VERY SERIOUS CRIMES & ISSUES!

[lawmanconfidential]

I’m a grieving parent looking for justice for my son. My son was killed on 1/25/09 @ 3:30 am in Besides my son there were 5 others at his apartment and only 1 eye witness to his death. After being notified of my son’s death we were told it was a suicide. This in itself was a shock to us and we knew it to be a lie. My son did not and would not kill his self he was an A/B student in college getting ready to graduate with Honors and planning to return in the fall to get his Masters in CJ. He also had just traded his Acura car he had since he was 16 for a Honda Del Sol that he wanted since he was 16. He had plans to build the Del Sol into a super fast car with his dad & brother; he was already getting the parts list together to give to his dad to start looking for parts. Now why shoot your self if you have all these plans plus he was excepted at the Federal Level for CJ and very excited that he got it. So when we were told Suicide we were very upset and started looking for answers.

When we went to pick up my son’s personal effects the officer that handled his death told us that suicide would not be listed on his death certificate she even promised us that it would be listed as accidental. She lied to our faces sitting right there in her office. When the certificates arrived and suicide listed we knew the fight was on. Next we ask for a copy of the investigation report and were told that we would have to get a court order to get them even though the case was closed but we could get a copy of the cover sheet the Incident Report. Once we got a copy of that we realized that the eye witness’ name was missing, the one and only person in the room at the time of my sons death was not on the report. We asked why but received no answers.

Now we have that report, which is wrong, then we got a copy of the M.E.s report and it was wrong stating my son was shot left to right. This I know because I seen his wounds, the left side hole was larger than the right side. Now the Chief ME said he had seen the entrance wound be larger than the exit before but he couldn’t dispute it unless he looked at the body his self. No autopsy was done on my son at all he arrived at the funeral home the same condition he was at the Hospital clothes and all, blood still all over his face. Recently we got copy of EMT report, not one but two different ones. The first to respond got there at 350 am and hooked him up to heart monitor and stated in their report that the exit wound was obviously on the left. This unit sent away once County Sheriffs arrived. The second arrived around 700 am in which they stated that “per Law Enforcement” the wound was from left to right.

With so much deceit going on makes it very hard to trust anyone in our state. The lawyer we were referred did not ask us to sign anything and would not take any payment. He told us that he wanted to get my sons roommate and the Sheriff together so he could hear the events of the night from her and he would then make things right. Well that was over 8 weeks ago and still nothing. No one will tell us why

NOTE THERE WAS A PART I REMOVED AS I THINK IS A VERY GOOD LEAD WILL DISCUSS OFF LINE!


HEY JUSTINFO RATMAN ET AL

[Ratman]

Hey Lawman!

Send me the details and we can get our heads together on this.

[watchman]

Lawman I can understand their grief and need for answers. I don't find the email you posted to be an uncommon reaction to a violent death of a family member nor do I find their understanding of the facts unusual.

Can you mention the State? I guess one can rule out Connecticut as it was handled by a Sheriff’s Department.

Do you have copies the documents mentioned? What I do find unusual is an attorney accepting this type of case without a contract or retainer unless it was considered a free consultation. This type of investigation can be time consuming and expensive. I personally don’t know of any private attorney who would to do this pro bono.

I’m sure 4myifo would agree if one needed brain surgery one would not go to a GP or if one needed a questionable death reinvestigated one would not go a PI with a fraud or traffic background.

Without reviewing all documents and photos in this case I’m uncomfortable speculating or second guessing the investigation.

As a thought for new members: Reinvestigating this type of case is not difficult for an experienced private investigator that has experience working homicide, suicides and suspicious deaths as well as a the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement, medical examiners et al.. One needs to remember not all investigators have the same level of expertise. I would seek an investigator with a law enforcement background and verifiable competence.

I look forward to reading ratman, JL , 4my, Bullet and other members comments.

[Ratman]

The first to respond got there at 350 am and hooked him up to heart monitor and stated in their report that the exit wound was obviously on the left. This unit sent away once County Sheriffs arrived. The second arrived around 700 am in which they stated that “per Law Enforcement” the wound was from left to right.

I will admit I don't know the proper procedure concerning EMTs at such a crime scene.
If there was an EMT team already on the scene, why was it sent away and a second team called in later?

My next question would be, what type of firearm was used and what type of ammunition? What about a ballistics report?
From what I understand, different types of bullets could leave different types of enter/exit wounds.

I agree with WM, it's rather unusual for a private attorney to not ask for a retainer when taking a case.

LawMan, do you have any documents that we could see?

RM

[justlogic]

Well I'm not homicide or suicide qualified, I'm a security guy, but.
I would get the necessary court order for the report and photos taken at the scene if I were the parents and I had doubt's. I would also talk to the roommate and get the other names and more information. Suicide is very private and is not typically done at parties, this could have been a very sad accident. I would go through all of the son's personal effects. He was a college student he most likely had a computer also look for smaller storage devices I keep a 4 gig in my pocket. Somewhere in all this, they are likely to find some answers. If this were a suicide it didn't just happen, nothing happens in a vacuum and something lead up to it, and that something would possibly be in the computer. We all keep our lives in there, I know I do. I'm not sure the attorney actually meant he was taking the case. He may have felt that if he talked to the Sheriff and the roommate he could explain what happened to the parents better and save them more grief. Some times what we here is not what is said.

[watchman]

The email is too vague and a review of the reports would be needed to answer obvious questions and it would be helpful to know where this incidence occurred and jurisdiction protocol.

Briefly, from my experience the sequence of events baring unusual or exigent circumstances would be emergency services arrive at the scene be it EMT or Fire in conjunction with LE. Subject either transported to an ER or pronounced dead and left at the scene while LE at some point a coroner’s investigator conducts their investigation. When complete a removal service transports the body to the morgue for the medical examiner / PM.

I find it disturbing that EMT’s would make this type of written comments in a coroner’s case as they are neither medical examiners nor investigating officers. These types of remarks can become a prosecutor’s nightmare if this case turned criminal.

RM and JL make some interesting points. Lawman can you enlighten us?

[4myinfo]

I agree with WM - this email is too vague (and scattered) to make much sense of it.

Did it mention anywhere whether the son was left or right handed? Unless he were ambidextrous it would make sense that he would have shot himself using his dominant hand to fire the gun. It sounds as if it would awkward to shoot yourself in the side. I also believe, RM, that it makes a difference what bullet was used. It doesn't say where the gunshot wound was straight across the chest, from the waist up and out the upper part of the other side. There are alot of bones in the chest - ribs, spine etc. I believe that if a bullet were deflected by hitting a bone it could slow down the shot and create a smaller exit wound.

WM, I agree that many police and firemen are also EMTs so they would do a medical assessment when they arrived at the apartment. If they put him on a heart monitor the leads are attached one on either side of the upper chest and one on the left side under the breast. They would have seen
the wound right away when attaching the heart leads. All of this must be documented. The notes should describe the
appearance of the wound i.e. the left wound appeared to be smaller than the right wound with less tearing. Sometimes they can measure it also if there is time. I don't think that EMTs would label them entrance and exit wounds since they have limited training ( I think it's 10 months) and should only provide observations and not assess the path of the bullet. The info should also have been documented when the other EMTs arrived, when he was taken to the ER and during a post. In NY, if a person dies outside of a hospital or within 24 hours after being admitted to the hospital they, by law, must have an autopsy so he should not have arrived at the funeral parlor without being cleaned up and autopsied. Also, his clothes would probably have been cut off by the EMTs in order to examine the wounds.

Justifiably parents are frantic in these situations and often do not remember what they are told so there is a great margin for error.

4myinfo

[justlogic]

I don't see how an entrance wound could be determined without an autopsy. It seems a reasonable assumption the bullet slug or shot would have brought surface material with it into the wound and the exit wound would have expended material. Imagine sticking your finger in a cake, even if it's not frosted the smoother surface particles would be inside the cake even if the entrance were larger than the exit. This is one basic application of Locards Transfer Theory.

[Ratman]

When a loved one commits suicide, it's usually a shock to everyone and it leaves a lot of questions, especially when it seems out of character for the individual.

On the outside, the person seems like they don't have a care in the world. They appear to be happy, with no indications of what is going on inside. They go thru life on a day-by-day basis, making plans for the future as if nothing is wrong.

On the inside, they are fighting some personal "demon". Be it a failed relationship, or even a secret they are trying to hide from rest of the world. These internal emotions grow each day until the individual gets to the point where suicide seems like the only option they have, not realizing that it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

As for this unfortunate individual, he may have been fighting his own personal "demon" until it finally consumed him. He may have mentioned it to a close friend what he is fighting on the inside and this friend may not realize that until it was too late.

Many times, family members go thru a stage of denial because they can't believe a person would commit suicide. It's a sad fact.

[watchman]

4my. JL, Ratman

Good post!

[watchman]

Reinvestigating this type of case is not difficult for an experienced private investigator that has experience working homicide, suicides and suspicious deaths as well as a the ability to effectively communicate with law enforcement, medical examiners et al.. One needs to remember not all investigators have the same level of expertise. I would seek an investigator with a law enforcement background and verifiable competence.

lawman, If the family is serious about having this matter re-investigated they should consider having their attorney retain you as his investigator. In addition to the above credentials you have experience in putting a case together for both criminal prosecution and civil litigation.

[lawmanconfidential]

I AM SORRY I DO BELIEVE THIS IS THE MOST ESTRANGED FROM YOU FOLKS AND THE "DETECTIVE FORUMS" SINCE I JOINED IN /ON 12/2006!

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HARSH INCREDIBLE TWISTED IRONY AND INDIGNITY I SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE TO WHOM I I NEVER TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ! YET WAS CHASTISED BECAUSE I COULD/"SHOULD HAVE" TAKEN TIME OFF ON SO MANY OCCASIONS! gab ROBBINS THE W/C VENDORS TO THE STATE ADDED "TRUE INSULT" TO MY CRIPPLING INJURIES REFUSING ALL MY CLAIMS AND STOPPING MY BENEFITS DURING THE SUMMER OF 2007! AND COULD NOT AFFORD MY INTERNET SERVICE! HAVING TO CASH IN MY VACATION DAYS ETC.FOR SPENDING MONEY WHILE I WAS INVITED TO APPEAR BEFORE THE STATE MEDICAL EXAMINING BOARD AND TRUE TO MY INTEGRITY & BELIEFS I WAS AWARDED A LIFE LONG PENSION BY THE STATE MEDICAL BOARD WHO "OFFICIALLY" ON THE RECORD COMMENDED ME FOR MY DEDICATION & TENACITY AND UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED MY PENSION ACCORDING TO THE LETTER I RECEIVED 6 WEEKS LATER! JUST IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING!
Now I have mentioned a lot of this in passing before but I have to reiterate! because it is about "QUALIFICATION"
OF FACTS!
I did not realize you guys contributed so much to this column (I guess I haven't been getting my topic response notifications!) Watchman This is the longest w/o contact RATMAN GLAD YOUR BACK & OK! PLEASE DROP ME A LINE! OR CALL ME WITH YOUR NEW # !


I can't believe the impact this FORUM has made on my "DETECTIVE" career! AND the impact MY "DETECTIVE/INVESTIGATIVE" SKILLS,EXPERTISE ,EXPERIENCE & OVERALL KNOWLEDGE HAS INFLUENCED & IMPACTED MY LIFE!


I Have been asked before to look into quite a few serious crimes and on occasion have received letters from parents ,friends,investigators & reporters regarding "Suspicious Deaths" And "Suspicious Suicides"
"SINCE DENIAL" IS THE MAIN /FIRST REACTION OF THE MAJORITY OF SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE! AND SINCE UP UNTIL RECENTLY THE MOST I EVER ASKED OF ANY ONE WHO HAS WRITTEN ME HAS BEEN 300$ AND THAT IS TO COVER MY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES! FOR EVERYTHING /EVERYONE I HELP TO COVER THE PRO BONO & DEAD BEAT BULL SH*ERS! ESPECIALLY SINCE I AM NOT A "PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR" AND REALLY PREFER TO LIMIT MY AREAS OF EXPERTISE TO "CONSULT" "REFER" I PRETTY MUCH WANT TO WORK EXCLUSIVELY FOR "PROFESSIONAL" ATTORNEYS LAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES!


I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE I REALLY DON'T CARE FOR THE BUSINESS ASPECT OF THIS WORK! AND HAVE GOTTEN VERY OVERWHELMED TRYING TO HELP SO MANY PEOPLE W/O ANY ONE TO REALLY TO HELP ME! I have given 120% to everyone except 4 or 5 people whom I was unable to provide all the info or the work became to entailed for the $$ expended and/or I have not heard back from the Criminal Justice Officials etc.

The fact is that I "EARNED" WHAT I LEARNED!" AND LITERALLY HAVE THE SCARS TO PROVE IT!
I AM STILL VERY DEDICATED TO UTILIZING MY SKILLS ,EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AS I SAID IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO! WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER WITH THE STATE!

MY GOAL WAS TO HAVE RETIRED FROM THE STATE OF CT. THIS MY 20TH YEAR! WITH THE STATE WHERE IN MY MID 40'S I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED 50% of the 3 best 12 month highest average with OT!
and one of the reasons I took a volunteer demotion to be assigned as a regular C.O. As C.O.'S Make well over 100 k with OT and as an Instructor I planned on doing 3 solid 100k years and then go back to C.O. 12 /"PAROLE OFFICER" WHICH USUALLY HAS NO OT BUT 70 K AND A LOADED UN MARKED CAR! But due to all the injuries I sustained in "RECORD # OF CRITICAL & HIGH PROFILE INCIDENTS!" I WAS RETIRED RETRO TO 4/2007 AT 60 % (10% EXTRA FOR MANDATORY RETIREMENT FROM MY HAZARDOUS DUTY DESIGNATED CAREER/S)

AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY I was about 6-1 250 with a 50" chest & 36" waist I ran 4-7miles Daily 10-26 on weekends ,did an hour of weight training daily and 20 min -1hour martial arts! so my goal was to get my best 3 100kplus years while the getting was good! And to do this while I certified to teach ALL "In House" Specific/Specialized duties innate to a particular "Unit" "Office","Facility" Eg:A Max. Security Prison"'s Extraction Team", " Crime Scene Specific Evidence procedures"IN a Jail "BOOKING/BONDING" SUICIDE INTERVENTION" Background Checks on Visitors"! Money etc. Community Enforcement/Parole: "Drug Testing"Interviewing" Mental Health Issues!" " "In service:", Updates Yearly mandatory training for Officers,Nurses,Social Workers etc."Pre Service" ("Academy")




NOT INTO THE CRIMINAL /CRIME FIGHTING ASPECTS WHICH I FELT I WANT TO DO SECONDARY TO "PUBLIC SAFETY"/"SERVICE"
AND I REALIZE NOW THAT I STILL CAN WHILE BRINGING MY INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS TO THE TABLE!

IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT I WAS GOING TO GO BACK TO WORK! TILL I GOT THE ABOVE LETTER! One of my major distinctions between What I do compared to a "Private Detective" / "Private Investigator" Is the fact that I am familiar with a wide variety,array of "Forensic Investigative Intelligence Strategist/Specialist" is that I not only know Investigation "Methodology" & "Pathology" But my back ground in /as an Investigator were I worked full and part time Private,Legal & Forensic Investigator positions But also as a Supervisor/Instructor & Specialized "Tactical" "Treatment","Clinical" in E.M.S. But also worked as/in a "CORRECTION/PAROLE,POLICE,& PROBATION OFFICER"POSITIONS Where I also Investigated & gathered intelligence as part of my duties as well as TEACHING A LOT OF WHAT I SPECIALIZED IN Incident PSYCHIATRIC & CRIMINAL Intervention Crime Scene,Criminology, evidence & MECHANISM OF INJURY FOR & First responders E.M.T.S/"PARAMEDICS"
POLICE/CORRECTION OFFICERS & FIRE FIGHTERS, NURSES & DOCTORS!

A lot of what I do "Transcends" across ALL ASPECTS OF: LAW ENFORCEMENT,CRIMINAL JUSTICE & "PUBLIC SAFETY AS A WHOLE!"

AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT BACKGROUND THAT I AM ABLE TO INVESTIGATE & "QUALIFY" PROPER PROCEDURES LAW ENFORCEMENT, CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY E.M.S. AND THE "SYSTEM" AS A WHOLE FROM JAIL TO YALE ( MEANING YALE MED CENTERS E.R.!) INVESTIGATIVE METHODOLOGY OR AS THE D.A. WITH WHOM I worked with before AWARE OF MY "QUALIFICATIONS" HE LOOKED INTO THIS CASE AND WHAT "QUALIFIED" HIS SUSPICIONS WAS THE LACK OF INFORMATION REGARDING THE AUTOPSY!

And of /to which he said that he knows that my strength is the fact that I am very capable of Performing "AN AUTOPSY ON THE WHOLE CASE"
IN OTHER WORDS OR "TO QUALIFY THAT STATEMENT " I am looking at the whole "FORENSIC INVESTIGATIVE" "PATHOLOGY"

AND HAVE ALREADY FOUND CONFLICTS
I DISSEMINATED COPIES THE D.O.J.'S GUIDE TO DEATH INVESTIGATION FOR REVIEW AND TO ATTEST TO ANY AND ALL AMBIGUITIES LACK/FAILURE TO COMPLY ETC..



THE FIRST LAWYER HAD A POLITICAL AGENDA AS EVIDENT BY HIS "ACTIONS UPON RECEIPT OF MY LETTER OF "DEMAND & DISCLOSURE"
A former state DA & friend of the family offered to step in & work with me! However she did not have the resources to see a case of this proportion through
A big part of this case was having found many "MATTERS OF FACT!"
& HAVE SPARKED INTEREST IN THE CASE BY THE STATES DA & THE D.O.J.'S NATIONAL FORENSIC DIRECTOR WHO WILL REVIEW ALL THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF WHICH I HOPE TO BE ABEL TO GET AFTER NEXT WEEKS LAW FIRM MEETING!

As far as E.M.S. ROLE IN THIS AND MOST JURISDICTIONS IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NOT "BASIC E.M.T.'S " but ADVANCED "PR IN PROFESSIONAL PARAMEDICS WHOSE JOB IS TO "PRESUME" "DEATH" AND HAVE EXTENSIVE TRAINING
IN THE DOCUMENTATION OF CRIME & ACCIDENT SCENES AND MECHANISM OF INJURY "A RUN FORM IS A LEGAL DOCUMENT /PERMANENT RECORD OF THE FACTS ADMISSIBLE IN ALL COURTS!"

AND BELOW IS SOME OF THE AGENDA PROFESSIONAL E.MT.S AT ALL LEVELS WHO WORK PROFESSIONALLY ARE REQUIRED TO KNOW IN ADDITION TO THEIR EMS TRAINING WHICH IS SOME OF THE SAME ESSENTIALS I LEARNED & TAUGHT 20 YEARS AGO!



THIS PARTICULAR COURSE IS BEING SPONSORED BY THE NEW YORK CITY M.E.'S OFFICE

Basic Training in the Medicolegal Investigation of Death


This is a 5-day, 40-hour course focused on the basics of medicolegal death investigation, with an emphasis on scene investigation. The NIJ publication Death Investigation: A Guide for the Death Scene Investigator will serve as the guide to the principles taught. Introductory-level sessions in each of the specialized forensic sciences will equip the participant with the essential theories and techniques required for practice.

Topics will include: First Steps in Scene Arrival; Basic and Advanced Methods of Decedent Identification; Trauma (gunshot, blunt and sharp force injury, thermal and explosive injuries); Sudden Death from Natural Causes; Asphyxia; Narcotic and Drug Related Deaths/Toxicology; Pediatric Deaths and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death; Court Testimony and Trial Preparation; DNA in Death Investigation; Introduction to Mass Fatality Management; Introductory Crime Scene Reconstruction and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis; Death Scene Photography; Forensic Anthropology.

The Basic Course is designed for practitioners who seek a fundamental grounding in medicolegal death investigation techniques. The course is targeted at those who are relatively new to the profession, preferably with no more than 5 years of death scene investigation experience, as well as at individuals working in non-medical examiner-based systems. The course will help to prepare participants to sit for the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Registry Certification exam.
Learn more

Advanced Training in Medicolegal Death Investigation

This 5-day 40-hour course focuses on the application of advanced forensic techniques in death investigation, geared toward the practicing investigator with some years of experience. The Advanced Course will include at least 8 workshops from which the trainee may choose; each will be repeated throughout the week. These sessions will be hands-on and laboratory/field-based.

Advanced Level Workshops will include:
a. DNA Techniques in the Field and Lab
b. Basic Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
c. Scene Documentation and Mapping in the Field
d. Mass Fatality Management and Disaster Response Field Exercises:
a. Disaster morgue operations
b. Family Assistance Center Operations for Missing Persons
e. Forensic Anthropology Lab
f. Recognition and Documentation of Patterned Evidence
g. The Investigator as Expert Witness

The Advanced Course will help to prepare participants to sit for the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Board Certification exam.

Course Dates
Basic Medicolegal Death Investigation: March 15-19, 2010
Advanced Medicolegal Death Investigation: June 14-18, 2010
Basic Medicolegal Death Investigation: September 13-17, 2010
Advanced Medicolegal Death Investigation: December 13-17, 2010

Registration for all the courses will open on September 15, 2009
Have questions? Contact us!
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocme/html/training/courses.shtml

[watchman]

Lawman as I mentioned in the past this site (Detective forums) with almost 27,000 registered members as of this morning is monitored worldwide and you have developed into and now recognized as an internet personality with a unique standing in the investigative community.
With this in mind and now that the Los Angeles Coroner's Office has ruled homicide in the Michael Jackson death; I’m surprised someone from the Jackson group hasn’t enlisted you as a consultant and liaison between the family, investigators, media etc.

Now that the spotlights on the singer's physician perhaps his camp will utilize your ability and tenacity before this ruling leads to criminal charges.

[watchman]

LM

Haven’t heard from Ratman or 4my recently, however encounter and Roswell comes to mind.

[lawmanconfidential]

NICE CALL ON THE GSW XFER RESIDUE SURE THEY ARE TRYING TO BREAK THE LAWS OF PHYSICS TOO!

.45 CAL HEAD RIGHT TO LEFT "LEFT HANDED VICTIM!" WHEN COPS REALIZED IT THEY CHANGED GSW TO MATCH!!

"IF THEY LEFT IT ALONE I WOULD OF FILED IT UNDER P.I.D!
"PARENT IN DENIAL!" BUT "THE TANGLED WEBS WE WEAVE WHEN WE TRY TO DECEIVE!!

I AM PULLING ALL THE P-C STUFF AND MORE ALL THE PHONE /TEXT RECORDS OF THE VIC &
EVERYONE THERE!

SEE I HAVE THE POWER TO SUBPOENA EVIDENCE HERE! BUT NOT THERE HENCE /THUS HAVING THAT AUTHORITY EXTENDED TO ME WILL HELP!



MAYBE I WILL POST THIS??

BUT HEY COULD USE YOUR INPUT ON THE PHONE /PC FORENSICS

WHICH IF YOU ARE INTO YOU WILL LOVE THIS!!


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HEY WM I'LL SEND YOU THE LINK IF YOU CLARIFY THE DR. FEEL GOOD POST!! (I am /WAS Going to use this post as a reference!!)
I SENT YOU AN UP DATE & NOTES ON THE CASE!!