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Post by Steve on Aug 21, 2018 16:34:47 GMT
Autopsy ReportA copy of the Autopsy Report as obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, courtesy of the Unforgotten Podcast. Discussion related to the contents of this report should be posted here. Attachments:Autopsy.pdf (81.84 KB)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 17:48:50 GMT
I’d like to know the order of the gunshots. Just read through the autopsy report. It’s possible the shooter(s) shot him the first time or two while in bed. The first 2 shots memtioned, one was to the left cheek I believe which was an in and out wound, while one had signs of soot and stippling , which was in the back side area of the neck at the base of the skull. According to what I read online about gunshots, you’d have to be within 6-30 inches to cause the soot and stippling. As said previously, I know nothing about guns, bullets, etc. I think most of the knife wounds were superficial, other than one to the temple. That one was probably the most severe . I’m guessing he was still able to put up a fight , possibly the shooter was hiding in the bathroom ? Or the part of the attack where Matt was able to fight took place in the bathroom, thus the large amount of blood loss etc. I’m hoping the cops checked all that blood for DNA, as with knife wounds , most of them didn’t penetrate very far in, a few were on his hand, so he was fighting with them during that point. Defensive wounds. When a killer uses a knife , the handle becomes slippery, and if the victim is still able to fight , the victim could possibly get cut with his own knife. His blood would be at the scene also if that were the case. Usually when this much damage is done in one attack, it’s a crime of passion or hate. Someone particularly wanted him dead. 3 weapons, so many injuries. They weren’t after her or money. They wanted Matt dead.
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Post by Steve on Oct 3, 2018 19:02:47 GMT
My understanding from the reading of the report and the conversations about it that I've heard suggest that the knife to the temple and the execution style shot to the back of his head would both have been fatal. Everything else was enough to fight through until blood loss caught up to him.
I have heard, but do not know, that often in knife attacks the attacker ends up with hand bruises as a result of the impact. I would think that anyone who was an early suspect would have had trouble masking the fact that they had been in such a violent conflict recently, but that's more supposition on my part.
My reading of the report also makes me think there were two guns, and that Matt was not always facing his attacker. The angle and direction of the gunshots are very interesting and I've yet to come up with a scenario to account for this, but I'm far from skilled at reading these reports. I've spoken with Freddie about doing a Q&A with a profession medical examiner to discuss the details, but finding one that wants to come on and do it is harder than you might think.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 19:29:19 GMT
Would the ME be willing to do an interview ? The one who performed the autopsy ? Just to explain trajectories and such. I think it said a couple shots were from an upward to a downward direction. That’s why it sounds as if the shot to the base of the neck would have been from him possibly lying down. Classic “ contract” hit, although I’m using contract lightly. I highly doubt this was some highly paid assassin. More like a guy familiar with guns and watching movies, etc of how killers shoot to kill. I’d like to know if the knife struggle took place before or after the shots. It makes no sense to inflict all the small surface wounds AFTER incapacitating him with the gunshots. That’s why I’m wondering....hiding in the bathroom or elsewhere til they went to bed and Matt was asleep ?
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Post by freddie on Oct 4, 2018 13:50:01 GMT
Would the ME be willing to do an interview ? The one who performed the autopsy ? Just to explain trajectories and such. I think it said a couple shots were from an upward to a downward direction. That’s why it sounds as if the shot to the base of the neck would have been from him possibly lying down. Classic “ contract” hit, although I’m using contract lightly. I highly doubt this was some highly paid assassin. More like a guy familiar with guns and watching movies, etc of how killers shoot to kill. I’d like to know if the knife struggle took place before or after the shots. It makes no sense to inflict all the small surface wounds AFTER incapacitating him with the gunshots. That’s why I’m wondering....hiding in the bathroom or elsewhere til they went to bed and Matt was asleep ? Hey Julie, First, I want to thank you for your contributions to the forum! It's great to have a True Crime podcast connoisseur in our midst, contributing to the conversation. Thanks also for the kind words about the podcast! I'm sorry for not being more active in recent days here on the forum. All of my free time is being spent on the final episode. I did want to answer this one though. I did reach out to the ME months ago, before the podcast began, and we spoke over the phone very briefly. He said he could not remember the case of the top of his head (unsurprising, as I know he's had a long and successful career). He invited me to send him the ME report and other info about the case and podcast, and that he would take a look and get back with me. I never heard back, but I also never followed back up, as I got the sense that he was not interested (I could be wrong). Following up with another request would probably be a good idea. Thanks again!
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Post by pursootski on Oct 9, 2018 23:10:13 GMT
I'd like to know what the white plastic pieces were that were found in the gunshot wound tracts. Is it possible these pieces were part of something used to quiet the sound of the gun?
Did I understand correctly that the wound caused by the bullet that entered below the base of the skull was also responsible for the cheek wounds? Or was it the arm wound that was affiliated with the cheek wound? I'm not clinical so a lot of these medical terms are over my head. The bullet entering the base of the skull is the one determined to have penetrated the brain stem and was likely immediately fatal, so I'd guess it would have to have been the last one to occur? Maybe he was down on the floor at that point due to exhaustion or weakness due to his other injuries and the close range shot to the base of the skull was the killers insurance Matt was dead? If his arm was resting under his head, that could explain the arm wounds or cheek wounds? Purely speculation based on my limited understanding of the report.
Just curious why the report didn't have any diagrams depicting entrance and exit wound locations?
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Post by Steve on Oct 9, 2018 23:44:17 GMT
The white plastic balls were a part of the bullet. It’s a special kind of ammo called Pow’R Ball. It’s rare enough that the police should have been able to track it down, but of course we have no idea if they did or not.
My understanding is that the execution-style wound was the final shot... BUT there is also reason to think that the knife wound to the head happened AFTER he was dead. I’m not medical so I can’t confirm this. If it’s true then the attacker went gun, then knife, then gun, then knife. That’s just insane.
The cheek and arm appear to be related. I assumed this could have even been the first shot in the bed, a missed head shot, but further analysis needs to be done for sure. It could very well be otherwise.
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Post by justice on Nov 11, 2018 7:20:37 GMT
Did the medical examiner ever say what the estimated time of death was based on how cold the body was when examined? that time could explain the timing of when the wife left the house.
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Post by freddie on Nov 11, 2018 15:54:47 GMT
Did the medical examiner ever say what the estimated time of death was based on how cold the body was when examined? that time could explain the timing of when the wife left the house. Not to my knowledge. The “Time of Death” on the autopsy is left blank.
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