The crowd surged, a sea of angry faces directed at Connor. Several shouted obscenities, their voices a cacophony of rage. Connor stood on the gallows platform, his expression blank, his body rigid. Police officers, impassive, maintained a perimeter around the execution area, preventing any breach of security. The hangman, a man of routine, efficiently secured Connor's hands behind his back.

  "Any last words?" the hangman asked, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.

  "I'll be joining you soon, my dear wife," Connor murmured, the words seemingly directed inward.

  A flashback enveloped him. Three years of marriage to Emily. The missing wallet. Nick's offer to pay. The alley, the smell of blood, the pale hand with the distinctive bird tattoo – a tattoo identical to Emily’s. The discovery of her body in a black rubbish bag. The scream. The subsequent days were a blur, culminating in a swift trial and a death sentence.

  The hangman adjusted the noose. Connor's thoughts returned to the present. He heard his mother-in-law's voice, sharp and shrill above the din.

  "GO TO HELL YOU MURDERER!"

  The executioner adjusted the blindfold.

  "Do it," someone commanded.

  A lever clicked. The trapdoor opened.

  *Crack. *

  The following is an account based on recovered police transcripts and witness statements:

  **Witness Statement 1 (Officer Miller): ** "The condemned, Connor, showed little outward reaction until the very end. He remained mostly silent throughout the proceedings, except for his final words. The crowd was agitated, but our officers-maintained order effectively, preventing any interference."

  **Witness Statement 2 (Nick): ** "Connor was acting strangely that evening. He seemed stressed about his missing wallet. Then he went into the alley and came back screaming. He was a mess after that. I never saw him so distraught. But I never thought he could do something like that. I honestly did not know his wife had a tattoo of a bird."

  **Police Transcript (Interrogation): ** "Connor consistently maintained his innocence. He claimed to have found his wife's body and suffered a psychological breakdown. Medical evidence indicated a period of extreme emotional distress after the discovery of the body. No clear evidence directly connected him to Emily's death beyond his discovery of her body. His physical proximity to the scene at the time of death is uncontestable, but no murder weapon was ever found."

  **Autopsy Report: ** Emily’s death was caused by a single stab wound to the heart. The wound pattern suggested a sudden, forceful thrust.

  **Forensic Report: ** Traces of blood were found on Connor's clothing, but DNA analysis yielded inconclusive results. Fingerprints were found on the rubbish bag, but they did not match Connor’s. A separate set of fingerprints were found on the victim's wallet.

  The investigation into Emily’s murder was reopened after the execution of Connor, based on irregularities in the investigation and evidence discovered post-mortem. The reopening of the case centered around the unidentified fingerprints found on the victim’s wallet and the discrepancy surrounding the circumstances of Connor’s state of mind after discovering his wife's body, specifically on the validity of his emotional breakdown and whether or not it was actually a deliberate attempt to feign insanity. However, the results were inconclusive, and the case eventually went cold. The true murderer was never found.

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