An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan

Author:Nicole Lundrigan [Lundrigan, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Published: 2022-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

EXCERPT

Testimony of Francis Brown, Firearms Expert

Direct Examination by Prosecutor Clay Fibbs

Q. Mr. Brown, can you tell us a little about string method?

A. It’s a developing field, first used twenty years ago. It helps investigators get a sense of where a shooter was standing, and how tall he was.

Q. Can you explain for the court how it works?

A. First thing to understand is that unless a bullet hits an object to alter its path, it will travel in a straight line. It doesn’t curve, or loop around, right?

Q. Of course not.

A. Let’s say someone fired a bullet in your house. Through your kitchen wall, into your dining room. You’re going to get two holes, one on each side of the wall. Imagine a piece of string connecting those two holes, and then you extend it. You’ve now got a nice clean line of string showing the path of the bullet. The shooter stood somewhere along that line.

Q. That makes sense.

A. Now imagine the shooter moves his arm and fires a second bullet a few feet away from the first.

Q. Really doing a number on my house.

A. Right, right. Now you’ve got two straight lines of string through the air. Two bullet paths. The shooter is standing where those two lines cross over each other. That point in space can also give you some insight into how tall the shooter was.

Q. Thank you for explaining, Mr. Brown. Let’s start with the bullets. Did you examine them from the Henneberry scene?

A. Yes, three slugs were recovered, and they were consistent with bullets used in a Colt Python.

Q. And were you able to find some—I mean, string some bullet paths? To get an estimate of the shooter’s height?

A. I was. It was a bit more complicated, as the assailant moved after shooting Mrs. Henneberry and prior to shooting Dr. Henneberry.

Q. Try to explain for the court.

A. I started with Mrs. Henneberry. Her wound was particularly telling. I knew the exact angle of her repose, and I had the photographs to assist me. There were three points along the string line as the bullet entered and exited her neck and lodged in the grass behind her. With Dr. Henneberry, there were actually four points along his line. Through his mouth, out the back of his skull, through the lawn chair, and the spot where the bullet struck the lawn. I knew the shooter had changed position at some point or another, but using some mathematical calculations, I was still able to estimate the height.

Q. What was the shooter’s height?

A. Somewhere between 4 foot 10 and 5 foot 5. Not as precise as I would’ve hoped, but as I said this was a complicated case.

Q. So not a tall individual, by any means.

A. Relatively short, actually.

Q. Thomas Ware at the time of the shooting was 5 foot 2. Would that height fit into your estimated range for the shooter?

A. Absolutely.

Q. Would this estimate fit in with a tall mystery man in a porkpie hat showing up in his black car?

A.

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