Skip to main content

Murder Mystery

Image
By

At the 1994 Annual Awards dinner given for Forensic Science(AAFS),
President Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal
complications of a bizarre death.


Here is the story:
On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and
concluded that he died from  a shotgun wound to the head.  Mr. Opus had
jumped from the top of a  10-storey building intending to commit suicide.

He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency.

As he fell past the ninth floor, his jump was interrupted by a shotgun
blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.  Neither the
shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed
just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and
that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way
he  had planned.

The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was
occupied by an elderly  man and his wife.. They were arguing vigorously
and he was threatening her with a shotgun! The man was so upset that when
he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and the pellets went
through the window, striking Mr. Opus. When one intends to kill subject
‘A’ but kills subject  ‘B’ in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of
subject ‘B.’

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both
adamant, and both said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded. The
old man said it was a long- standing habit of his to threaten his wife
with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore,
the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the
gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple’s
son loading the shotgun about 6 weeks prior to the fatal accident. It
transpired that the old lady had cut off her son’s financial support and
the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun
threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would
shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder
even though he  didn’t actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one
of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

Now for the exquisite twist…


Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He
had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to
engineer his mother’s murder. This led him to jump off the 10 storey
building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing
through the ninth storey window. The son, Ronald Opus, had actually
murdered himself.


So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.

A true story from Associated Press.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honda recalls Jazz and City Cars

By
Automobile Giant Honda recalls 646,000 Fit/Jazz & City cars worldwide because of its window switch defect which could lead to fire.Yesterday it was Toyota and today its Honda. Whats the problem ? Under some severe operating conditions, water or any other liquid may enter the driver's window and reach the master power window switch resulting in impaired function of the switch. If the master power switch is damaged then it may lead to fire and and threat to life. There were three reported cases of fire due to the defect two in America and one in South Africa. Jazz in India wont be hit Honda spokesperson in India said it wont affect Jazz in India because the hatchback sold in India are next generation model and the defects pertains only to the previous generation models which was not sold to India.
Post a Comment
Read more

Helping an Employee Who’s Struggling with Postpartum Depression

By
Going back to work is tough for any new parent, but the transition is especially difficult for those suffering from postpartum depression. (Remember, postpartum depression affects both women and men.) If you manage someone who has recently had a baby, pay close attention to how they’re doing — a parent’s struggle doesn’t always show on the outside. Some people may overcompensate by working too hard, while others may show a loss of enthusiasm. Familiarize yourself with the services your firm offers — which may include groups for working parents, health care coverage for counseling, or post-natal yoga or meditation classes — so that you can help your employee access support. Offer options such as flex time, telecommuting, gradual return, or peer mentoring. In fact, it’s a good idea to offer these things to all team members so that the new parent doesn’t feel singled out. Find ways to make supporting employees and their mental health part of your culture. Adapted from " What Managers...
2 comments
Read more

Encourage Employees to Learn by Sharing Your Own Growth

By
As a manager, it’s your job to make sure everyone on your team keeps learning. But beyond encouraging people to take classes and go to conferences, how do you do it? A good starting point is to talk about your own development. When managers open up about their personal areas for improvement, it becomes more acceptable for everyone else to do the same. Ask yourself these questions, and share the answers with your team: “What areas do I need to grow the most in? What insights have I found helpful in accomplishing these goals?” And when you come back from a workshop or training, don’t resort to the typical “It was interesting” summary — be specific. For example, you might say, “I thought I was a good listener, but now I can see that this is a growth area for me. The training showed me new ways to interact with others, and although they aren’t necessarily comfortable for me, I’m going to try them out.” Adapted from " Make Sure Everyone on Your Team Sees Learning as Part of Their Job ,...
28 comments
Read more