"Means: The defendant had unrestricted access to her grandmother's medication. She personally collected the prescription that was used to deliver the poison, a rare, slow-acting toxin that built up over days. The very vial containing this poison was found hidden in her personal bedroom closet."
"Opportunity: The defendant was alone with the victim in the moments before her death. She admits to having a conversation with her grandmother that caused distress, distress that triggered the final, fatal cardiac event after days of systematic poisoning."
"And timeline: The defendant collected the contaminated medication three days before her grandmother's death. Three days during which the poison was methodically delivered in each dose. Three days during which she watched her grandmother grow weaker, waiting for the perfect moment to finish what she had started."
The prosecutor paused, letting his words sink in, then turned to face Shuyin directly. She wanted to look away from those cold, accusing eyes, but Zhou Mei's hand on her arm kept her still.
"This was not a crime of passion. This was not an accident. This was premeditated murder, carried out with patience and calculation by someone who betrayed the ultimate trust, the trust between a grandmother and the granddaughter she loved. The evidence will show that Lin Shuyin is guilty of first-degree murder, and justice demands that she be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
He returned to his seat, and the courtroom buzzed with whispered conversation until Judge Chen's gavel cracked down.
"Defense, your opening statement."
Zhou Mei stood, and Shuyin could see her hands trembling as she gripped her notes. She stepped forward, but her presence couldn't command the room the way the prosecutor's had.
She looked young, uncertain, and outmatched.
"Your Honor, members of the jury," she began, her voice not quite steady. "The prosecution wants you to believe that my client, Lin Shuyin, suddenly decided to murder the person she loved most in the world. But I ask you to consider this: where is the evidence of planning? Where are the internet searches for poisons? Where are the suspicious purchases? Where is any indication that Miss Lin was anything other than a devoted granddaughter?"
She was trying, but even Shuyin could hear how weak it sounded against the prosecution's confident assertions.
"Yes, Miss Lin collected her grandmother's medication. She did this regularly, as an act of love and duty. Yes, she was present when her grandmother died. She was there because she was always there, caring for the woman who raised her. And yes, she stands to inherit money, but is that a motive, or is it simply the natural result of being a beloved family member?"
"The defense will show that there are too many unanswered questions in this case. Too many convenient coincidences. Too much that doesn't add up. And in the face of these doubts, you cannot, in good conscience, convict my client of murder."
She sat back down, and Shuyin could feel the disappointment in the courtroom. Zhou Mei's statement hadn't been bad, exactly. It had just been... insufficient and overwhelmed before it even began.
"Prosecution, call your first witness."
What followed was a systematic destruction of any hope Shuyin might have had.
The prosecution's case was presented with devastating efficiency. Each witness added another layer to the narrative they were building, the narrative of a spoiled socialite who killed for money.
The pharmacist was first. A middle-aged man with glasses who looked uncomfortable in his suit. He testified about Shuyin collecting the medication.
"Can you describe the defendant's demeanor when she picked up the prescription?" the prosecutor asked.
"She seemed normal. Polite, even. She thanked me and left."
"Normal," the prosecutor repeated, as if the word itself was evidence. "As if she had no idea she was collecting the instrument of her grandmother's death. Or perhaps, as if she knew exactly what she was doing and was skilled enough to hide it. No further questions."
Zhou Mei stood for cross-examination, but what could she ask? The facts were the facts. Shuyin had collected the medication. There was no way around it.
The medical examiner came next, a severe woman with grey hair pulled back in a tight bun. She explained the poison in clinical, devastating detail.
"The toxin is a modified cardiac glycoside," she testified, her voice flat and professional. "It's extremely rare and would require specialized knowledge to obtain. It works by building up in the system over time, weakening the heart muscle with each dose until a final stress trigger causes catastrophic failure."
"Could this poisoning have been accidental?" the prosecutor asked.
"Absolutely not. The concentration levels, the delivery method, the three-day timeline, all of these indicate deliberate, sustained poisoning with lethal intent."
"And the vial found in the defendant's possession?"
"The contents match exactly the toxin found in the victim's system. Same chemical composition, same concentration, same manufacturer markers."