What replaces rule of law in a society without government?

What I mean is, I haven’t admitted to being a murderer. You could figure it out with a lengthy and expensive investigation, but would you?

Oh, and I said this was an indigent. He didn’t have life insurance, or subscribe to any mercenary protection company.

Assuming you are found guilty, you bear the costs of capture (including re-capturing the funds, i.e. prison expenses, and investigative costs). So, any private security firm will balance their perceived chance fo success in getting a guilty verdict with how much it may expect to earn from having you do hard labor.

I doesn’t matter that the victim had no insurance or was not a subscriber. Even without any kin, any firm can take up the case. On this, read the works in this thread.