131: New case

During the two or three days waiting for the "twin stars" model to arrive, Shen Mingyuan's life seemed to return to its normal track. He organized the files of several closed cases, provided key legal advice for a contract dispute handled by a colleague, and participated in an internal case study seminar.

His performance was as professional and sharp as ever.

That afternoon, Director Wang knocked on his office door again. This time, the sorrow from before was gone, replaced by a look of certainty that seemed to say, "I finally have a 'clean' case for you."

"Mingyuan, there's a new case that I think is perfect for you." Director Wang placed a thin summary of the preliminary case details on Shen Mingyuan's desk. "The client is an elderly man surnamed Chen, sixty-eight years old, formerly a night security guard at XX Residential Area. The case... is about causing death by excessive defense."

Shen Mingyuan immediately looked up, took the document, and scanned it quickly.

The facts of the case were not complex, even carrying a hint of common social news: late at night a few days ago, two clearly intoxicated young men (unemployed, with prior records for picking quarrels and provoking trouble) had somehow wandered near the security booth at the side gate of the residential area where Uncle Chen was on duty.

According to Uncle Chen's statement and some blurry surveillance footage, the two men first engaged in verbal provocation and banged on the security booth's windows. Subsequently, their emotions escalated, possibly due to Uncle Chen's warnings or refusal to open the door, and they began to shake the door violently, even attempting to break the lock.

The security booth was cramped, leaving Uncle Chen with no room to retreat. In the chaos, one drunk man forced his way inside, shoving and hurling abuse at Uncle Chen. The other continued to shout outside the window. Uncle Chen claimed he was terrified and grabbed an old short wooden stick kept by the table for self-defense, swinging it wildly to fend off the man when he lunged again.

One of the strikes happened to hit the drunk man who had squeezed inside near his temple. The man collapsed on the spot and fell unconscious, then was rushed to the hospital. He is currently still in the ICU being resuscitated and is not yet out of danger; the situation is extremely grim. Seeing this, the other drunk man sobered up significantly and called the police. Uncle Chen was taken away on the spot.

"The Procuratorate's preliminary opinion leans toward excessive defense, with suspicion of intentional injury (causing serious injury). If the victim eventually dies, it could be changed to intentional injury causing death," Director Wang said.

"The old man's family is in a very difficult situation. His wife passed away early, and his son works in another city and can't look after him. The Neighborhood Committee helped him apply for legal aid, and they found us.

There's not much profit in it, but... the situation is clear, and it fits your 'clean' standard. The main thing is, there's some disagreement in public opinion right now. Some think the old man is innocent, while others think he went too far. What do you think?"

Shen Mingyuan had already finished reading the summary, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the paper. His brain had already begun to automatically construct a logical chain: drunken intrusion, spatial coercion, power disparity, a readily available "weapon," a single lethal strike... This was almost a textbook case of the ambiguity between justifiable defense and excessive defense.

The key points were: Was the threat Uncle Chen faced "ongoing" and "potentially lethal"? How should the "necessity and proportionality" of his counterattack with the wooden stick be defined? Was that strike an intentional attack or a panicked defense born of fear?

"I need to see the client, review the complete scene records, autopsy reports, and surveillance footage, as well as the detailed backgrounds of those two intruders." Shen Mingyuan closed the file, his tone shifting into work mode. "Based on the summary alone, it's impossible to judge whether it was 'excessive' or 'justifiable.' But at first glance, the premise of 'defense' at least exists. I'll take this case."

Director Wang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded. "Good, I'll arrange the procedures. This time... don't go discovering some 'unexpected truth' halfway through and dropping the client again," he reminded half-jokingly.

"My principles remain unchanged, Director Wang." Shen Mingyuan stood up and began packing his things, preparing to go to the Detention Center for the meeting. "If the evidence ultimately points to Uncle Chen being the provocateur or acting out of premeditated revenge, I will make my judgment accordingly.

But for now, based on the current information, I'm more inclined to believe this is an unfortunate tragedy triggered by the illegal actions of others. My job is to ensure that the law is applied accurately and fairly in this tragedy."

The meeting room at the Detention Center was cold and quiet.

Shen Mingyuan sat on one side of the soundproof glass, looking at Uncle Chen as he was brought in.

The old man's hair was gray, his figure hunched, and he wore an ill-fitting prison uniform. His face was etched with wrinkles of lingering panic and deep exhaustion. His fingers twisted together incessantly, and his eyes darted away.

"Uncle Chen, I am your legal aid lawyer, Shen Mingyuan." Shen Mingyuan's voice came through the intercom, steady and clear, carrying a calmness that made one instinctively want to trust him. "Next, I need you to tell me everything that happened that night as detailed and accurately as possible. Don't rush; start from the beginning."

Uncle Chen looked up at Shen Mingyuan, then quickly lowered his head and began to recount in a raspy voice. Shen Mingyuan did not interrupt, only occasionally asking for details at key points: "What did they say when they were banging on the window?"

"How was the door opened?"

"When you picked up the wooden stick, how close was that person to you? What were his hands doing?"

As the narration continued, keywords were quickly outlined in the notebook in front of Shen Mingyuan: "Late night, intoxicated, two people, banging on window, shaking door lock, forcing entry, shoving chest, swearing, nowhere to retreat, wooden stick by the table, swinging wildly, hitting the back of the head..." He also pressed the button on his voice recorder.

When Uncle Chen mentioned the "wooden stick," Shen Mingyuan followed up: "Was the wooden stick something you usually kept on the table for self-defense?"

"No, no!" Uncle Chen waved his hands hurriedly, his tone urgent. "It was left by Old Li from the day shift. The broom was broken, and the handle had snapped in half. I wanted to see if I could fix it, so I left it on the table for a while... I—I didn't mean to hit anyone with it. I was just so scared at the time, I just grabbed it..."

This detail was very important; it could weaken the charges of "premeditation" or "keeping a weapon ready."

Before the meeting ended, Shen Mingyuan had Uncle Chen carefully check the transcript and sign it with his thumbprint. "Uncle Chen, remember what you just said. In court, state it exactly like this," he instructed.

After leaving the Detention Center, Shen Mingyuan immediately went to the residential area where the incident occurred. He presented a lawyer's investigation letter and retrieved all camera recordings near the security booth from several days before and after the incident.

The late-night footage wasn't clear, but it was enough to corroborate Uncle Chen's basic description: two swaying figures approaching, banging on and shaking the small door, then one squeezing in, and moments later, the other running away in a panic, shouting.

But Shen Mingyuan didn't stop there. He requested even earlier recordings. The property manager was somewhat puzzled but cooperated nonetheless.

Going back three days, in the surveillance footage from another night shift, Shen Mingyuan keenly captured key information: the same two young men, in different clothes but with similar silhouettes, had also approached the security booth while sober!

The footage showed them having what seemed to be a brief verbal altercation with another security guard on duty at the time before being waved away.

"These two have been here before?" Shen Mingyuan pointed at the screen.

"Oh, it seems like that was the case." The property manager thought for a moment. "I heard Xiao Zhang from the day shift mention it once. He said these two wanted to sneak into the residential area to find someone but were stopped. They aren't decent people; it seems they have records for petty theft."

The possibility of intentional provocation. Shen Mingyuan noted this lead.

If the other party already harbored resentment toward the community's security guards, and their actions this time while intoxicated were more targeted, then the malice and foreseeability of the "unlawful infringement" Uncle Chen faced would increase, which would be beneficial for the characterization of his defense.

Next was the background check. Through legal information inquiry channels and public records from public security organs, Shen Mingyuan quickly verified the identities of the two intruders: they had no steady jobs and both had records of administrative penalties for picking quarrels and provoking trouble and petty theft. Among them, the one currently lying in the ICU had an even more checkered record.

In contrast, Uncle Chen's background was as clean as a blank sheet of paper: a retired veteran, laid off from a factory in his early years, his wife deceased, his only son living elsewhere. He was an honest and dutiful person who had been a security guard in the community for over a decade and had never even had a heated argument with anyone.

The pieces of the evidence puzzle were coming together one by one. Late night, intoxication, intruders with prior records and resentment, a cramped and enclosed space, an elderly man with no way to retreat, a "weapon" not prepared intentionally, and the other party critically injured after a single blow... Shen Mingyuan stood outside the community's security booth, looking at the small door that had been barely repaired.

(Thanks to Liu Zhen, who loves vinegar-dressed spinach, for the character summon.)