What can I believe?
Last month, 11/14/2007 my grandmother and grandfather were found dead in their room, Both killed by gunshot, the scene appeared to be a murder/ suicide.
At glance the police who arrived on scene indicated that what had happened was that my grandfather had shot my grondmother twice, and then killed himself.
But the crime scene investigation team indicated that there was probably an outside party that may have murdered them both. mostly because the following dosen't add up:
My grandfather was found lying flat on his back, a single gunshot wound from the chin, pointing upwards, you would assume that the weapon would land in one of two places, his chest or stay in his hand. but heres the thing: the weapon was found UNDER his right shoulder..
and another perplexing thing is that 3 bullets were found, but there were 4 bullet casings found,
The case is still open... either way: in this situation.... I kinda don't want to know what really happened... but at the same time... I want to know what happened... I mean I'm trying to make sense of things, ecspecially pertaining to this...
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wsmac
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Well, it's different when you know who killed a family member... as in my family.
I think it's reasonable that you would wish an answer to the question of what really happened.
I also understand how you just want to let it go.
As far as the facts...
Generally, I find the investigators know quite a lot about crime scenes and good technique.
Being that they are human, there can definitely be some mistakes made.
Three bullets found: two from your grandmother's body, one from your grandfather's body.
Four shells found. Where is the other bullet? Inside the house or outside?
Was the gun a revolver or a semi-automatic?
If it is a semi-automatic, then the bullet was launched from the vicinity the shell was found in, unless one shot was taken somewhere else and the shell was stuck in the chamber (in a misfired condition called a stovepipe, or some other similar condition). The shooter might have tried to clear the weapon while following the victim(s) to their room, finally clearing the jambed shell and firing the other three shots.
The first shot would then have been taken from somewhere else.
Same thing if the shell landed in the shooter's clothing and was dislodged only at the place the other shots were taken at.
Being a semi-automatic, there is a magazine (often erroneously referred to as a clip) which holds the rounds to be fired.
Depending on the gun, this magazine can hold from 5 rounds to 17 in a standard OEM magazine.
So, did the shooter load only four rounds? Did the magazine have more unfired rounds in it?
If the gun is a revolver...
The shells would still be in the cylinder unless someone released the cylinder and ejected the shells.
It could be possible that the extra shell was from an earlier firing of the firearm unrelated to the incident.
Again, this extra shot could have been taken somewhere else, a chase ensued back to the bedroom and the other three shots fired.
Someone might question why there were only four rounds in the revolver since these sorts of firearms hold from 5 to 10 shots, the latter being a .22 caliber handgun. Some people still only load 4 rounds in a gun holding 5 rounds. This used to be important in older revolvers, but revolvers made in the last 20 or so years have incorporated a device so the full 5 rounds could be carried safely in the firearm. So, depending on the age of the revolver or the feelings of the owner, the gun may have only had 4 rounds in it.
It might be worth knowing where the ammunition was stored... with the firearm, say in a drawer or top shelf of a closet?
If there are four rounds, then there is probably a box of ammunitions somewhere in the house with four or more empty spaces.
Assuming the firearm belonged to at least one of your grandparents... who loaded it, when and where?
This might not shed any light on the shootings, but it's a shame to pass up on any chance to find out more, especially if it's easily accessible.
Tests should reveal if one or both of your grandparents fired the weapon.
Tests can also reveal how close the victims were to the muzzle of the weapon when fired.
Still thinking about the missing fourth round... are there any indications along hallways, doorjambs, etc. that the weapon was fired close by?
Some ammunition is considered 'dirty' in that it gives off more residue of unburnt powder than other ammo.
Russian and Chinese ammunition, for example, are notoriously dirty fouling up firearms much more readily than American and Western European ammo.
About finding the gun under your grandfather's shoulder...
It should not be assumed the gun would fall onto his chest or stay in his hand.
In reality, it could be one of several more places.
There's a lot of information missing here from your post for me to come up with suggestions as to how it might have landed there.
You need to take into account the original position of your grandfather's body prior to being shot... whether he might have been in motion at the time, how serious the injury was... immediately fatal or caused death only after he bled out, etc., the exact placement of the gun and his body when the first person arrived at the scene.
I can tell you that when a person comes across a scene such as this one, it is possible for them to disturb evidence and later on not remember doing so because of their emotional state at the time.
Knowing what I know, I went through the EMS and Police reports concerning my sister's murder.
I wasn't looking for anything in particular, especially since we knew who did it from a witness and his confession later on.
If you really feel the need to explore this matter further, get copies of all the reports.
Go interview anyone who was at the scene.. which will be hard to do with some of the law enforcement personnel I'm sure.
I would not recommend going to these people with the air of, "I'm here to prove they were murdered!" or something similar.
Ask your questions in the context of trying to understand these discrepancies.
If you get stonewalled, or you feel strongly that the case is not being investigated properly, then you might go to the D.A.'s office.
What you get from them may very well be based upon their relationship with the law enforcement department who is handling the case.
I'm not any sort of Special SWAT CSI Uber-Sleuth person.
These are just some ideas I felt I could respond with from your post.
The professionals really do have the proper tools to find out what happened... as long as there's enough evidence to help them.
I'm sorry to hear about this situation.
I hope your family is coping with the loss and the emotions that come up from a violent death such as these.
I do hope a final answer is found that feels right to you all.
And if someone else was involved, I hope they are caught sooner than later.
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lelia
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