Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Malicious Kidnapping Incident
Eight years ago, a sensational case rocked the entire city, and if asked to recall it now, the residents of Banyan City might recount it vividly. For five years, it cast a shadow over the children of major groups in the city whenever they left their homes.
It was an afternoon in June in Banyan City when seven kidnappers abducted Daisy Ginger, the only daughter of Gabriel Ginger of the Ginger Group. They killed the driver and bodyguard who escorted Daisy to and from school, discarded their bodies in the wilderness, and then, two hours later, made a ransom demand of ninety-seven million using a voice changer.
Gabriel Ginger immediately reported to the police, and an hour later, the police found the corpses of the driver and bodyguard in the suburbs. Their major arteries had been swiftly severed, draining their bodies of blood. The forensic experts speculated that within the group of kidnappers who seized Daisy Ginger, there was surely a rogue skilled in combat and killing techniques.
Although the news was confined within the police and family members, no one knew who exposed it. Almost within an hour of Gabriel reporting to the police, the entire Banyan City media had begun covering the kidnapping case.
The media attention increased the pressure on the police, but what was most terrifying was that the news of Gabriel’s police report also reached the kidnappers’ ears. They were extremely enraged, cut off Daisy’s long hair, and sent it over, indicating that if there were any more disturbances, they would start killing hostages next. They also raised the ransom to five hundred million, demanding Gabriel prepare five hundred million yuan in cash within a week and deliver it to a specified location a week later.
A week later, when Gabriel went to the location with counterfeit money prepared by the police, a phone call suddenly reached the police. It was a young boy’s voice, claiming to have found the kidnappers’ hideout but the situation was urgent, and he could not wait any longer; he intended to rescue Daisy first and hoped they would arrive quickly.
That boy was Edward Stephens, who the Stephens family had reported missing for three days.
No one knew exactly how he managed to find Daisy before the police. When the police finally reached the scene half an hour later, they found seventeen-year-old Edward Stephens covered in blood, lying lifelessly in the arms of the disheveled Daisy Ginger. He was promptly sent to an ambulance for emergency treatment. Meanwhile, the kidnappers, discovering their hideout had been exposed, had already scattered like birds and beasts, vanishing without a trace.
Later, the police took a full six months to bring seven criminal suspects to justice, as accused by Daisy Ginger. Several of these individuals were linked to multiple other homicides. Most incredibly, one of them was a minor.
That was Ervin Osteen.
Ervin was tall, even taller than some adults, and at the time of the crime, he was just a week shy of turning eighteen.
It was him who, upon seeing Daisy Ginger during the kidnapping, developed a lustful intent toward her, and during his confrontation with Edward Stephens, stabbed him seventeen times before fleeing with the other six.
The heinous nature of the case led to six being sentenced to death in their first trial by the People’s Court, yet Ervin Osteen narrowly escaped this fate due to his minor status.
The fact that he was only a week away from adulthood stirred intense public debate, with lawyers and the public vigorously discussing juvenile crime.
No one could have imagined that eight years later, a month after Ervin Osteen was released from prison, he would again kidnap Daisy Ginger.
Upon confirming the kidnapper’s identity, the police classified the case as a "malicious revenge incident"—Ervin Osteen kidnapped Daisy Ginger for revenge.
Some people are born evil, and they can never be rehabilitated.