Death of the Horse Trader

Chapter 4 pt 2 The Horse Trader and His Death Revealed

Chapter 4 The Autopsy

I arrive at the medical examiners office to pick up the report copy to go over and try to see if I have some new lead.  

Colton's information is printed in black and white in front of me and I still find it hard to believe that a person I knew was  murdered.  Small towns usually don't get many happening like this, we are a close knit community.  

Preliminary Cause of Death 

Hemorrhaging from three stab wounds near his Carotid artery,  he was found face down in a large pool  of blood since he bled out.  The wounds were made by a serrated knife 8" in length from his kitchen, later found in the backyard with only Colton's fingerprints on it.  Remnants of food particles and blood that dried on the hilt and blade found since the knife being serrated held onto  more evidence.  Colton appeared to be making  a midnight snack so to speak and was attacked after he made his food?  Stomach contents reveal  to be  roast beef, cheddar cheese, and tomato on  whole wheat bread, with mayonnaise. 

Every thing else looks to be in normal range just  some bruising on the hands - struggled some with the assailant? Wounds appear to be made by a person of  shorter stature than Colton, with an upward  thrust and s***h at the neck, only a few wounds so it must of have the mark on the first wound but there was no major blood spray from the artery wound and no splatter marks  on the walls, so did he fall down and struggle for control and land on the knife.  I continue reading and maybe he was  knocked out from behind and maybe there was more than one assailant? One hit him from behind while another stabs him in the neck? Yep there could be more than one person responsible for the attack.  Hmmm if two involved  may have to check alibis again to see who said who they were with again...

Bruising on the back of the head  could be significant also  maybe he was knocked out  but nothing was recovered to match that wound so the killer must have taken it with them.  That could account for the no blood spatter he was already down?  maybe his clothing blocked the spray or maybe  someone was in front of the  blood spray and getting  covered in it since they were on top of him if hw was knocked out cold and then stabbed in the neck by the assailant.  Or was his heart stopped  therefore not pumped out of him that would cause a blood spray?  

How did Ava know and proclaim that he was murdered?  Was she involved?  it is possible they were in several spats  but they seemed more like married  couple  normal  spats about little things ... did it reach a point where she had enough? Did she lose control and just  go blank with rage, she is smaller in stature to him and could be strong enough to hit him first and then co crazy with a steak knife.  come to think of it the  kitchen was cleaned up in the police photos,  or was his sandwich already eaten before  and he was cleaning up when he was attacked, no dishes were on the table or counters and the dishwasher was ran since the dished inside it were clean.....

But who would she partner with?  Why would she really  kill him? She always said he is the love of her life.  Could it be killers remorse when she called me the day of the murder?   They always  say a spouse does it, could it be what happened?  Maybe she drugged him to knock him out so she could  kill him,  I check the report to see if anything was found,  nope no trace of a sedative or drug in his test results, no other medications showing in his bloodwork either.   

I call up Casey so we can do scenarios on what could have happened based on the wounds and the explanations on the autopsy report from the medical examiner.  My friend Lisa comes in to help with the scenarios and we try to come up with plausible explanations and the order of wounds if we can get that right we can maybe break down how tall the assailant was, how strong they are, and if it was more than one.  We are on the last scenario and come up with a pretty realistic possible set of scenarios.  One that  will blow the minds of the whole town! And a couple of plausible ones that could fit the bill.

Scenario One - Tony Flynn and his girlfriend.  they are top on my list after we act out the scenario of a twosome.   one knocks Colton out and then as he is down on his back  the girlfriend  stabbed him in the neck near the carotid artery pulled the blade out hit two more times the last one  hitting the artery and severing it inside him, they have the knife still in his neck  he is still alive they turn him over on his belly  the knife is then pulled out so they  keep the  blood from spraying by  using a rag  or  clothing and leave him to bled out unconscious and take the knife only to drop it in the yard.

Scenario Two - the professor and his wife, could perform the same as Tony and his girlfriend but why would they do that.  I would have to link more to them to get a warrant other than one  protesting the past many years ago.

Scenario three - Did Ava find a partner or hire anyone to kill Colton? She is a bit frail  but  it would be possible to knock him out first and stab him  and do the same  but  he would have to definitely fall forward onto the knife but there would be spatter somewhere and there was nothing at the site to lead me to this route unless there was some way to stop the blood from spattering around his neck.  You would have to be able to be coordinated  and have a plan and strength to  keep the blood controlled so this one could be a bit sketchy to believe.  

Scenario Four - a hired killer?  Still not sure how one person could keep the site so  clean but maybe one professional could  do it.  Hit Colton on the head, knocking him out - lowering him  to lay on his stomach facing the floor, holding a towel or a cloth around Colton's neck he stabs him  a few times to get through the material and hit the artery to  have him bleed out, lowers him all the way down and takes the cloth and the knife only to drop it by mistake out the back door porch from the towel that  may have blood on it that was not  found?  Who would hire this killer? Ava? Thomas Flynn? The Professor? An EX girlfriend?  it would have to be someone who could afford to hire someone to do this and only a few people in town could afford to drop that kind of cash to get that done.  So will have to see if Scenario One plays out the way I hope so I can wrap this case up.  

Now we have to get the proof and see if we can get a warrant to arrest the suspect we think that it is.

I call up the judge to see if I can get a warrant to search the property of Tony Flynn and his girlfriend,  he grants me one and I head out there with the team to search the house for the blunt object we matched up to the head wound that was missing from the house that day of the murder that could be the cause for the head wound therefore making them the most likely suspects and guilty of the murder. But I have some doubts that we will find it there  but maybe they will break down and confess as the house search happens.  

The team and I knock on Tony Flynn's door, he opens it and glares at me while I  say " I have a warrant to search the premises" and my team and I enter the house and the search begins...