CHAPTER SIX
"How? I thought you said she was already getting better" Yusuf asked as he directly shouted at the doctors.
"She was. There were some surgeries she had to carry in and you already signed the paper knowing fully well it is a fifty-fifty chance of her either living or dying" the doctor explained as he tried calming Yusuf
"I thought you were trained to save lives… why… why watch the patient die? Why?" Yusuf asked feeling a lot of pain as he sat beside his sister's body and cried.
…
"Good morning class!" Dr. Jacobs entered the criminology third year class "Open your textbook to chapter twenty, are all suspects suspect?" he said as he settled his books on the podium and connected his USB drive to the projector and held on to the remote.
"Are all suspects suspect, does anyone have an understanding surrounding that topic?" he asked as he looked at his students.
No one volunteered to answer
"No one? Were you guys just playing around? No one read for today's topic?" he asked as he sounded surprised. "Peter, can you answer the question?" he asked as he pointed out to someone randomly
Peter stood up at the mention of his name, "Umn… I actually find that topic confusing because how can suspects not be a suspect?" he asked, returning the question back to the doctor.
"Did you bother watching documentaries related to it?" Dr. Jacobs asked
"No sir!"
"Really? Why did you then choose this course if you aren't ready to watch or read documentaries to answer that your question? How do you claim to be a future crime detective if you can't search further?" Dr. Jacobs asked continuously as he walked towards Peter.
"I will make sure to do so!" Peter declared to Dr. Jacobs as he stood face to face with his lecturer.
"It is a must!" Dr. Jacobs said as he signaled for Peter to take his seat, he turned round to go back to the podium to face the students. "In your final year, a lot of projects will be done. A mark lost in any of the projects makes one repeat the year. So, it is required for each and every one of you to watch and read articles on documentaries, stories on documentaries especially the mysteries related." He said as he made sure to make eye contact with at least most of the students in his classroom.
He then, focused to the remote to change the slide. "Who is a suspect?" he read from the slide before facing the students. "Who is a suspect?" he asked again trying to draw their attentions.
"Someone found guilty of his or her crime they have committed" a student amongst the center row answered immediately.
"Good, Margaret. Do you know why I am not satisfied with the answer?" he asked her as he focused on her.
Margaret stood up and spoke out audibly, "I didn't specify the word have well?" she answered sounding unsure with her response.
"Half way through it. You can sit down." He said as he dropped the remote on the nearest table beside him and walked down the stairs of the podium. "Anyone else, with a better explanation on who a suspect is?" he asked as he looked at the students.
"Suspect is one who was told of his unnoticed crime by the detectives." A student answered and it made some of students to burst into laughter.
"What is with the laugh?" Dr. Jacobs asked annoyed by the eruption of the students' laughter. "Who said that by the way?" he asked after the students maintained decorum.
"I am sorry sir! I just said that out of reading the topic we are on." A male student apologized as he stood up from his seat.
"You are half way correct by the way. You can sit down!" Dr. Jacobs said as he adjusted his eyeglasses. "As Margaret said, a suspect is someone guilty of his or her crimes committed. According to criminology, a suspect is an individual who is believed to have committed a crime or offence based on evidence, circumstances or suspicion." He explained as he changed the slide with the remote he took from the table he kept it on. "Key points under the meaning of suspects; evidence, suspicion and circumstances." He read out loud highlighting the points out.
"Now, understanding this tricky topic 'Are all suspects, suspects?'. Relying on the key points on who a suspect is, we will start with evidence, evidence isn't just based on only CCTV cameras or the words of the witness. Why do I say so?" he asked as he adjusted his eyeglasses again and looked at the students. "Yes, Michelle!" he called out the female student raising up her hand.
"Evidence can't only be said in that sense because, not all eyewitnesses are to be trusted because they might be threatened to tell a lie or even not be threatened but, still tell lie. While, some do. CCTV cameras do show people doing the crime but, CCTV cameras that just shows only the sidewalks and not the main scene of the murder doesn't actually tell about the murder. They just show suspicions whereas, the suspicions that can be done on the people might not actually be the suspects. For example, a student passed by the CCTV camera six hours ago and the never passed by; an hour before the incident two students passed by including the victim and the other suspect." Michelle started
"What we don't know is, if the scene was suicide, self-defense or murder. What we also don't know is, if the student who passed six hours ago will say the truth about what he or she saw or maybe he or she was even involved in the murder. We just don't know at all because, the evidence given wasn't solid." Michelle added
"A good explanation indeed! Your example happened to point put the other keyword which is suspicion and circumstances. This brings me to give you all an assignment, with a real life mysterious documentary about the detectives catching the wrong suspect, explain on the documentary with the three points I have provided." Dr. Jacobs concluded.