The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 1475 Suspect Sun Qingguo

In a corner of the kitchen, a stainless steel cutting tool with industrial paint residue was found. The wear on the tool's blade matched the marks left by the metal fragments extracted from the scene. Technicians immediately extracted the wire and residue from the cutting tool, preparing to take them back to the brigade for comparison.

In addition, investigators found a dark jacket and a pair of size 42 casual sneakers in Sun Qingguo's wardrobe. The sneakers had a diamond-patterned sole that perfectly matched the footprints found at the crime scene. Technicians took footprint samples from the sneakers on the spot and compared them with the plaster cast at the scene. They found that details such as pressure distribution and stride characteristics matched highly, which basically confirmed that the footprints at the crime scene were left by Sun Qingguo.

“Sun Qingguo, how do you explain this roll of wire, the cutting tools, and these shoes?” Xiao Yang placed the evidence in front of Sun Qingguo and asked in a serious tone. Sun Qingguo’s eyes swept over the evidence, his Adam’s apple bobbed a few times, and his tone was somewhat hesitant: “These are all leftovers from when I used to run a repair shop. The wire was used to tie things up, the cutting tools were for repairs, and the shoes are just what I usually wear. There’s nothing to explain.”

"Nothing to explain?" Xiao Sun produced surveillance screenshots and the repair shop owner's testimony. "A week ago, someone bought the same wire and cutting tools from a repair shop on the edge of the urban village. Their physical characteristics and clothing matched yours. At 11:20 p.m. on the night of the incident, someone saw someone matching your physical characteristics walk out of the alley at the scene of the crime, wearing these kinds of sneakers with diamond-patterned soles. How do you explain all of this?"

Sun Qingguo's complexion grew increasingly grim, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still refused to admit it: "That wasn't me. There are plenty of people in the world who look alike and wear the same shoes. You can't conclude that I committed murder just based on that." He was adamant and repeatedly emphasized that he did not know Li Baoquan, had not been to the crime scene, and had been sleeping at home the night of the incident. He said Zhang Yanyan could testify for him.

Xiao Yang looked at Zhang Yanyan standing to the side and asked, "Zhang Yanyan, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the night of the incident, was Sun Qingguo with you the whole time?" Zhang Yanyan raised her head, her eyes darting around, her lips moving slightly, and she said in a weak voice, "Yes...yes, he slept at home all night and didn't go out." But her flustered expression and hesitant tone clearly indicated that she was lying.

Xiao Sun saw through Zhang Yanyan's lie at a glance and said sternly, "Zhang Yanyan, we have verified that you and Li Baoquan were husband and wife, but you had been separated for a long time due to marital discord. You and Sun Qingguo had been living together for many years. Li Baoquan was murdered three years after his disappearance, and Sun Qingguo is the prime suspect. Now, please tell us the truth about the events of the night of the incident, and what connection you, Sun Qingguo, and Li Baoquan's death have. If you deliberately conceal the truth, you will bear the corresponding legal responsibility."

Zhang Yanyan's mental defenses collapsed instantly. Her legs went weak, and she slumped to the ground, crying as she said, "I'll talk... I'll talk! Sun Qingguo went out on the night of the incident. He left around 11 p.m. and didn't come back until after 1 a.m. When he came back, he was covered in mud and had a faint smell of blood on him. I asked him what he had been doing, and he said nothing and told me not to ask any more questions. He even threatened me not to tell anyone."

"You knew all along that Sun Qingguo wanted to kill Li Baoquan, didn't you?" Xiao Yang pressed. Zhang Yanyan nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Li Baoquan and I have never had a good relationship. Later, I met Sun Qingguo and wanted to divorce Li Baoquan, but he always disagreed. He even threatened me, saying that if I dared to divorce him, he would ruin my reputation and make things difficult for both me and Sun Qingguo. After Sun Qingguo found out, he was very angry and said he would teach Li Baoquan a lesson."

"Where has Li Baoquan been for the past three years? Has he been under your control the whole time?" Xiao Sun asked. Zhang Yanyan shook her head: "I don't know. I haven't seen him since he disappeared. Sun Qingguo said he might have run away or gotten into trouble, and told me not to worry about it. Until a few days ago, Sun Qingguo told me that Li Baoquan had returned and even came to see him, telling him to leave me or he would be very rude to him. Sun Qingguo was very angry and said he would get rid of Li Baoquan completely."

At this time, Xiao Wang reported that by reviewing Sun Qingguo's call records and surveillance footage, it was discovered that in the week leading up to the incident, Sun Qingguo had contacted Li Baoquan multiple times, during which the two had a heated argument. On the night of the incident, Sun Qingguo drove a black sedan towards the urban village, parking the vehicle in a blind spot near the alley. He entered the alley at 11:15 PM and left through the east exit at 11:20 PM, perfectly matching the time and location of the crime scene. Simultaneously, the forensic department reported DNA comparison results: Sun Qingguo's DNA perfectly matched the DNA found in the scratch residue at the crime scene, and Li Baoquan's skin tissue and bloodstains were also detected on the wire and cutting tools.

All the evidence chains were now complete, and Sun Qingguo was undoubtedly a suspect. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun lawfully arrested Sun Qingguo and Zhang Yanyan. The moment the handcuffs were put on, Sun Qingguo's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He stopped struggling, lowered his head, and turned deathly pale. Zhang Yanyan collapsed to the ground, crying her heart out, filled with remorse.

Investigators brought Sun Qingguo and Zhang Yanyan back to the Criminal Investigation Division, while further examining the seized evidence and refining the interrogation materials. Looking at the complete chain of evidence, Li Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. The case, which had stalled for many days, had finally made a breakthrough; the murderer had been successfully identified. The next step was to reconstruct the complete truth of the case through interrogation.

The interrogation room lights remained harshly white. Sun Qingguo sat in the interrogation chair, his hands cuffed to the armrests, his hair disheveled, his eyes staring blankly at the ground. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun sat at the interrogation table, with all the evidence photos, surveillance footage, DNA comparison reports, and Zhang Yanyan's testimony laid out before them. The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.

“Sun Qingguo, all the evidence is laid out before you: your call records with Li Baoquan, your movements on the night of the incident, your footprints, fingerprints, and DNA found at the scene, and Zhang Yanyan’s testimony. All of this is sufficient to prove that you murdered Li Baoquan.” Xiao Yang’s tone was calm and forceful. “Now that things have come to this, are you still not going to confess the truth?”

Sun Qingguo remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his head. His eyes were filled with exhaustion and despair. Finally, he spoke, "I killed him... I killed Li Baoquan." His voice was hoarse and trembling, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Xiao Sun immediately picked up a pen and recorded Sun Qingguo's confession: "He gave a detailed account of the entire process of the crime, including your conflict with Li Baoquan, your motive, preparations for the crime, the process of the crime, and the aftermath."