Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

016: The Weixian County Five-Corpse Wrongful Murder Case

Su Wen didn't speak, but instead walked into the house and looked around. Indeed, there was a lot of blood on the floor, probably from a chase and a fight.

Su Wen checked the door latches in the room again and found that the latches of the inner room were intact.

Therefore, it is speculated that the murderer knocked on the door, someone opened the door, and the murderer slashed at the person he saw. After slashing several times, he raped her. Another person shouted at him, chased after him again, slashed him, raped him again, and finally beheaded him before leaving!

Su Wen arrived at the entrance and looked around. There were walls more than two meters high all around, and there was nothing to use for leverage. It would be difficult to climb over the walls, and he would have to use help to get out.

Looking around, I found that there was only one tree in the corner of the wall on the left. I could climb up the tree, jump onto the wall, and then climb over!

This also explains why the door bolt was broken by Qian Bin!

Thinking of this, Su Wen looked at the constable and said, "Climb that tree and see if there are any other clues on the tree and the wall!"

The constable nodded in agreement and immediately ran over to start climbing the tree.

The tree wasn't very big, only a little thicker than a calf. Although it was two or three meters tall, it was still very difficult to climb. You needed to put one foot on the wall and the other on the tree, using both for leverage to get up.

Therefore, the murderer should be about the same height as the constable, at least 1.75 meters tall. He was short and had short legs, so he couldn't get any leverage, since there was still some distance between the trees and the wall!

Upon seeing the constable climb the tree, Su Wen immediately shouted, "Dr. Su, there are trampling marks on the top of this wall, and there's a small piece of cloth on this tree!"

"Take it down!"

When the bailiff came down, Su Wen took the cloth from his hand, examined it carefully, and then smelled it. There was no smell, but the cloth was made of high-quality silk and must be quite expensive!

Just as Su Wen was checking, a constable rushed in from outside the door and said, "Dr. Su, someone from the county government has come to report that they found a human head. Magistrate Wang wants you to go and investigate!"

Su Wen frowned and said, "Found a head?"

"yes!"

Su Wendao said, "Lead the way!"

Upon arriving at the county government office, they saw a man sitting in the hall. This man was over seven feet tall, with a majestic appearance. He looked to be in his early thirties and had an air of righteous indignation. He seemed like a good person!

Su Wen stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Su Wen, a Doctor of Criminal Justice, and I greet Magistrate Wang!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Wang immediately smiled and bowed, saying, "I am Wang Weifeng, the County Commandant of Wei County, of the Langya Wang Clan!"

Su Wen was taken aback when he heard this. The Langya Wang Clan, well, another powerful family. It seems that wherever you go, you can see the shadow of powerful families!

Wang Weifeng smiled and said, "Dr. Su, my uncle is Wang Yu, the magistrate of Anle County. He told me that you are a great talent in detective work, which is why I invited you here. I hope you can help me solve this mystery!"

Su Wen bowed and said, "Magistrate Wang Yu has been kind enough to recommend me and values ​​me so highly. I will do my utmost to solve this case for Magistrate Wang!"

"Alright, then I thank Dr. Su in advance!"

"No need to be so polite!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Wang Weifeng, Su Wen asked, "Didn't you say someone brought a head? Please allow me to verify it!"

Wang Weifeng responded, "Alright, Dr. Su, please!"

The group arrived at the morgue. Su Wen first picked up the autopsy report and looked at it, then went to the side to carefully examine the two corpses before slowly asking, "Who performed the autopsy on these corpses?"

Wang Weifeng looked at the constable beside him, who replied, "This body was examined by Wei Nanzi, the coroner from Ning County. The previous coroner in Wei County died of a cold half a month ago, leaving Wei County without a coroner. So Magistrate Mo borrowed Wei Nanzi, the coroner from the neighboring Ning County, to help with the examination!"

Wang Weifeng asked with a puzzled look, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the coroner's examination of the body?"

Su Wen shook his head and said, "Absolutely flawless. The autopsy results are outstanding. I must meet with this coroner, Wei Nanzi, when I have some free time!"

Su Wen then walked to the side and took out the head to examine it. The head looked like it had been hit hard, and it was completely disfigured, with blood and flesh all over it. It was even impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman!

Su Wen carefully examined the cut on the head's neck, then glanced at the cut on the corpse's neck, and shook his head, saying, "These aren't the heads of these two corpses, and the murderer who killed this head isn't the same person who killed these two corpses!"

Wang Weifeng and the others were shocked: "What?"

Su Wen explained, "Look at these two corpses. Although they have multiple slash wounds, they are all on their backs. Moreover, judging from the wounds, they were inflicted by a cleaver. Considering the crime scene, the murderer attacked them during a chase, and their heads were likely severed after they were defenseless. Therefore, the wounds are smooth and clean, a single, clean cut!"

"But there are multiple cuts on the head and neck. Although they are also from machetes, it is obvious that the two machetes are not the same. The machetes used to kill the two people were exceptionally sharp, while the machetes used to cut the head should have nicks or not be very sharp. They should be machetes that have been used to cut things for many years!"

At this point, Su Wen looked at Wang Weifeng and asked, "Who was the person who sent this head over?"

Wang Weifeng said, "The man was a woodcutter. He said that he went up the mountain to chop wood today and found this human head under a tree. Considering the reward offered by the government a few days ago, he immediately brought it to the county office!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen frowned: "What bounty?"

Wang Weifeng said, "The former magistrate, Mo, was in a hurry to find the deceased's head, so he ordered a reward of five thousand coins for finding it!"

"Five thousand coins?" Su Wen was shocked. He knew that this was no small sum of money. For a woodcutter or an ordinary person, it could be a year's living expenses.

Su Wen looked at Wang Weifeng and said, "Cancel this bounty immediately, or something else will happen!"

Wang Weifeng was somewhat puzzled, but Su Wen said, "You guys, go and bring the woodcutter back to me. Also, go to his house and search the neighborhood for any corpses. And while you're at it, bring back all the knives he used for chopping wood!"

The constables exchanged glances, then the elder in charge looked at Wang Weifeng. Wang Weifeng addressed the group, saying, "Why aren't you listening to Dr. Su? Go and arrest that woodcutter!"

The elder bowed and said, "Yes, sir, let's go!"

Wang Weifeng asked, "Dr. Su, do you suspect the woodcutter committed murder?"

Su Wen responded, "I'm afraid it was for the reward that he chose to kill!" Su Wen sighed and said, "Although the face is unrecognizable, judging from the features, it should be an old man. I think this woodcutter might have killed his own family member!"

After saying that, Su Wen turned his head to one side and couldn't help but sigh in his heart!

Wang Weifeng's eyes widened in horror, and he swallowed hard: "A mere five thousand coins? Are you really going to kill your own family?"

Su Wen said, "What do you mean by a mere five thousand coins? That's no small sum, especially for a woodcutter like him. He can only earn a few hundred coins a month at most, and that's after deducting costs. Five thousand coins is an astronomical figure for him!"