Forensic anthropologist: Emily couldn't have died Dec. 29, 2005
Dr. Murray Marks, the forensic anthropologist, testified there is no way Emily Anderson died nine days before her body was found. He said that based on the medical examiner's report and photos he saw. He said there were no signs of skin slippage, no signs of bloating (but again, he said, he only saw a report and photos) and no insects. He did say there was some green discoloration around Emily's face. He said flies usually appear in the first day, depending on weather. He testified that the toolbox was probably not air tight, or else tools would rust, and flies could get in around the body. Marks also said if the body had been dead for 9 days, then an odor would have been glaring. On cross examination, Marks said determining time of death is not an exact science. He said other factors, besides temperature, can go into decomposition, such as humidity, weight and wounds. He also said he did not ask anyone if there were flies in Duncan, S.C. (Is there a place without flies? I am a lover of all living things, but flies kind of give me the creeps. They buzz and carry disease... gross.)
So Marks stepped down right before lunch. We'll find out who will be the defense's next witness soon. I am curious to see how many witnesses they will call. I know originally there were more defense witnesses names called during jury selection than the state, but I wonder if that will change now that the state has presented its case.
Oh! There was no real reaction from the jurors when they saw photos of dead, decomposing bodies. One juror asked to sit on the end, in case she had to get up. This was the same juror who left early when viewing photos of seeing Emily dead. Bless her. I don't mind photos or graphic movies and what not. (I am not promoting violence, though.) Sometimes, though, the smell of the trash makes me gag. Smells bother me. Well, it's time for me to go smell something good (hopefully) for lunch.
So Marks stepped down right before lunch. We'll find out who will be the defense's next witness soon. I am curious to see how many witnesses they will call. I know originally there were more defense witnesses names called during jury selection than the state, but I wonder if that will change now that the state has presented its case.
Oh! There was no real reaction from the jurors when they saw photos of dead, decomposing bodies. One juror asked to sit on the end, in case she had to get up. This was the same juror who left early when viewing photos of seeing Emily dead. Bless her. I don't mind photos or graphic movies and what not. (I am not promoting violence, though.) Sometimes, though, the smell of the trash makes me gag. Smells bother me. Well, it's time for me to go smell something good (hopefully) for lunch.
posted by THE HICKORY DAILY RECORD at at
12:33 PM
16 Comments:
Has it been checked if there was a record of gas fill ups and mileage on Emily's truck? most people in business keep records for tax reasons.
If the prosecutor hasn't brought gas receipts up by now.. I'd say he isn't going to. It is a good question though. At this point, if it doesn't help the defense.. we're not going to hear about it.
Well...if this gentlemen didn't put reasonable doudt into the jurors mind I don't know what will.....Someone tell me...where was Emily all these days she was missing...in the hotel room next to the Waffle House in Duncan SC- where the glasses were found but never picked up by investigators?
And she wears the same clothes she was last seen in for 6-8 days before she was murdered-and she makes no phone calls. I believe that Mexican (who has another ID) may just know more than he's saying-where is he now (after he testified) did he high tail it back to Mexico? That's what I would have done
For those of us keeping score, that makes 2 medical people who think Emily didn't die on December 29th. (Also known as 100% of the medical people.)
This is below incompetence on the part of the prosecutors. It's been a while since I've seen Perry Mason, but doesn't the prosecution typically lay out how the crime was committed?
Let me see if I can follow their logic:
Mr. Anderson drove to Duncan in 12 minutes on December 29th. He took a mega dose of rogain and immediate grew a crew cut. He dyed his new hair blond. He tied Emily up for 6 days with a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the hotel door. Then he went back and put her in the tool box. A week later he flew to Dallas on the Space shuttle to save time, made a phone call and then used Mr. Spock's transporter to get back to Sawmills so he'd be there when the cops told him the bad news.
Aside from the poster here who says he knows Mr. Anderson is guilty because all his friends believe it, is there anyone else who thinks Mr. Anderson did this crime?
I don't KNOW if Mr. Anderson is guilty or not, but my opinion has always been that he is. Being acquainted with Jerry and Emily, I have just formed that opinion in my mind......and we know all about opinions-everybody has one! However, the state has not provided enough evidence to prove their case and I could not convict him based on what has been presented. The prosecution did not do their job.
I wonder if the testimony of the air-tightness of the tool box has been correctly reported.
Tool would rust in a tool box that isn't air-tight. To form rust there is a need for oxygen, moisture and eletrolytes.
I respect the people from the Body Farm that is the reason for my question.
Ok, since the internet is right here.. I found this.
You can almost completely eliminate rust with proper tool storage and appropriate preventatives. Using cabinets for tool storage increases rust formation unless they are airtight and incorporate dehumidification.
So, if the toolbox is airtight without dehumidification..you'll get rust. The moisture trapped in the toolbox would cause rust according to this article.
Just watchin list source for information
I knew you were going to ask me that the minute I closed the window.
http://woodcentral.com/bparticles/rust.shtml
I am sure the Forensic Anthropologist can tell how long a person has been dead just by looking at pictures. IF THAT WERE TRUE, he could solve every murder in the world. Perhaps if they had just asked the funeral director, he would have explained why he put gloves on Emily. BECAUSE OF SKIN SLIPPAGE! He was never called to testify. If you knew Emily, you would for certain know that she would not wear the same clothes for 2 days, much less 10 days. And I think Allison would make a big deal of the card from Bill. It was a card that usually comes on flowers, NOT A LOVE LETTER. I just wonder how many of the people that are posting have a last name that starts with R.
re lee--where did you come from all of the sudden? Haven't seen you post here until this week--y And no my last name does not begin with an "R"--but your statement about the funeral home director is awesome--stop and think about what you said and you will realize that after Emily was found her body was taken to the medical examiner for the autopsy and start thinking about how many more days passed before her funeral or before the funeral director got the body and I'm sure by then her body was having "skin slippage". Great observation do you know the funeral director or does he just pass that information out to anyone who ask--did you ask? I hope I can find out which funeral home that was so I can scratch them off my list--I thought funeral directors where just supposed to take care of the burial not pass out personal information to the public.
Some interesting facts that apparently the Anthropologist or medical examiner doesn't know.
POSTMORTEM CHANGES AND TIME OF DEATH
"The time of death is sometimes extremely important. It is a question almost invariably asked by police officers, sometimes with a touching faith in the accuracy of the estimate. Determining the time of death is extremely difficult, and accuracy is impossible". (Ref. 8 at p. 115.)
"No problem in forensic medicine has been investigated as thoroughly as that of determining the time of death on the basis of post mortem findings. Apart from its obvious legal importance, its solution has been so elusive as to provide a constant intellectual challenge to workers in many sciences. In spite of the great effort and ingenuity expended, the results have been meagre".
(Ref. 15 at p. 33.)
"Repeated experience teaches the investigator to be wary of relying on any single observation for estimating the time of death (or "duration of the post mortem interval"), and he wisely avoids making dogmatic statements based on an isolated observation". (Ref. 12 at p. 151.)
8. Knight, Legal Aspects of Medical Practice, 4th edition, (1987), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.
12. Adelson, The Pathology of Homicide, (1974), Thomas, Springfield, Illinois.
15. Jaffe, A Guide to Pathological Evidence : For Lawyers and Police Officers, 2nd edition, (1983), Carswell Criminal Law Series, Carswell Ltd., Toronto.
Lee, I am sorry for the loss of your wife's friend. You and your wife seem like good folks. But you are saying not one but two medical forensic specialists don't know what they are doing. However, you do after a 5 minute crash course on the internet. That is not rational.
I know this sounds harsh, but believe it or not, our goals are the same. We all want justice for Emily. The evidence suggests you are focused on the wrong person.
Hopefully after this trial is done, we can all take our energies and pressure the authorities to get closure for Emily and her family and friends.
Good luck to you.
Allison,
I'm sure that you and I both would like to see this case solved. I have stated that I can't say with any certainty that Jerry pulled the trigger. It just seems he went to great lengths to establish an alibi if he wasn't involved. And as far as my 5 minute class on Forensic Anthropology....I wasn't taking the class, I just gave you some references from those that did take the class. I hope that someday, someone will tell us the truth about what happened and who did the dirty deed. Too many loose ends that have not been tied. Sloppy evidence gathering or lack of evidence gathering...no follow-up, EMILY DESERVES BETTER!
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I haven't been following the case for the last week, due to vacation, but has anyone asked the employee what clothes Jerry wore the day he was seen going into the woods with Emily? I doubt they were nbew, so they would be familiar to him/them. Those clothes should have been gathered up and had some DNA extracted from 'em. I can't see anyone handlin' a body and not gettin' it's DNA all over 'em...along with decomposition residue,
Although I can't say with any certainty Jerry didn't do it, I pray he didn't. If that's the case, there's a killer runnin' free among you. With their investigative track record, and their neglect to follow up, good luck. That, in my opinion, is the reason "they" did away with the death penalty. To too many, with authority to intimidate, it's just a paycheck and a "look at who I am, and what I can do to ruin your day", thing.
To whoever did do it, I wouldn't worry about mortal bunglers. I'd worry most about the Big Guy, when you check out of this world.
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