Los Angeles Detective

  Chapter 287 Choice

  Suicide note?

  Confession?

  Why did you throw it in the trash after you finished writing?

   "Guys, look for the handwriting of the deceased in the house." Luke took a photo and sent it to the group.

   Soon, the team members found some documents, with the signature of the deceased Helson Sweeney and some written words.

  Luke has taught himself the skills of handwriting identification. After confirming the authenticity of the document, he began to compare the handwriting on the document and the paper ball.

  After some careful research, Luke felt that the suicide note on the ball of paper should be from the handwriting of the deceased, not a forgery.

  Motives for committing crimes, tools for committing crimes, suicide notes...

  The case seems to be getting closer and closer to the truth.

  The deputy team came over and asked, "How is the handwriting research going?"

  Luke said, "The handwriting on the ball of paper found in the trash can is the same as that on other documents, and it is likely to be the suicide note of the deceased."

  The deputy team sat by the sofa and made a comparison, "Do you think this case is a suicide?"

"What do you think?"

   "You are the captain, you have the final say."

   "You have rich experience and have handled more cases than I know. I want to hear your thoughts."

  The deputy team put down the documents and knocked on the table with their fingers, "There is no sign of damage to the door lock of the house, combined with the situation at the scene and this suicide note, the victim may have committed suicide.

However, considering that Helson Sweeney is related to the previous two cases of headless female corpses, and he admitted in the suicide note that he killed Galina Sweeney, the determination of suicide or homicide is no longer limited to this the case itself.

  I think it should be considered comprehensively. "

  The deputy team didn't get through the words, but Luke understood what he meant.

  If it is determined that Helson committed suicide, it indirectly confirms the authenticity of the suicide note. In the suicide note, Helson admitted that he killed his wife. He is likely to be the murderer of the two headless female corpse cases.

  Three cases were successfully solved.

  If it is determined that Helson is not a suicide, it is a homicide.

  Then there may be problems with the suicide note. The murderer of the two headless female corpse cases is someone else, and the three cases will become unsolved cases.

  Luke didn't rush to judge, and continued to search the house, hoping to find more valuable clues.

  The on-site investigation continued until midnight, and the police found no evidence of the presence of a third person.

  …

  The next morning, Luke went to work as usual.

  He did not go to the Office of the Robbery and Murder Division, but first went to the technical team and the forensic room to learn about the identification.

  At 9:30, Luke returned to the office of the first squadron and called everyone for a meeting.

First of all, Luke walked to the projector and showed the newly obtained identification results, "Last night, the technical team did an urgent DNA identification comparison, and found bloodstains from two people on the saw, it was the two headless The female victims of the case were Galina Sweeney and Novena Jones.

  We found the murder weapon in the headless woman case. "

Luke changed another document, "This is the identification result of the forensic laboratory. The exact cause of Helson Sweeney's death was suffocation caused by methane poisoning. In addition, alcohol and Barbie were also detected in his blood. Appropriate ingredients."

  Xiao Hei asked, "What is barbiturate?"

  The deputy team replied, "The main ingredient of sleeping pills."

  Xiao Hei recalled, "I remember that only wine was found on the coffee table in Helson's house, and no sleeping pills were found."

  Luke said, "The technical team found sleeping pills in the bedside table in the bedroom."

  Xiao Hei asked, "Since he has already decided to commit suicide with natural gas, why does he take sleeping pills?"

  The deputy team said, "There are two possibilities. The first possibility is that there are other people in the house, and the other party gave Helson sleeping pills, and then turned on the natural gas and the gas stove to fake the illusion of Helson's suicide.

  The second possibility is that Helson took sleeping pills himself.

  Most people who commit suicide are either completely hopeless about life.

  Either the mental capacity is poor, and you don’t have the courage to continue to face the world.

   And such people are usually more vulnerable, and they may be more afraid of the pain of the death process than the death itself.

   Many suicides take sleeping pills and choose to die in their sleep. "

The deputy team combed his hair, "When one day I have enough life, I mean after ninety years old, if life is boring and suffers from illnesses, I may also lie on the bedside and open a bottle Whiskey, take a handful of sleeping pills, and leave this world quietly.

   If one day I die this way, don't save me, and don't investigate.

  Let me leave in peace. "

  Xiao Hei said, "But Helson Sweeney is not yet 40 years old."

  The deputy captain said, "That's right, I also don't think the reason for his suicide is sufficient."

   Jenny speculated, "Is he terminally ill?"

  Luke said, "The forensic doctor did not find out that he was suffering from a major emergency, and the technical team did not find the inspection report in the house.

  Jenny, you contact Helson's family doctor and check it out. "

"I see."

  Jackson asked, "Captain, if Helson really committed suicide, can the case be closed?"

   Luke asked back, "You think Helson committed suicide?"

"Yes."

   "Tell me about your analysis."

   "First of all, we found no evidence that other people were present, and the method of suicide was reasonable.

  Secondly, he admitted in his suicide note that he killed his wife Galina Sweeney, which is also likely to be true.

  According to our previous investigation, he had sufficient motives for committing the crime. He wanted a child very much, and his wife had an abortion without his consent after an unexpected pregnancy.

   If he finds out, it may arouse his resentment.

  Secondly, he always thought his wife was cheating.

  Third, once divorced, he has to pay alimony.

   Judging from the above three points, he had a clear motive for committing the crime, and the saw stained with the blood of the two victims was also found in the backyard of his home.

  There is a motive and a murder weapon, which Helson admitted in his suicide note, and a relatively complete chain of evidence has been formed.

   This is my opinion, what do you think? "

  Luke thought for a while, "Helson did write a suicide note, but he didn't mention another victim of the headless female corpse case."

  Jackson thought about it for a while, "Assuming that if Helson killed Galina, then the suspect vehicle returned to Helson's hands.

  On the night Novena Jones was killed, his car appeared at the scene of the crime. He may be the one who had a dispute with Novena Jones. Moreover, the saw found in his house also had Novena Jones' blood stains on it.

  According to Viktor's confession, Helson also has the habit of finding prostitutes, and he completely fits the characteristics of a murderer. "

  Xiao Hei said, "Rookie, your analysis is good, but you still forgot a key piece of evidence.

  The heads of the two female victims have not been found yet. "

   "I know, but Helson is dead now, and no one knows where he hid his head. Many dissection cases cannot find all the body parts, which will not affect the conclusion of the case.

  If the case had to be assembled completely to close the case, then many murderers in the dismemberment case would be able to get away with it. "Jackson lays out previous cases.

   Luke did not interrupt the discussion between the two, because he was also considering whether to close the case.

  As Jackson said, no evidence of homicide was found in Helson's case. If this case was not related to the case of the headless woman, it probably wouldn't be so troublesome.

  This case will be investigated by the sub-bureau. Judging from the existing clues, there is a high probability that it will be judged as a suicide.

  Of course, there are doubts about this case. The first doubt is that Helson took sleeping pills before his death.

  The second doubt is Helson's suicide motive, which is not particularly sufficient.

  Of course, these two doubts are not a big problem, and it is impossible to prove that the deceased was murdered.

  After this case was connected with the case of the headless female corpse, another doubtful point was added, that is, the head of the headless female corpse was not found.

   However, as Jackson said, Helson is dead, which will not affect the closure of the case at all.

  Now, Luke is faced with a choice, should he choose to close the case?

  In the past, what Luke said didn't count, he just needed to follow orders and investigate the case.

   Now that he is the first person in charge of the case, it is up to him to decide whether to close the case or continue the investigation.

heavy responsibility.

   These are two completely different directions. One decision of Luke will have a decisive impact on the two cases.

  At this time, if Luke judges the case as a suicide, there is no problem.

   And everyone is relieved.

  Luke's first case after becoming the acting captain was also successfully solved.

   But Luke always felt a little uneasy in his heart, which was due to the previous doubts. More importantly, he communicated with Helson yesterday morning, and he didn't feel that the other party had suicidal thoughts.

   As a result, Helson committed suicide that night.

   This is the biggest doubt in Luke's mind.

  This is also the reason why he didn't go to see Rhett today, because once Rhett asked, he didn't know how to answer.

  Everyone wants to solve the case as soon as possible, and so does Reid.

   Luke too.

   Judging from the current evidence, it is in line with the closing procedure to determine that Helson committed suicide.

  At the same time, the suspect vehicle, suicide note, saw and other evidence can also identify him as the murderer of the headless female corpse case.

  3 cases were successfully solved, which is beneficial to everyone.

   But Luke always felt a little uneasy.

  In case his feeling is right, Helson did not commit suicide, and there is a real culprit behind the scenes.

  Once the real murderer commits another crime, Luke will bear the brunt of the responsibility.

  After thinking it over, Luke decided to hold on and temporarily refuse the temptation to close the case.

  Luke looked at everyone, "Jackson, do you think Helson committed suicide?"

"Yes."

   "Who else thinks like him?"

   Everyone looked at each other, but no one responded.

   "Who thinks Helson committed suicide?"

   "Me." Xiao Hei raised his hand.

  Luke ordered, "Jackson, after the meeting is over, you are responsible for collecting the evidence for the conclusion of Helson's suicide case."

   "Is it just me?"

   "Yes, here's your chance to prove it." Luke made two-handed preparations, and some people investigated the possibility of homicide. If no evidence of Helson's homicide was found, they could directly use Jackson's case-closing evidence without any delay.

   "OK, I'll make it right."

   "Very well, as for the other people investigating the case with me, there are several doubts." Luke further analyzed, "We can assume that if Helson was killed, what was the reason for his death?"

  Xiao Hei said, "It's very simple. The real murderer of the headless female corpse case wants to put the blame on him."

  Luke asked, "Then what is the motive of the murderer in the headless female corpse case?"

   "Could it be a perverted killer?"

  Luke said, "If it's a perverted killer, why would he get involved with Helson? Judging from the fact that he blamed Helson, he is very familiar with the situation of the Helson couple."

"I suddenly had a guess. Could it be that the murder was for profit?" The deputy team touched his chin with a thoughtful expression, "The first deceased we found was Novena Jones. She was a silver seller. female.

   But in fact, Galina was the first to be killed. Could she be the real target, and Novena Jones, the silver prostitute, was just an accident or the murderer wanted to confuse the police's investigation. "

  Luke took advantage of the analysis, "Do you think Galina Sweeney and his wife are the real targets of the murderer?"

  The deputy team nodded, "They are husband and wife, and a husband and wife were killed one after the other, which is very suspicious in the first place.

   And we didn't suspect it before because Helson was mistaken for the murderer, and it was possible that he committed suicide.

  According to your assumption, if Helson also committed suicide, then their husband and wife are likely to be the real target of the murderer. "

  Luke found this guess very interesting, "Matthew, check it out, if Helson is killed, who is the beneficiary of his estate?"

   "OK."

  Jackson seemed to think of something, "Captain, do you suspect that someone killed someone to obtain the inheritance of the Helson Sweeney couple?"

  Luke picked up his teacup and took a sip of water, "This is the reality.

   They have no children, and their property does go to someone else when they die. "

  Jackson reminded, "Remember the transcript we made for Viktor?

   According to Viktor, Galina Sweeney's mother is still alive.

   If Galina dies, her mother is also the legal beneficiary. And according to Viktor, the relationship between their mother and daughter is not good.

  Will Gelina's mother also be suspected? "

  Luke said, "It's possible, but I still think Helson's relatives are more suspected."

   "Captain, how do you judge?"

   "Death order.

   Even if there is only a minute difference between dying first and dying later, the distribution of property will have a huge impact.

  If I were Galina's mother, and I wanted to kill someone to get an inheritance, I would definitely not kill my daughter first, but my son-in-law.

   Only in this way can the benefits be maximized. "

  Matthew came over, "Captain, Herson Sweeney's parents have passed away, and he has a younger brother who is also his legal beneficiary."

   "Notify him to come to identify the body, I want to have a good talk with him."

   "Yes, sir."

  …

   Three o'clock in the afternoon.

  A white man in his thirties was brought into the First Squadron of the Robbery and Murder Division.

  There are some portraits of the white man and Helson Sweeney, with red eyes, looking younger, with a luggage bag on his back.

   Luke looked at the other party and introduced himself, "I am Luke, the captain of the first squadron."

   "Rickon."

   "Have you met Mr. Sweeney?"

   "Yes, I didn't expect... to meet in this way. Who killed my brother?" Rickon showed a sad look, a little emotional.

   "From the current evidence, it is very likely that he committed suicide."

   "Why did he commit suicide?"

   "We are also investigating the cause. We would like to make a note for you and ask some questions about Mr. Sweeney."

   "OK, you can ask."

   "How is the relationship between your brothers? Do you communicate a lot?"

   "Our relationship has always been very good, but I live in New York, because it is far away, and there is not much communication.

   But we often talk on the phone. "

   "You live in New York?"

"Yes."

   "We only contacted you in the morning, why did you come so soon?"

   "Last night, Helson called me and said that Galina was dead. Although they had a bad relationship, they were my sister-in-law after all.

  I bought a plane ticket and rushed over immediately, who knew that I received a call as soon as I got off the plane, Helson..." Rickon's voice choked up, and he covered his eyes with his hands,

   "Too suddenly, he is my only relative in this world.

   I can't take it. "

   "What time did you call last night?"

   "It seems to be around nine o'clock, I just entered the house at that time."

   "Did he call you?"

   "Yes, he was a little depressed, so I took a few days off and wanted to spend more time with him."

   "Did he drink alcohol?"

   "Sounds like drinking."

   "Is there a state of intoxication?"

   "No, he's sober and drinks well."

   "Did he have any thoughts of committing suicide?"

   "No, absolutely not.

  Although they are husband and wife, their relationship is not good, and they are on the verge of divorce.

  To put it bluntly, Galina's death is not a bad thing for my brother. He doesn't need to pay alimony anymore, and his life will be much easier in the future.

  Even if it may be uncomfortable for a while, I will definitely not commit suicide.

  I think there must be something wrong here. "

  Luke said, "If Mr. Sweeney didn't commit suicide, then the person who killed their husband and wife may be the same murderer.

   Do you have any guesses about this? "

   Rickon thought for a while, "Although we have a good relationship, we are too far apart after all, and I don't know much about his life."

  Luke took out a photo of Novena Jones, "Do you know her?"

  Rickon shook his head, "I don't know."

   "Does Mr. Sweeney have a habit of whoring?"

   "No...at least, he didn't have one before."

  Luke took out Viktor's photo again, "Do you know him?"

"do not know."

  Luke has been observing Rickon's expression, his expression is very sincere, not like a show.

  Through the questioning just now, Luke didn't see any sign that the other party was lying.

   Moreover, he firmly believes that Helson will not commit suicide. If he is really the murderer, he should not express such a clear attitude.

  In many cases, when the police determine suicide and homicide, the attitude of the family members will have a great influence.

   To put it bluntly, the family members don’t take it seriously, the people don’t raise officials, the police directly judge it as suicide, and everyone saves trouble.

  If the family members have a tough attitude and think that the victim will not commit suicide, the police will take into account the emotions of the family members and treat it with caution.

  Although it may sound uncomfortable, every industry has its own rules. Don’t laugh at the black crow.

  Luke lowered his doubts about Rickon, and asked in detail, "Is there anyone else in Mr. Sweeney's family when you called?"

   "No." Rickon replied, then seemed to remember something,

   "By the way, when we were calling, someone called the door, he went to answer the door, and then hung up the phone."

  Helson Sweeney's death time was from ten to ten thirty in the evening, and the time they called was nine in the evening. Even if the person who called the door was not the murderer, he might know something.

   "Do you know the identity of the visitor?"

   "Uh, I didn't ask.

  Helson said something, a friend came.

   Then, I vaguely heard him calling the other party Henry, which seemed to be the name. "

   "Did you hear that Henry's voice?"

"No."

   "Does your brother have any friends named Henry?"

   Rickon sighed, "Sorry, I don't know."

  Luke asked, "What are your brother's usual hobbies?"

   "It seems not, he is a very boring person."

   "Think carefully, this is very important." Generally speaking, people usually have three circles, the circle of colleagues, the circle of neighbors, and the circle of friends with similar interests.

  The first two circles have fixed locations, you just need to ask one by one, and the latter circles have a wider range.

   Rickon frowned and thought for a while, "If... I have to say one hobby, it is drinking."

  (end of this chapter)