Sorry folks, I ALWAYS resist forwarding stuff like this to a list like the Groop, but this is such a Grooism I had to share it. As with most of these sorts of things, I prefer not to automatically trust to the authenticity of the story but rather enjoy it as an Urban Legend. >At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AAFS, President >Dr Ron 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 ten story building intending to commit suicide. He left a note to that >effect, indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor his life was >interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window which killed him >instantly. > >Neither the shooter nor the descendent were aware that a safety net had >been installed just below at 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. > >"Ordinarily," Dr Mills continued, "a person who sets out to commit suicide >and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he >intended, is still defined as committing suicide." That Mr. Opus was shot on the >way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the >safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his >hands. > >The room on the ninth floor, whence 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. They both said they thought the shotgun was unloaded. The old man said >it was his long-standing habit 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, the gun had been accidentally loaded. > >The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's >son loading the shotgun about six 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. > >The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son, for the death >of Ronald Opus. > >Now comes 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 ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing >through the ninth story window. The son had actually murdered himself so the >medical examiner closed the case as a suicide. > >(A true story from Associated Press, by Kurt Westervelt)
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- To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:@s1.nassau.cv.net;@aol.com;>
- Subject: An unbelievable true story
- From: "Jeff Seigies" <jseigies@optonline.net>
- Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:57:12 -0500
At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AAFS, President Dr Ron 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 ten story building
intending to commit suicide. He left a note to that effect, indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor his
life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window which killed him instantly.
Neither the shooter nor the descendent were aware that a safety net had been installed just below
at 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.
"Ordinarily," Dr Mills continued, "a person who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately
succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing
suicide." That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been
successful because of the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide
on his hands.
The room on the ninth floor, whence the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by a 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. They both said
they thought the shotgun was unloaded. The old man said it was his long-standing habit 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, the gun had been accidentally loaded.
The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun
about six 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.
The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son, for the death of Ronald Opus.
Now comes 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 ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun
blast passing through the ninth story window. The son had actually murdered himself so the
medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.
(A true story from Associated Press, by Kurt Westervelt)
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