without any remorse."
"As you just saw, he enjoys being the center of attention and enjoys the identity of a killer. We do not believe he has any need for bail."
"Once such an antisocial personality is released, he may continue to commit crimes."
Brooklyn didn't even think about it and immediately pounded the gavel after Stone finished speaking, making a decision.
"You make a good point."
"Considering the possibility that the defendant Curtis may commit crimes again and threaten the safety of others, bail is denied!"
DuangDuang!
"Alright, both parties are to submit a complete list of evidence within one week. During this period, both parties may request a hearing. We will meet again at 9:00 am one week later."
DuangDuang!
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