Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 319: Turns Out to Be Someone Familiar

Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Turns Out to Be Someone Familiar

Li Weiguo gave a wry smile: "Wang Yue had a fever and was woken up. The other person was wearing a hood. How could she see clearly?"

"What about surveillance?"

"There’s no surveillance in the corridor. The entire apartment only has surveillance in the lobby on the first floor. The apartment has a lot of foot traffic. Even the color of the clothes, Wang Yue couldn’t recall..."

Lu Chuan nodded, understanding the situation.

"Director Li, in that case, you guys investigate these two people first. I’ll analyze the footprints to see if we can find anything."

"If necessary, do a thorough check against everyone in the building."

"Alright, we’ll do our best."

Actually, this case is not considered major.

The suspect grabbed two luxury bags, and they weren’t even authentic, just knockoffs worth only a couple of thousand yuan.

For such a small amount, if it were theft, it wouldn’t even be worth filing a case.

But robbery is different. Robbery doesn’t concern the value of the stolen items.

Even if it’s just a dime, it’s still classified as a serious crime and must be solved.

Honestly, you could say Li Weiguo was unlucky, and so was the suspect.

Wang Yue...

Why were you home at the time?

The results of the footprint identification came back quickly, but compared to past footprint analyses done by Lu Chuan, the information this time was limited.

The main reason is the clarity of the footprints collected by the Happy Road Police Station wasn’t good enough.

There are likely two reasons: One is the limited capability of the station’s staff, resulting in substandard footprint collection.

Another reason is the suspect left footprints indoors, and the prints on the tiles mainly came from dust adhering to the shoe soles, which didn’t require plaster casting.

So when Lu Chuan did the identification analysis, much of the useful information that could be obtained previously might have larger deviations this time.

"Male, about 1.8 meters tall, weighing between 90 and 100 kilograms, aged between 28 and 40."

Li Weiguo was a bit startled when he received the information.

"1.8 meters..."

This height is not very common among males.

"What is it, do the already investigated people match these characteristics?"

Lu Chuan took about an hour to finish the footprint analysis.

Meanwhile, Li Weiguo wasn’t idle. On one hand, he was interviewing residents in the building, and on the other, checking the fingerprint identification information Lu Chuan had just done.

"This physique... it resembles Zhang Shengzhi a bit."

Zhang Shengzhi?

"The one from the fingerprint identification?"

"Yes, after the fingerprint analysis results came out, we immediately communicated with Wang Yue to confirm the relationships of two people with her."

"Sun Miao is Wang Yue’s close friend. They’ve known each other for a long time, and Sun Miao sometimes stays at Wang Yue’s place, so finding her fingerprints indoors is normal."

"And this Zhang Shengzhi... should be considered Wang Yue’s neighbor."

"Neighbor?"

"Yes, Wang Yue lives on the twelfth floor, Zhang Shengzhi on the eleventh. They met last year, and Zhang Shengzhi had helped Wang Yue move furniture, so they got acquainted over time."

"I suggest we collect this person’s footprint information and compare it to see if it matches."

Li Weiguo nodded: "Alright, I’ll arrange that right away."

In less than an hour, Li Weiguo didn’t bring back Zhang Shengzhi’s footprint information, but he did bring back good news.

"He confessed," Li Weiguo said with a sense of relief: "When we went, he didn’t admit anything at first, claiming he was on vacation and resting."

"But as soon as he heard we were going to collect shoe prints, he got scared and confessed everything."

"So it was a crime by someone familiar."

"Yes, a typical crime by a known acquaintance."

"Zhang Shengzhi and Wang Yue are quite familiar, often chatting on WeChat, so Zhang Shengzhi knew Wang Yue’s schedule."

"Additionally, Zhang Shengzhi had borrowed a lot of online loans and knew Wang Yue often carried luxury bags and used expensive cosmetics, so he targeted Wang Yue."

"Unexpectedly, that day Wang Yue was feeling unwell with a cold, took sick leave, and ended up catching him red-handed."

"The guy thought Wang Yue recognized him, and was ready to run, but after changing clothes and receiving Wang Yue’s WeChat about a burglary at her place, he realized she hadn’t recognized him."

"She even asked him to accompany her. Feeling guilty, he claimed he was at work and declined."

Li Weiguo clicked his tongue: "When Wang Yue texted him, we hadn’t arrived at the scene yet. If this Zhang Shengzhi had really gone, this case might have been much more difficult to solve."

Lu Chuan understood what Li Weiguo meant; if Zhang Shengzhi had arrived before the police, he would surely have left footprints or other traces indoors.

At that point, it would be difficult to determine if the prior traces were left by Zhang Shengzhi.

This could have potentially led to an unsolved case.

"Teacher Lu, we owe you this time. How about dinner together tonight?"

"No need for dinner, I have plans tonight. Don’t stand on ceremony, Director Li. If there’s anything, feel free to contact me."

Lu Chuan wasn’t fond of socializing, and besides, he indeed had plans: he had arranged to watch a movie with Forensic Doctor Shen.

Li Weiguo, with many years at the police station, was shrewd enough to recognize Lu Chuan’s indirect refusal.

But it was okay, as there would be plenty of opportunities for interaction in the future, so it didn’t have to be that day.

"Alright, Teacher Lu, feel free to reach out if you need anything. I won’t be formal then."

Crime Scene Investigation Office.

"You’re back so soon?"

Liu Guodong hadn’t expected Lu Chuan to be back after only half a day.

He thought it would take two or three days.

"The case wasn’t difficult. The suspect didn’t leave fingerprints at the scene, but there were footprints. It was a crime by someone familiar."

"We hadn’t even collected matching shoe prints before he confessed directly."

"A small case?"

"Yes, not big. A familiar crime, debt from online loans. The woman didn’t really have money, the luxury bags were knockoffs, and the cosmetics were gifts from other men."

"The suspect ended up stealing two fake bags, about a couple of thousand yuan."

Lu Chuan took a sip of tea, somewhat contemplative.

The sentencing for robbery is severe; general robbery ranges from three years to ten years.

But if the circumstances are serious, it’s over ten years.

What constitutes serious circumstances? Home invasion is one of them.

Robbery charges differ from theft charges; theft is judged based on the amount stolen.

Robbery is mainly judged based on the location where it occurs; home invasions, robberies on public transport, or in banks are all considered serious.

There are many instances where people are heavily sentenced for stealing tens or hundreds of yuan.

A case a few years ago from another province: a suspect stole a coin thrown into a bus fare box.

He was caught and sentenced to ten years.

Public transport robberies have a significant impact, so the sentencing is harsh and not based on money.

The reasons for this, Lu Chuan learned during his college studies.