Equivocal Death Investigations

Equivocal death investigations are those inquiries that are open to interpretation. There may be two or more meanings and the case may present as a homicide or a suicide, depending upon the circumstances. The facts are purposefully vague or misleading, as in the case of a staged crime scene, or the death is suspicious or questionable based upon what is presented to the authorities. The deaths may resemble homicides or suicides, accidents or naturals. They are open to interpretation pending further information of the facts, the victimology, and the circumstances of the event.1

In Chapter 1, we discussed the "staged crime scene" and how staging is a conscious criminal action on the part of an offender to thwart an investigation.

Remember: Things are not always what they appear to be.

In staged crime scenes, the presentation of the homicide victim and the manipulation of the crime scene by a clever offender could make the death appear to be a suicide. I have investigated many such cases and the truth of the matter is that, initially, the cases did look like suicides.

Initiating the Investigation

In order to investigate an equivocal death properly, the detective must avail himself or herself of all of the information obtainable by conducting a thorough and indepth victimology, as we discussed in Chapter 1. Furthermore, the investigator must conduct the necessary forensic examinations to establish and ascertain the facts of the case. This includes examination of the weapons for any latent evidence as well as ballistics and testing of the firearms in order to reconstruct and evaluate the event. In addition, there must be a thorough medicolegal analysis and opinion provided by a forensic pathologist. Teamwork requires and dictates that a forensic pathologist be consulted regarding cause, mechanism, and manner of death. The

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number, type, location, and lethality of wounds will be paramount in establishing whether the injuries were self-inflicted or homicidal in nature.

In this chapter, I present four different death scenarios as case history examples of equivocal death investigation. In two of the events, the perpetrators involved staged the scene to make the death appear to be a suicide. In both instances, due to a faulty police investigation, the offenders were not charged with murder. The other cases I present are classic equivocal death situations in which different medical and investigative opinions are rendered as to the manner of death of the victim. This type of an equivocal death case should have been ruled "undetermined" because neither party could demonstrate with any degree of medical certainty that the death was in fact a homicide or a suicide.

Case Number 1: An Equivocal Death and Staged Crime Scene —

Making a Homicide Appear to Be a Suicide

Introduction

I acted as a consultant in a wrongful death suit brought against an insurance company by surviving relatives of a male who allegedly had committed suicide. The insurance company had refused to pay the beneficiaries based on the police determination of suicide. My review of the crime scene photographs and circumstances of the death of this young man indicated that the young man had, in fact, not committed suicide. The authorities had been misled into believing the case was a suicide because the scene had been staged. I completed the investigative assessment, which forced the insurance company to pay the plaintiffs. The authorities then tried to justify their error by insisting that the case was a suicide despite evidence and circumstances to the contrary.

The Crime Scene

The victim's body was discovered after a neighbor became suspicious about the manner in which the young man's car was parked at his trailer home. The neighbor had noticed the car on Tuesday but did not become concerned until Wednesday morning, when he noticed that the car was still parked in the same location. He went to the front door and heard loud music playing from inside, which was not customary for the young man, who should have been at work. The neighbor contacted the young man's mother and together they entered the unlocked rear door.

When they opened the door, they saw a human brain on the floor. The victim was discovered lying on his back across his bed with a semiautomatic Remington .308 model 742 rifle between his legs, suggesting that he had shot himself in the head with the weapon. The butt of the rifle was lying against a mirror, which had been removed from the wall during refurbishing.

It should be noted that this weapon has a tremendous kickback — the mirror should have been shattered.

Figure 22.1 VICTIM LYING ON BED. Murder made to appear to be a suicide. The victim was discovered lying on his back across his bed with a .308 rifle between his legs, suggesting that he had shot himself in the head with the weapon. His head is pointing towards the south with his feet to the north. (From the author's files.)

There was a large amount of blood and brain matter found in the room where the deceased was discovered. The entire top of the victim's head was blown away. The rifle belonged to the deceased. There was an open box of Remington .308 ammunition for the gun found in the premises with six cartridges missing from the box. There were two bullet holes in the roof of the victim's trailer, suggesting that two shots had been fired upward towards the ceiling and the police recovered two spent shell casings in the bedroom next to the victim's feet. It should be noted that the Remington .308 model 742 rifle ejects from the right, usually 10 to 12 feet. The shell casings would not have landed at the victim's feet.

There appeared to be velocity blood spatter going into a closet in the bedroom. However, there is no reference to this fact and apparently the authorities never processed this nor looked into the closet. According to the police report, "the rest of the trailer was observed and there were no signs of a struggle." Based on their preliminary observations, the police agency wrongfully assumed that the victim had shot himself twice in the head with this high-powered rifle. The case was classified as a suicide.

The Police Investigation

A review of the police reports by the consultant revealed a careless and perfunctory investigation totaling a mere eight pages of police reports, four of which were vouchers. The police did not attempt to locate the fired rounds; they did not test or examine the firearm; no ballistics reports were prepared; no gunshot residue (GSR) testing was

Figure 22.2 VICTIM LYING ON BED. The hallway of the victim's residence. You can observe his feet hanging off the bed in the bedroom. (From the author's files.)

Figure 22.3 VICTIM'S BRAIN AT REAR DOOR. His brain is found lying by the back door, which is northeast of his position. (From the author's files.)

done on the victim to ascertain whether he had fired the weapon; and no attempt was made to reconstruct the event. The police did not process the crime scene for fingerprints. They did not determine the trajectory or the velocity blood spatter and did not recover pieces of the victim's skull, which were later found embedded in the bedroom closet wall by a crime scene cleaning company hired by the family to clean the trailer. The police failed to conduct a background check or victimology. The police and coroner assumed that the death was a suicide. A local hospital pathologist (not a forensic pathologist) conducted an autopsy and determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and ruled the death a suicide. However, the hospital pathologist could not even determine the location of the entrance wound.

The Autopsy

The hospital pathologist wrote in his report,

CAUSE OF DEATH: gunshot wound of the skull and brain. SUICIDAL. The entire upper half of the skull completely absent secondary to gunshot wound of skull. From the outline of the remainder of the skull cavity, the entrance wound appears to be from left to right and upward. Examination of mouth discloses upper and lower natural teeth in excellent dental care.

It should be noted that a forensic pathologist would have instructed the police to bring any pieces of the skull recovered at the crime scene and then glued these pieces of skull together in order to determine the exact location of the entrance wound. This was another major error in the death investigation.

Without further police investigation into the facts surrounding the death and a reconstruction of the crime scene, these observations could be misleading. The investigative reality is that each factor must be brought to its ultimate conclusion. I believe that the authorities made the mistake of assuming that the death of the young man was suicide based on their preliminary observations of the crime scene and as a result subsequently failed to take each factor to its ultimate conclusion.

Consultative Analysis

Investigative Considerations

• Many suicide deaths are preceded by verbal threat of self-destruction and other indications of despondency.

• In some instances, these threats are made to people of whom the deceased thinks highly or whom he respects.

• In other instances, the sudden change in behavior is shown by subtle actions, such as increasing life insurance, giving away prized possessions, speaking of life in the past tense, or abuse of alcohol or drugs.

• These behaviors are termed "warning signs" and present the investigator with a base of inquiry that can support a hypothesis of possible suicide.

My investigation did not reveal anything that would fit a suicide profile. In fact, in over 300 interviews conducted by a private detective hired by the family, not one person described the deceased as depressed or suicidal; to the contrary, they described him as upbeat and excited about his fiancé's planned arrival and their upcoming marriage.

Suicides Involving Long-Barrel Firearms — Rifles and Shotguns

• The victim usually selects the forehead, followed by the temple, the mouth, or under the chin.

• The temple shots are usually consistent with the handedness of the victim. In other words, if the victim was right-handed, the wound will be found in the right temple.

• The victim was right-handed. The wound, according to the pathologist, was to the left temple.

• For the victim to place the barrel of the Remington semiautomatic .308 model 742 to his left temple would have been extremely awkward, if not impossible.

In suicide cases where long-barrel weapons are fired into the head of the victim, the ceiling and walls are usually blood spattered due to the velocity of weapon and ammunition. I have included a photo of the ceiling in this alleged suicide along with a photo depicting what the ceiling should look like when one fires a highpowered weapon into one's head.

Victimology

My analysis of the facts indicated that the deceased had made short- and long-term plans, which is not consistent with a person intending to commit suicide. During the week preceding his death, he had gone out with friends, attended a birthday party for his sister, and purchased groceries for the upcoming week. On Monday of the week he was killed, he was at work. According to his supervisor, he was in good spirits. In addition, he had even paid his union dues 3 months in advance. He was expecting a visit from his fiancé and was refurbishing his mobile home. He had built a new deck on the back, purchased paint and wallpaper, and arranged with a neighbor to borrow tools to redo his kitchen cabinets. His long-term plans included an application for a loan and a trip to Alabama to clear some property in the fall.

Investigative Issues

Interviews of the friends and relatives of the deceased were conducted and disclosed that certain property and money were missing from the deceased man's trailer when he was discovered dead. A number of persons stated that the deceased was known to keep at least $1000 cash in his mobile home. According to the police report, only

$2.50 was found in the victim's pockets. Also, according to another relative who

Figure 22.4 CEILING IN VICTIM'S BEDROOM. Ceiling in the victim's bedroom directly above the body. If this event had transpired as presented, the ceiling would be splattered with blood and brain matter. Furthermore, if you look closely, those defects in the ceiling are actually from a muzzle blast, as if someone had pointed the gun towards the ceiling and fired off two rounds. (From the author's files.)

Figure 22.5 CEILING IN SUICIDE CASE. This photo illustrates what a ceiling would look like in a suicide involving long barrel and/or shotgun case. In this photo, the victim's dental plate has been driven into the ceiling along with the blood and brain matter. (Courtesy of

Captain Christopher Barrow, Middletown, Connecticut, Police Department.)

Figure 22.6 SUICIDE INVOLVING HIGH-VELOCITY FIREARM. This photo illustrates the appearance of an indoor crime scene involving a high-velocity weapon. The man had placed the shotgun into his mouth. Note that the entire mouth and major portion of the victim's skull area are absent secondary to gunshot wound of the mouth. (Courtesy of Detective Mark Reynolds, Harris County, Texas, Sheriff's Department.)

had reconciled the decedent's accounts after the funeral, the victim had made a withdrawal of $200 cash from an ATM machine; this was unaccounted for and missing from the trailer. A neighbor stopped by the trailer because of his suspicion that "something wasn't right." He observed that the victim's car doors were unlocked and the keys were in the ignition. This was unusual behavior for the deceased. Later, police would recover the deceased man's empty wallet from the floor of the car. The door to the trailer was unlocked and the stereo was blasting. The thermostat was set up as high as it could go. The deceased reportedly never had the thermostat above 65°.

According to family members, the victim's radar detector, which the deceased always kept on the sun visor in his car, was missing, as was a pouch of tools from the rear seat. In addition, a gold calculator with the deceased man's initials inscribed, which the victim had gotten as a gift for participating in a wedding, was missing from the trailer. This gold calculator was later found in a local pawnshop.

Critique of Police Investigation

It was apparent that a detailed examination of the crime scene, including processing of the crime scene and weapon for fingerprints, was not undertaken. The authorities failed to pursue and evaluate the crucial information supplied by the reporting witnesses and next of kin regarding money and items missing. The police were not interested in the information that the deceased never had his thermostat set over 65°. The background information of the deceased regarding his motivation apparently was not taken into consideration in determining whether the facts of the case were consistent with their theory of suicide. A retired investigator from the area stated, "It is not uncommon for a weapon to discharge twice during suicide due to a reflex action." Not to be outdone, a captain with the Sheriff's Department had the audacity to state the same thing: "It is not uncommon for a weapon to discharge twice due to reflex action." Later, when confronted with our forensic reports, they came up with another explanation: they said the second bullet was a hesitation shot.

The police agency then advised the insurance company that there had been a suicide note which, according to their policy, they gave to the mother. I responded to that issue in a separate correspondence by writing:

In my opinion, the absence of any reference to a suicide note in the original police investigation and subsequent Insurance Company investigation creates a serious doubt as to its existence. The fervent denial of the deceased's mother that she was ever shown this alleged note creates a serious credibility issue relative to the existence of such a suicide note.

If in fact there was a suicide note found at the scene and the investigators did not document its presence and seize the note as evidence, they are even more incompetent than I first imagined.

The presence of a suicide note is of crucial importance in the classification of death as a suicide:

• Suicide notes are supposed to be taken as evidence.

• The presence of the note should be documented in the police reports.

• The note should be collected in a manner that will preserve fingerprints.

• The police investigator is supposed to obtain a handwriting exemplar of the deceased in life to determine whether the note is genuine.

• This is accomplished by having an examination conducted of the known handwritings of the deceased in life (the exemplar) with the actual suicide note to ascertain authenticity.

• The note is supposed to be submitted to the medical examiner/coroner after laboratory processing.

Forensic Pathologist Report

I requested my friend and mentor, Dr. Dominick J. DiMaio, a former chief medical examiner and forensic consultant, to review the hospital pathologist's report and the facts of the case. He prepared an addendum to my report as follows:

In my 45 years of experience in forensic pathology, I have never seen a brain travel the distance the victim's brain is alleged to have been dispersed. From the bed area, to the front of the bed and then make a right turn down the hallway to the rear door. Secondly, a second rifle shot from a reflex action has never been reported in any forensic journal. Thirdly, how is it possible for this victim to retain control of the rifle and produce a second rifle shot by reflex action? In my expert opinion, I would not classify it as suicide.

Evaluation of the Weapon and the Wound Structure

• Wounds of the brain from high-velocity rifles such as the Remington .308 model 742 are extremely devastating and produce a bursting rupture of the head.

• It would have been physiologically and neurologically impossible for the deceased to have fired two rounds into his head with this type of weapon.

• In addition, the discharge of a .308 would have pulled the gun out of the deceased's hands and sent the rifle flying in the opposite direction.

• The gun would not be conveniently sitting between the deceased's legs with the barrel pointed toward the head.

• The mirror would have most likely been damaged.

Response to Insurance Company Medical Expert

The insurance company hired a forensic expert to refute our finding suggesting that the death was a suicide and that the victim had shot himself twice through the mouth. My response:

In my opinion, the analysis provided in the insurance company report, which suggests a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the mouth, is erroneous and inconsistent with the known facts of this investigation. Furthermore, the report conveniently disregards the most important issue in this particular case. What was the intention of the deceased to take his life? Where is the victimology?

• The determination that it was a gunshot wound to the mouth is in direct conflict with the hospital pathologist's report that the victim's teeth were in excellent shape and his mouth and pallet intact.

• The victim was right-handed. The pathologist's report says the entry was to the left side of head.

• The cleaning service reported finding part of the scalp and a piece of skull bone embedded in the wood paneling in the back of the closet and that there was a through and through bullet hole in the rear wall of the closet.

• This is not consistent with firing a shot from left to right and upwards towards the ceiling.

Figure 22.7 CLOSE-UP VICTIM'S HEAD AND MOUTH. This photograph depicts the gunshot wound to the victim's head. Note that the victim's mouth and teeth are intact. If, in fact, the decedent had fired this high-velocity weapon into his mouth, it would have been blown out along with the palate and teeth. (From the author's files.)

Figure 22.8 SUICIDE — HIGH-POWERED RIFLE. This photograph illustrates the devastating effect of a high-powered weapon placed into the mouth of a suicide victim. Note the destruction from the blast of the weapon. The teeth and mouth have been destroyed. (Courtesy of retired Detective John DeGuilio, Crime Scene Unit, New York City Police Department.)

In my opinion, this would not be consistent with the deceased sitting on the edge of the bed in an upright position and firing a shot upward through his mouth. In order for the major portion of the brain to get to the rear door, it would have had to have traveled in the opposite direction of the other blood and biological materials. In addition, it would have had to have made a right-hand turn out the doorway of the bedroom and then travel down the hallway, a distance of approximately 8 feet, before landing at the back door. We found this to be forensically impossible.

Opinion

In my opinion as an expert in homicide and death investigations, the inquiry into the death of the deceased was perfunctory and inadequate according to the recognized standards of professional death investigation. Numerous investigative errors and serious omissions occurred in this investigation as well as an obvious failure to support the classification of suicide forensically with evidential facts. It was readily apparent that this particular crime scene had been staged. The victim's death was in fact suspicious and not consistent with suicide.

Case Number 2: An Equivocal Death Investigation with Staged Crime

Scene Death Classified as Undetermined Manner

Introduction

I consulted on a case in which an 11-year-old female was found hanging from her bedpost by a chain connected to a dog collar around her neck. The police and prosecutor's office deemed the case a suicide. Professional forensic investigation concluded that this death was more consistent with homicide than suicide.

The district attorney wanted the medical examiner to classify the death a suicide because it "fit" the prosecutorial theory. The medical examiner refused this request and classified the suspicious death as undetermined. Three of four forensic experts who reviewed the case for the Medical Examiner's Office agreed that the case was highly suspicious. My opinion was that this case was a staged crime scene.

The Initial Police Investigation

The initial police investigation focused on the incident as a possible suicide. The mother informed the first officer that her daughter had apparently hanged herself. The first officer immediately ran upstairs with the arriving paramedics and observed the victim, who was hanging from a bedpost in the bedroom. The victim was cold to the touch and showed obvious signs of death and was pronounced dead at 1306 hours. The first officer immediately notified detectives to respond and conducted preliminary inquiries.

The mother told the officer that she had been downstairs babysitting her other children and a neighbor's child. The last she knew, her daughter was upstairs

Figure 22.9 STAGED CRIME SCENE. Murder made to appear to be a suicide. The victim was discovered lying on his back across his bed with a .308 rifle between his legs, suggesting that he had shot himself in the head with the weapon. His head is pointing towards the south with his feet to the north. The illustration depicts the victim's feet hanging off the bed in the bedroom. His brain is found lying by the back door, which is northeast of his position. In order for the brain to have arrived at the place of discovery, it would have to have traveled in the opposite direction of the suggested direction of velocity, made a right turn down the hallway, and landed by the back door. This situation is obviously forensically impossible. (Courtesy of

Medical Legal Art. Illustration copyright 2005, Medical Legal Art, www.doereport.com.)

Figure 22.10 MEDICAL ART — CRIME SCENE RECREATION. This medical legal art recreation illustrates the victim hanging from the bedpost in the crime scene when police arrived. It also depicts the ligature. (Courtesy of Medical Legal Art. Illustration copyright 2005, Medical Legal Art, www.doereport.com.) playing. The victim was the oldest of five children, who were all home schooled. The mother also ran a day care center out of her home, where she babysat other church members' children.

Initial Detective Investigation

The detectives interviewed the mother and father separately to obtain some preliminary information. The mother was emphatic that she had never seen that chain in the house. The father stated that the chain was used to secure the family dog they used to have and he had noticed the chain "floating around the house" over the past couple of weeks. He claimed to have seen the metal chain on the bed before. The father was requested to come to the police station for a follow-up interview. He gave an extensive statement indicating that the victim had a bad habit of tying up her toys, usually stuffed animals, and hanging them by the neck from the canopy of her bed.

The father stated, "This was an accident; we have nothing to cover up." When asked why he would make such a statement, he stated, "No reason. When you have done nothing, you have nothing to hide." The detective asked the father whether he would be willing to take a polygraph to assist in the investigation. The father repeated, "If you have done nothing, you have nothing to hide."

Initial Medical Examiner Investigation

Forensic investigators interviewed the father, a 46-year-old white male and his wife, a 33-year-old white female. The parents stated that they were Christians, very strong in their faith, belonged to an evangelical church, attended services regularly, and were close to their pastor. The father ran a warehouse business from his home and showed his merchandise by appointment. The parents agreed that their 11-yearold daughter was well adjusted and did not show any evidence of depression.

When the investigator asked both parents whether they had ever seen their daughter hang her stuffed animals from her bedpost with a dog collar, they both stated, "No." When the ME's investigator asked them if they had ever discussed sex and sexuality with their daughter, the father put his head down, covered his forehead and eyes with his hand, and did not answer any questions on this topic. The mother stated she was going to bring up the subject of menstruation with her daughter the last time that she had had her own period but then never got around to discussing it. The mother then stated, "If there is one good thing to come out of this, at least she will never have to have a period." This was spontaneous and an odd comment to make.

Autopsy Findings

A board-certified forensic pathologist conducted the medicolegal autopsy. There was evidence of acute vaginal and anal injuries due to acute sexual abuse. A sexual assault kit was completed as well as consultation with clinical colleagues from the Child Advocacy Center. These injuries were felt to be consistent with attempted vaginal penetration, with clear evidence of penetrating trauma to the anus.

The ligature groove mark on the victim's neck was quite pronounced and matched the configuration of the dog collar, which was secured around the deceased's neck. There was also an imprint of the rabies tag, which was attached to the dog collar, visible on the girl's neck. The ligature mark canted upward in the rear of the neck consistent with the hanging position of the body.

The Follow-Up Medical Examiner Investigation

While the father was at the police station, the mother was at the medical examiner's office, first speaking with forensic investigators and a detective and then with the medical examiner. The mother received a cell phone call from her husband. Following the phone call, the mother stated that she remembered that her husband had found two tampons in the daughter's room. The mother did not broach the subject with the daughter because she did not want to embarrass her. The mother was emphatic about the accidental nature of the daughter's death, insisting that the girl suffocated while she was playing. The mother told the medical examiner that she had read her daughter's diary and there was not anything in it that concerned her. She also said that she had not been able to find the diary since then. The mother then explained how her daughter had certain household duties, such as dishes, vacuuming, and babysitting.

When the mother was informed that the decedent had sustained sexual injuries (though not the specifics of the trauma), she immediately stated that "this was still not a reason to believe that 'the girl' committed suicide." This was a strange statement from the mother.

The mother then received a cell phone call from her husband, who asked if he could join the meeting at the medical examiner's office. Both parents then wanted to know whether the injuries could have been self-inflicted. When the pathologist explained that the injuries were consistent with sexual assault, the father became visibly nervous and put his head in his hands

The Follow-Up Police Investigation

Eventually, the father was rescheduled and took the polygraph test at the police station. He failed the polygraph test on questions concerning his knowledge of the death of his daughter:

Do you know for sure how your daughter died?

Did you murder your daughter?

Are you now withholding any pertinent information about your daughter's death from the police?

When the father was informed that he had failed the polygraph test, he provided a detailed confession to the rape and sodomy of his daughter.

However, the detective who was interrogating the father regarding the sexual assault unwittingly provided the suspect with a way out when he stated, "I then told [the father] that because he did this, his daughter was not able to handle it and this was why she hung herself." This was a major error. The father made no further admissions concerning the death.

The mother was never given a polygraph examination. She provided the alibi for her husband by stating that her husband was out of the house when the daughter died. She actually testified to the grand jury under oath that she saw her daughter alive after the father left for work. The father worked out of his home but maintained a warehouse where he stored his inventory. So he would take calls at home and then meet customers at the warehouse. The mother was never charged.

Investigative Assessment and Analysis

Initial Response

The initial police response was professional and in accordance with recognized emergency response procedures. The police and paramedics examined the body and properly confirmed death and left the body in its original position for detective investigation.

The detective sergeant properly instructed his detectives to interview the mother and father separately to obtain some preliminary information. There was proper documentation by first responders, which revealed discrepancies in the times that certain events had occurred according to the parents. The detectives properly requested the father to take a polygraph examination. However, the parents' accounts continued to change as the investigators requested clarification and attempted to establish a time line.

Review of the Police and Medical Examiner Investigators' Reports

Both parents provided conflicting information about certain elements in the crime scene. These contradictions continued throughout the reports:

1. The mother never saw the chain that was attached to the bedpost in the house. However, the father reported that he had seen the chain "floating around the house."

2. The mother was "fairly certain" she saw the decedent after the father had left the house for work at 11:40 A.M.

3. The father initially told the sergeant that he was the last one to see his daughter alive.

4. The father identified the chain as coming off one of his trucks. He then provided an alternative explanation and said that the chain was for his dog.

RED FLAG. In my opinion, this chain would be too heavy to be used as a dog chain. This is a commercial type of chain used to move heavy objects.

5. The father told one detective that he came home from his bike ride, took a nap for 20 minutes, and then showered. In the other statements, he stated that he came home from the bike ride, took a shower, and then napped.

6. The father said that he remembered his daughter hanging her stuffed animals from the canopy. However, the mother stated that she did not remember her daughter hanging her toys from the canopy.

7. The father said that he had seen his daughter wearing the dog collar "dozens of times." The mother said she had only seen her daughter wearing the dog collar once.

It is obvious that there was collusion on the part of the mother and father to confuse and mislead the police with their contradictory and inconsistent accounts.

The Ligature

The ligature consisted of a red colored leather dog collar with a metal rabies tag attached to the collar around the neck with a blue carabiner attached to the back of the dog collar. This carabiner was hooked to an "S" hook attached to a thick

Figure 22.11 MEDICAL LEGAL ART DEPICTION. This drawing depicts the ligature wrapped around the bedpost, which indicates an intricate design and sophistication. (Courtesy of Medical Legal Art. Illustration copyright 2005, Medical Legal Art, www.doereport.com.) rusty metal chain, which had been wrapped several times around the top of the bedpost and secured by another "S" hook to the frame so that it would not slip down the bedpost.

A review of the crime scene and medical examiner photographs demonstrated an intricate connection, too sophisticated for this young girl to have configured such a design. Also, if she were able to handle this heavy rusty chain, then there would be rust on her hands, which was not found.

Victimology

As mentioned in Chapter 1 and earlier in this chapter, victimology is one of the most important factors in evaluating whether an individual could be considered a candidate for suicide. A review of the police and medical investigator's reports certainly did not indicate any depression or inclination on the part of the victim to take her life. Investigators interviewed four close friends of the decedent. None of these friends or their parents thought that the young girl was suicidal.

Conclusion

In my consultative report prepared for the Medical Examiner's Office, I concluded that the death of this 11-year-old child was more consistent with homicide than with suicide and that the scene had been staged to mislead the authorities or redirect the investigation.

I based this conclusion on an investigative assessment and analysis of the materials available for review. There were a number of contradictory statements made by the parents, which the police investigators failed to pursue. Early in the investigation, "red flags" emerged which should have alerted the detectives to the obvious collusion on the part of the mother and father to confuse and mislead the police with their contradictory and inconsistent accounts:

• Red flag. Why did the mother not attempt to take her daughter down from the ligature?

• Red flag. The ligature was too sophisticated for an 11-year-old to have configured.

• Red flag. Analysis of the 911 call indicated subterfuge by the mother.

• Red flag. The father called the mother on her cell phone as she was on the phone with the 911 operator calling for help. The father stated that he "got a feeling" to call home.

• Red flag. There was a history of inappropriate sexual activities with the father's second wife's little girl.

• Red flag. Early statements by the father:"This was an accident; we have nothing to cover up" and "If you have done nothing, you have nothing to hide."

• Missed opportunity. A review of the cell phone records would have indicated any communications between the father and mother prior to the 911 call.

• Missed opportunity. Documentation by first responders revealed discrepancies in the times that certain events had occurred according to the parents. The parents should have been confronted early and both considered suspect by their actions.

• Missed opportunity. When the father failed the polygraph test, it was for murder not sexual assault. The detective should have pursued this line of questioning. Instead, the detective provided this clever suspect with a way out: "I then told [the father] that because he did this, his daughter was not able to handle it and this was why she hung herself." This was a major investigative error.

• Missed opportunity. The sexual aspect of the crime was the "hard part" for the father to admit. The confession to murder could have been obtained if the investigator had pursued the initial basis for the polygraph. The father failed the pretest questions as they related to murder.

• Missed opportunity. Detectives did not request the mother to take a polygraph test. The mother should also have been considered equally culpable in lieu of her inappropriate actions and misleading statements during the investigation.

The judge ruled that the manner of the 11-year-old's death was not admissible. The father was eventually convicted of rape and sodomy and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Case Number 3: An Equivocal Death — Homicide or Suicide?

Introduction

I consulted on an extremely controversial case involving the classification of death of 38-year-old Captain Gordon Hess, a National Guard company commander, who was on active reserve duty at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The victim had been stabbed multiple times through his clothing. The U.S. Army CID classified the death as a suicide. The family of Captain Hess disagreed with their findings and requested an outside investigation.

Case Facts

On Wednesday, March 4, 1998, at approximately 0810 hours, the body of Captain Gordon Hess was found in a ravine on a military base. Captain Hess, a 38-yearold white male, was a National Guard company commander on active reserve duty at Fort Knox, Kentucky. A search party had been assigned to locate the missing captain, who had been reported missing by his company commander. While the team was searching the ravine, they came upon his body. The captain was lying face down in the creek, which contained about an inch of bloody water. The soldiers rolled the body over so that Captain Hess's head and shoulders were out of the water and up on the bank. The captain's face was purple, and the body appeared stiff. There was blood on Captain Hess's physical training gray sweat top over his chest area and a small hole through Captain Hess's top about center mass around the breastbone area.

The soldiers lifted the body out of the ravine and placed it on the bank and covered Captain Hess's head and upper chest with his field jacket. According to the witnesses report, no one else touched the body. Captain Hess's arms were clenched up towards his chest and his body was lying straight out in the bottom of the ravine. There were a total of four soldiers. Not one ever saw a knife or any weapon at the scene. However, the Army later provided crime scene photos showing a Leatherman knife at the scene, which was covered with a large oak leaf.

U.S. Army Autopsy Report Case# ME98-006

The AIFP pathologist, Dr. Peter Schilke, classified the manner of death as suicide. He listed six injuries to the neck consisting of stab and incised wounds, which in his opinion were superficial with no injury to vital structures of the neck. He listed 26 stab wounds.

Two stab wounds were made to the right chest, one of which extended 3 in. downward with superficial incision of the right lobe of the liver. Dr. Schilke also listed 18 stab wounds to the left chest and left of the anterior midline. There were two stab wounds to the heart, which penetrated the anterior left ventricle of the heart, and four that penetrated the left upper lobe of the lungs.2

The AIFP pathologist based his determination of suicide on the following:

• The cutting wounds to the neck were superficial.

• The stabbing wounds into the chest were depicted as hesitation marks.

• He noted the lack of defensive wounds to the arms or hands of the victim.

• The victim's wallet containing cash was found at the crime scene.

Figure 22.12 CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPH. This photo shows the ravine where the victim's body was discovered. It was reportedly under the ledge. The photo also depicts a partially opened Leatherman tool as well as blood from the victim. However, there are no fingerprints of the victim on the Leatherman tool. (Courtesy of the office of Charles DeAngelo, Esq., attorney representing the Hess family.)

Figure 22.13 MEDICAL EXAMINER PHOTO OF LUNGS. This photo depicts five probes into the left upper lobe of the lungs — not four, as was reported in the AFIP autopsy protocol. (Courtesy of the office of Charles DeAngelo, Esq., attorney representing the Hess family.)

Figure 22.14 MEDICAL EXAMINER PHOTO OF HEART. This photo depicts two probes indicating the two stab wounds of the heart, which penetrated the anterior left ventricle of the heart. (Courtesy of the office of Charles DeAngelo, Esq., attorney representing the Hess family.)

• The Leatherman tool, which was found proximate to the body, was determined by the pathologist to be the instrument used to inflict the injuries.

• The pathologist also stated that no evidence of a struggle was found at the scene.

• The pathologist acknowledged an injury to the decedent's finger and noted five postmortem abrasions on the decedent's forehead.

USACID Position

It was the opinion of the Army CID investigators that Captain Hess had committed suicide because he was unhappy over a fratricide incident during a SIMTAC exercise, which is a computer-generated simulation training program. The CID interviews of personnel apparently followed the premise that Captain Hess was depressed and shaken by his failure in the exercise and therefore a candidate for suicide.

Second Medicolegal Examination Requested by Family

Sung-ook Baik, M.D., a forensic pathologist from Buffalo, New York, conducted a second autopsy. Dr. Baik's opinion was that the cause of death was multiple stab wounds in the neck, left chest, and right chest involving the heart, left lung, liver, and left second rib with hemopericardium and left hemothorax. He classified the death as homicide.3

Investigative Assessment and Analysis

I have investigated many suicide investigations where victims had self-inflicted multiple stab wounds.

• The number of wounds is not the basis for a determination of suicide or homicide.

• It is the lethality and configuration of the wounds that must be considered.

• An in-depth investigation into the victimology of the deceased must be undertaken.

• The circumstances of the event and dynamics surrounding the incident must be considered.

• All of the investigative reports and crime scene and autopsy photographs are necessary to assess and evaluate the death effectively.

I recommended an independent review of the AFIP autopsy report and Dr. Baik's medicolegal examination be conducted by Dr. Dominick J. DiMaio, a highly respected and world-renowned forensic pathologist. Dr. DiMaio was the former chief medical examiner for the city of New York, whose credentials are impeccable. The doctor agreed to review the autopsy reports and provide medicolegal services.

I reviewed the military reports and conducted interviews of witnesses and personnel that the USACID had documented. There were approximately 130 persons interviewed. Only one person had mentioned suicide and his reference to suicide was made in a joking manner. In fact, many of the persons I interviewed stated that their comments had been taken out of context to fit the "suicide" finding.

I met with a National Guard major who was reportedly investigating the death of Captain Hess from the National Guard's perspective. The major provided me with copies of the crime scene and autopsy photographs along with some further investigative reports.

I ascertained from interviews that the initial responding units felt that the death was a homicide. Another source close to the investigation stated that within 2 hours into the case, CID agents were ready to declare the incident a suicide. According to this source, it was the MACOM commander who made the decision to classify the death as a suicide.

According to sources present during the early stages of the investigation, the crime scene was completely compromised and contaminated by the additional emergency service personnel who responded to the scene as well as various Army commanders who were present. Military police responded and attempted to establish a crime scene, but the initial responders and others who had been present had already contaminated the scene with their boot- and footprints.

In fact, in one photograph I reviewed, one can see a coffee container sitting on a rock next to where the body was placed. Within 2 days, the U.S. Army command ordered 2 tons of dirt to be dumped on the crime scene by front loader. This was ostensibly done to prevent the spread of any biohazard from Captain Hess's blood. This action completely destroyed the opportunity to reconstruct the crime scene or perform any soil evaluations for comparison with Captain Hess's boots and clothing to any possible suspects. I had never heard of such a procedure as dumping 2 tons of dirt over a crime scene to prevent biohazards from airborne pathogens such as blood.

NYS Medicolegal Analysis Conducted for the National Guard

The author recommended that the National Guard major have the New York State Medical Examiner's Office review the AFIP autopsy. Captain Hess was on active duty for the New York National Guard when he died; therefore, the NYS Medical Examiner's Office would be available as a resource for consultation and review. Dr. Barbara Wolf, a forensic pathologist for the New York State Police at the time, concluded that

It is my opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty and in agreement with the opinion of Dr. Schilke, that the cause of Captain Hess's death was multiple stab and incised wounds to the neck and chest. However, it is further my opinion, based upon the materials available for review, that the manner of death is not suicidal. It is therefore my opinion that the manner of death of Captain Hess's death is homicidal.4

Preliminary Consultative Reports

In his expert opinion, Dr. DiMaio concluded, with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that the AFIP pathologists had presented insufficient medical evidence to state with a reasonable degree of medical certainty that Gordon Hess's death was due to suicide. I also submitted a preliminary report making specific reference to the lack of hesitation wounds coupled with the lethality of the injuries suffered by Captain Hess. In fact, in the absence of drugs, alcohol, or psychosis, I had never seen this many self-inflicted stab wounds in a suicide without the presence of hesitation wounds.

USACID Follow-Up

The military investigators had compiled a 1300-page document with investigative reports, which included a blood splatter expert who had provided an interpretation of the bloodstain patterns of the clothing worn by Captain Hess. However, this report was not prepared until 9 months later and was subject to interpretation. The Army included a report from a chief psychologist for Naval Investigative Services, who submitted his clinical investigative review of the facts of the Gordon Hess case.5

In this "psychological autopsy," Dr. Gelles wrote that "...there appears to have been a tragic series of events...that led to a rapid regression and loss of control for Captain Hess.... His status and role as a military officer and commander was critical to his identity.... His image of himself as a leader and commander shattered."4 Dr. Gelles concluded with the following statement:

There is some evidence in this case to suggest that Captain Hess was agitated and distressed, unable to tolerate the stress of continued training, in combination with his own self-perceived failings. He subsequently selfinflicted numerous lethal and non-lethal stab wounds using his Leatherman tool to his neck and torso resulting in death, either to relieve his stress or punish himself.5

USACID engaged the services of an outside consultant, who provided his analysis of the case. This consultant was a former military policeman with a fellowship in Forensic Medicine from the U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology. He concluded that the death was a suicide. This consultant referred to a research paper, "Patterns in Sharp Force Fatalities — a Comprehensive Forensic Medical Study: Part 2. Suicidal Sharp Force Injury in the Stockholm Area 1972–1984."6 The study was based on a study of 89 cases of sharp-force suicides in the Stockholm area of Sweden from 1972 to 1984. In this study, 71 of the 89 cases examined had hesitation wounds. In 18 of the cases, there were no hesitation wounds.

The Army cited this report as further evidence that Captain Hess had committed suicide because the author stressed that the victim's body had no hesitation wounds. Ironically, when contacted by CBS 60 Minutes, Dr. Karlsson, who authored the paper, agreed with our medical experts that the death was more consistent with homicide than suicide.

In the Karlsson report, one of the conclusions of the study was that "according to our series, more than one stab wound piercing the left cardiac ventricle is uncommon in sharp-force suicide. This may be due to an immediately incapacitating effect of one such injury, which precludes further self-destructive activity."6

I believed that the psychological autopsy was flawed because the examiner disregarded any family input. A psychological autopsy must be prepared concurrent with the event, before any predisposition. In the Hess case, it was not prepared for almost a year and the conclusions were based strictly on the military's interpretation of the event. The blood splatter information was of no value, considering that Captain Hess's clothing had been wet and blood soaked when his body was discovered face down in the water. The report was not prepared until 9 months later and was subject to subjective interpretation.

Medical Significance of the Wound Structures

The major area of dispute continued to be the medicolegal interpretation of the wounds. The medical question was whether a person could have caused such multiple deep potentially fatal injuries in a suicide, with lack of any hesitation wounds or injuries. This equivocal death became a classic medical examiner investigation.

I proposed a consensus of medical opinion from additional forensic pathologists. The additional medical experts who reviewed this case — Dr. Leslie Lukash, chief medical examiner, Nassau County, New York, and Dr. Halbert E. Fillinger, forensic pathologist — were renowned and respected in the field of forensic pathology. They reviewed our findings and concurred with our analysis, stating that the manner of death was more consistent with homicide than suicide and that they would have ruled the cause of death as undetermined.7,8

Figure 22.15 MEDICAL LEGAL ART DEPICTION. This drawing illustrates the extent of the lethal injuries to the victim's neck and torso, which are more consistent with homicide than suicide. (Courtesy of Medical Legal Art. Illustration copyright 2005, Medical Legal Art, www.doereport.com.)

Review of Medicolegal Findings

• The AFIP pathologist failed to document the wounds properly and as a result prepared a confusing autopsy protocol that did not account for all of the injuries.

• The AFIP pathologist reported that the victim had suffered two fatal wounds to the heart and that the four wounds had penetrated the left lung.

• The consultants reviewed the autopsy photographs from the AIFP Pathologist and noted five probes in the lung indicating five penetrating wounds, not four as cataloged in the original autopsy report.

• The medical experts who reviewed the AFIP report disputed the findings that there were hesitation wounds inflicted on the victim's chest.

• There were no hesitation marks on the victim's body.

• The AIFP pathologist stated that an injury or wound on Captain Hess's index finger was pre-existing or inconsequential to the event and was not a stab wound.

• The AIFP pathologist never explained the five tan 1/8–in. postmortem abrasions to the forehead or the three 1/8–in. abrasions around Captain Hess's left eye.

• I contended that the wound to the decedent's hand was in fact a defensive wound that he had received during a struggle involving a sharp-edged instrument.

• I argued that the postmortem abrasions noted on the decedent's head were caused when the captain's body was rolled into the rocky ravine.

• The medical experts who reviewed the AFIP agreed with the cause of death, which was not in dispute. It was the manner of death. The location, appearance, and configuration were more likely to have been produced by a homicidal attack.

• The medical experts disagreed that the Leatherman tool with the 2 1/2-in. blade could have penetrated to a depth of 3 in. and perforated bone. Many of the wounds were inflicted through the intercostal space (see diagram).

• One of the stab wounds had a "Y" shaped configuration. According to the medical experts this implied a relative motion between the assailant and the victim or a twisting of the knife or superimposing of two stab wounds, which is inconsistent with suicide.

• The multiple stabbing and incised wounds into the victim's neck indicated more than one direction of cutting, which is inconsistent with self-inflicted wounds.

• Multiple wounds had penetrated vital structures and were therefore potentially fatal wounds. Although it is not uncommon for multiple self-inflicted sharp force injuries to be seen in suicidal deaths, such cases are not associated with multiple deep, potentially fatal injuries, but with multiple superficial injuries and a single fatal injury.

• The chest wounds, which penetrated the chest and abdominal cavities, resulted in two penetrating stab wounds of the heart, which pierced the anterior left ventricle of the heart and five that penetrated the left upper lobe of the lungs. These were lethal wounds and not consistent with suicide.

Final Report

Dr. DiMaio took issue with Dr. Schilke's description of the neck wounds as superficial.9 He stated that the wounds that Dr. Schilke described as superficial were neither superficial nor hesitation type incised wounds. Dr. DiMaio described each wound and concluded that

The stab wound tracks that commingled and penetrated the left lung and ventricle were definitely lethal wounds. The wounds of the right lower anterior chest were potential lethal wounds. The order in which the above stab wounds and the others were inflicted is purely speculative. However, what is not speculative is that these wounds are not suicidal wounds. These wounds are consistent with homicidal wounds.9

Dr. DiMaio and I referenced the victimology and history of the deceased based upon personal interviews of fellow guardsmen, friends, and coworkers and upon materials provided by counsel. We concluded that Gordon Hess did not match any suicide profile that we had ever encountered in our collective suicide investigations. In summation, Dr DiMaio stated, "In conclusion: the cause of death is obvious. It is my expert opinion that the manner of death is homicidal, by unknown person."9

Conclusion

The medical experts and I produced a consensus of medical opinion as well as investigative concurrence among other experts who reviewed this case. In our opinion, these injuries and wounds were obviously not self-inflicted. In fact, not one of our experts had experienced a case with this many self-inflicted stab wounds without some evidence of hesitation marks on the victim. In the absence of drugs, intoxication, or psychosis, a death like that of Gordon Hess would more properly be classified as homicide. We all concurred that Captain Gordon Hess's death was highly suspicious and was not consistent with the military's finding of suicide.

Opinion

We also agreed that this type of an equivocal death case should have been ruled "undetermined" because neither party could demonstrate with any degree of medical certainty that the death was in fact a homicide or a suicide.

Case Number 4: Staged Crime Scene — Homicide or Suicide?

I remember one specific case to which I responded that had been initially reported to the police as a suicide. The reporting witness, the common-law husband, was a recent graduate of the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York City. He had taken various law enforcement courses as part of his study and therefore was keenly aware of police procedures and response protocols for the New York City Police Department. At the time of this event, he was awaiting appointment to the police department. The immediate problem for investigators was that the patrol sergeant had not even initiated crime scene protection because he had accepted the initial report of "suicide" as fact.

When I arrived at the scene, there was mass pandemonium as family members ran through the apartment crying and screaming. The husband, who was seemingly distraught, stated to the responding police officers that he had left his apartment in the early morning hours at approximately 7:00 A.M. to take a subway to the unemployment center in Manhattan because he wanted to assure that he would have a legitimate job when the police department hired him. He stated that he returned to the apartment about 9:45 A.M. and heard a baby crying. He called his wife's name but she did not answer. He stated that, as he ran through the apartment, he discovered his wife submerged in the tub. He stated that he had pulled the body from the tub and had attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The husband told the uniform officers that he then called his brother's house for help and asked his brother to call the police. The 911 call had originated from the brother's apartment. His other calls resulted in family members streaming to the victim's apartment to console him and that created much confusion.

The husband told the patrol sergeant that his wife had been despondent since the recent birth of their baby and that she had probably committed suicide by drowning herself in the tub after taking an overdose of pills, which the doctor had prescribed to her. Police officers at the scene had recovered a half-empty prescription bottle next to the victim's body, which the husband had stated was his wife's prescription for depression.

The general condition of the scene and the statements of the husband seemed to indicate the possibility of suicide. I observed the nude body of a young woman lying on the floor next to the tub in the bathroom. The tub was half full of water, and the body was still wet, as though it had been submerged in the tub.

I requested the patrol sergeant to clear the bathroom area and requested family members to remain in the living room area. I then directed my detective to interview the husband and obtain a statement. As I examined the body, I noticed a slight bruising and erythema in the neck area. The husband had explained that, upon finding his wife submerged in the tub, he had attempted to resuscitate her and had held her by the throat to force air into her lungs. However, when I opened the eyelids of the deceased and examined the conjunctivae, I observed the presence of petechial hemorrhages and was immediately convinced that the death was, in fact, homicidal and not suicidal, as the husband claimed.

Figure 22.16 STAGED CRIME SCENE. Position of the victim's body when police arrived. The common-law husband had indicated that he had removed his wife's body from the tub and given her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (From the author's files.)

Remember: The presence of petechial hemorrhages is presumptive evidence of strangulation or throttling consistent with homicide or assault. The key word is presumptive — not absolute — because petechial hemorrhages can also be present in additional pathologies.

I ordered the patrol sergeant to clear the entire apartment and requested a crime scene unit to respond. In the interim, the local investigator had taken a statement from the husband and was satisfied that the death was a suicide. I advised the investigator, who was not a homicide detective, of my findings and directed him to take the husband to the police station for a formal statement relative to the suicide because the husband was technically a witness. I wanted the husband–suspect out of the crime scene and away from our inquiry (investigative tactic). I then requested the patrol sergeant to provide me with the names of family members who were in the apartment at the time of the incident. I learned that the occupants were the husband, the wife, an 8-year-old female, a 3-year-old child, and newborn. I learned that the 8-year-old was in school and had left that apartment at 8:25 A.M. The husband stated he had left at 7:00 a.m, which meant that the 3-year-old and newborn would have been in the apartment alone with their mother.

Figure 22.17 CLOSE-UP VICTIM'S NECK. Examination of the victim's neck area indicated a slight bruising and erythema consistent with manual strangulation. (From the author's files.)

Additional detectives arrived at the scene to conduct the crime scene investigation and obtain statements from potential witnesses. I went to the school with a female relative of the victim to interview the 8-year-old. It was during this interview that I ascertained that the husband was lying when he stated he left the apartment at 7:00 A.M. His 8-year-old daughter stated that he was at the apartment when she left for school at 8:25 A.M.

Later, we learned that the husband had been yelling and fighting with his wife. During the argument, he grabbed her by the neck and strangled her. What he did not realize was that his 3-year-old daughter was watching him as he killed her mother. I had one of my Spanish-speaking detectives interview the little girl in the presence of a family member. In Spanish, she described what she had seen happen in the bathroom.

In order to cover up his crime, the husband had filled the tub with water, removed his wife's clothing, and placed her in the tub. He held her under the water to simulate the drowning. He then removed her body and placed it on the floor next to the tub. In fact, he had even placed the half-empty bottle of pills next to her body to show to the responding police.

The husband was confronted with the facts of the case as well as with my observations, which indicated he had in fact murdered his wife. At first he denied that he had killed his wife. However, I strategically indicated to him that his 3-yearold daughter would be called as a witness to the Grand Jury to testify as to what she saw. Obviously, 3-year-old children would not be permissible witnesses. How-

Figure 22.18 EXAMINATION OF VICTIM'S EYES. Evidence of petechial hemorrhage in the conjunctivae. Petechiae as well as an injury to sclera are observed in victim's eye. (From the author's files.)

ever, using a Practical Homicide® tactic, I was able to trick the suspect into making a self-serving statement. Of course, his statement was different from the little girl's observation because he attempted to make his role one of self-defense. It did not really matter. The case was properly classified as homicide.

It should be noted that the autopsy would have readily revealed that the death was due to manual strangulation. However, the offender, who was looking to "buy time" and get the body out of the apartment, certainly would have evoked his right to counsel the next day when confronted with the autopsy results. In addition, we never would have had an opportunity to interview the children because they too would have been under the protection of the husband's defense attorney. The observation of petechial hemorrhages at the scene gave the investigators a head start on their murder investigation. They made further inquiries of the facts and circumstances at the scene and gathered additional evidence. When the suspect was eventually confronted with this evidence, he made a full confession to the police.

Conclusion

It should be noted that the autopsy would have readily revealed that the death was due to manual strangulation. However, the offender, who was looking to "buy time" and get the body out of the apartment, certainly would have evoked his right to counsel the next day when confronted with the autopsy results. In addition, we never would have had an opportunity to interview the children, because they, too, would have been under the protection of the husband's defense attorney. The observation of petechial hemorrhages at the scene gave the investigators a headstart on their murder investigation. They made further inquiries of the facts and circumstances at the scene and gathered additional evidence. When the suspect was eventually confronted with this evidence, he made a full confession to the police.

References

1. Geberth, V.J. Practical Homicide Investigation, 3rd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1996.

2. Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, Washington, D.C., 20306-6000 ME98-006 AFIP# 2623130.

3. Pathological examination by Sung-ook Baik, M.D., March 10, 1998.

4. Medicolegal analysis by Dr. Wolf, October 22, 1998.

5. Gelles, M.G., Psy.D. Psychological Autopsy Report. Department of the Navy. Naval CriminalInvestigative Service. Prepared February 26, 1999, pp. 6–7, 9.

6. Karlsson, T., K. Ormstad, and J. Rajs. "Patterns in Sharp Force Fatalities — A ComprehensiveForensic Medical Study; Part 2. Suicidal Sharp-Force Injury in the Stockholm Area 1972–1984." Journal of Forensic Sciences, JFSCA, 33(2) March, 448–461, 1988.

7. Lukash, L., M.D. Medicolegal Analysis Report, 2/19/99.

8. Fillinger, H.E., M.D. (forensic pathologist coroner, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania). Medicolegal Analysis Report.

9. DiMaio, D.J., M.D. (consultant, forensic medicine and pathology, former chief medicalexaminer, New York City Medical Examiner's Office). Final Consultative Report.

Selected Reading

Geberth, V.J. "The Staged Crime Scene." Law and Order Magazine, 44(2), February, 1996.

Geberth, V.J. "An Equivocal Death: Homicide or Suicide?" Law and Order Magazine, 48(7), July, 2000.

Geberth, V.J. "The Homicide Crime Scene." Law and Order Magazine, 51(11), November, 2003.

Geberth, V.J. "An Equivocal Death and Staged Crime Scene: Making a Homicide Appear to Be a Suicide." Law and Order Magazine, 52(11), November, 2004.

Geberth, V.J. "Equivocal Death Investigation with Staged Crime Scene." Law and Order Magazine, 53(3), March, 2005.