1 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: Bodybacks with Joseph Scott Morgan. I've heard it said before 2 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: that the more brilliant people you get into a room, 3 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 1: the more confusing things become. And that's the case sometimes 4 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: in forensic pathology as well, because everybody, you know, forensic 5 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: pathologists are no different than any of the rest of 6 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: us in that they all have their own opinions, which 7 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: is good, but sometimes things can be kind of murky 8 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: or confusing. And in our case here that we're going 9 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: to talk about, there is a bit of confusion about 10 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: a ruling relative to a death. But one thing is 11 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: for certain. Alexandra alex Pennig, who's thirty two years old, 12 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: sustained a gunshot wound to her head, and we do 13 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: know that she didn't survive it. I'm Joseph Scott Morgan, 14 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: and this is body bags. They you know sometimes you 15 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: and I I know this. You're the guru. You're the 16 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: guru when it comes to all things audio and production 17 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: and all these sorts of things. And I got to 18 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: tell you, I'm glad that there's not two of us 19 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: that are brilliant because you can help me walk through 20 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: these with problems with little or no concern. I know 21 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: that the content that we put out is going to 22 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: sound good most of the time, I think, and it's 23 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: because you're you're the you're the bright one when it 24 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,119 Speaker 1: comes to all of that. You can help walk through 25 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: technical problems. But sometimes, such as in this case today, 26 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: it's it's hard to make heads or tails of things. 27 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: And I think that sometimes we just throw our hands 28 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: up and say, well, I can't call it anything other 29 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: than what it is, and that is undetermined. And that's 30 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: what we're left with here. 31 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 2: I don't understand how that's possible. What does it really 32 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: mean when manner of death is undetermined? Now, just so 33 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: you know, today we're dealing with murder or suicide the 34 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 2: death of Alexandra Pinnick. She preferred to go by alex 35 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: thirty two years old. She has a gunshot to the head. 36 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 2: Boyfriend claims he grabbed his gun, ran in the bathroom 37 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 2: and shot herself. Police listened to his side of the 38 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 2: story and it didn't match the facts as they could 39 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 2: see them in the earliest moments of the investigation, and 40 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 2: so it was left to the medical examiner to tell 41 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 2: them what happened. And the medical examiner and by the way, 42 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 2: when you have a prosecution. You know, the defense has 43 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: their own person to come in and say whatever the 44 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 2: defense needs to say. 45 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: And in this case, oh well, if the defense has 46 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: enough money for. 47 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: It, right, Yeah, yeah, you got to be clear about that. 48 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 2: Should have been very clear. And in this particular case, 49 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 2: both of them, the prosecution, the actual medical examiner and 50 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 2: the one hired by the defense, had the same thing. 51 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 2: The manner of death is undetermined. What does manner of 52 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: death mean? Joseph Scott Morgan. 53 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, there's only five to select from. And when 54 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: it comes two violent deaths regarding firearms, which is what 55 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: we're going to discuss, most of the time it's going 56 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: to fit into one of one of those two categories. 57 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: It's either going to be homicide or suicide. Accidental is 58 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: an outlier you. As a matter of fact, most of 59 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: the time it has been my and in practice it was. 60 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: If someone told me that it was an accidental shooting, 61 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: I'll say you, you have to clearly explain this to 62 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 1: me how this was an accident before I'm going to 63 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: bite on that. Because those are a rarity when you 64 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: compare it to the number of suicides we have in 65 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: this country, because they outpaced homicides well, oh yeah, yeah. 66 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 2: Firearm death suicide outpaces homicide. 67 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, wow by boss by quite quite a significant margin. Yeah. Well, 68 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: a lot of people, you know, possess firearms and they 69 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: see it as a quick and and powerful solution to 70 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: whatever is facing them in their lives. Uh. And so yeah, 71 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 1: you have that. If you throw up accident, then it 72 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: leaves me in a position where you're going to have 73 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: to explain that to me, or the data is going 74 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: to have to play itself out where the dynamic of 75 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: that event can be easily explained and we can prove 76 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: it scientifically. But you know, there's another choice here, and 77 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:44,280 Speaker 1: that is undetermined. And I've always I've always had this 78 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:51,239 Speaker 1: kind of vision in my mind where when it's written undetermined, 79 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: I always have this like little cartoon character that pops 80 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: up in my brain where you got you got them, 81 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: and they're looking at you and there's just kind of 82 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: shrugging their shoulders with their hands upturned, looking at you 83 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 1: like I don't have an answer to this. I don't know. 84 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: And in this particular case, that's what we're dealing with. 85 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: We're dealing with the case involving a gunshot wound to 86 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: the head. We can definitively say that, but the classification 87 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: of it has been left undetermined. I do know this. 88 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: I do know that the two people that are involved 89 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: in this case, the victim and the perpetrator, are both 90 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: healthcare providers. They're both nurses, and I think that probably 91 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: from the prosecution standpoint, the circumstantial evidence just didn't. It 92 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: didn't hold water in this particular case because there's certain 93 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: things that you as an observer, based upon what you 94 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: know about people that practice medicine or work in allied health, 95 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: you expect them to behave under stressful search situations in 96 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: a very specific manner, and Dave didn't happen in this case. 97 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: You know, when we get into this actual story, I 98 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 2: want you to know the background, because the background follows through. 99 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: We have. 100 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 2: A number of people involved in this relationship. Alexandra, remember 101 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 2: Alexandra Penning. Alex Penning is thirty two and she is 102 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 2: the victim. She was dating Matthew Ecker. Matthew Ecker is 103 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 2: forty five, married with four children. Alex was also dating 104 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 2: another man and his name was Shane Anderson. On the 105 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 2: night in question, Alexandra had had an argument was Shane 106 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 2: earlier in the day about their relationship. Matthew Ecker comes 107 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 2: to the apartment and this is all up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 108 00:07:55,480 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 2: Matthew Ecker lives hours away, but he those two be 109 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 2: at the side of Alex while she's frustrated in the 110 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: relationship with Shane. And Matthew and Alex go out for 111 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 2: drinks that evening. When they come into this one place, 112 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 2: there is Shane Anderson with another woman. That causes Alex 113 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 2: to be very upset Matthew defending his girlfriend. See this 114 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 2: is where it gets confusing, okay, but bottom line, Matthew 115 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 2: is with Alex, Shane Anderson is with another woman, and 116 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 2: Matthew actually confronts Shane, and Shane hits him, probably says, 117 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 2: you're married, why are you talking to me? Get out, 118 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:43,319 Speaker 2: you know, and hits him. Well, Shane Anderson and the 119 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 2: other woman leave. Matthew Ecker and Alex Penny stay at 120 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: the bar for another forty five minutes, having a couple 121 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 2: of drinks. Alex and Matthew go back to Alex's apartment 122 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,119 Speaker 2: and this is the story that Matthew Ecker tells everybody. 123 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 2: They arrive at her apartment, she grabs a gun out 124 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 2: of his backpack, and runs to the bathroom and shoots 125 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 2: herself in the head. He bashes through the door and 126 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 2: calls nine one one tries to stop the bleeding by 127 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 2: holding his thumb to the bullet hole. I guess police 128 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 2: arrive a few minutes later, and she's already cold, stiff. 129 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 2: And I want to ask you about this, Joe, because 130 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 2: here's my question, based on Matthew Ecker's story, how soon 131 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 2: does a body get cold and stiff? Based on his timeline, 132 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 2: he calls nine four minutes after she shoots herself four minutes. 133 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 2: Police arrive five minutes later. So based on his timetable, 134 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 2: she gets shot at forty five to forty six in 135 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 2: the morning. At three oh five four police are there 136 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 2: and medics arrive and they declare her dead in the 137 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 2: space of nineteen minutes, I think, from shooting to declaring 138 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 2: her dead, and she's cold and stiff. 139 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:26,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, as it said, the old saying that dog don't hunt, okay, 140 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: And you know. 141 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,319 Speaker 2: So you know, Joe, I didn't know that. That's why 142 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 2: I'm asking because I think most of us don't know 143 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: how quickly does a body that is dead. 144 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it takes it takes a well a lot of 145 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: it is environmentally dependent. But in a course of let's 146 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: let's let's be generous here, let's say that it was 147 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: twenty minutes, if you still wouldn't have these presentations that 148 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: you're talking about physically with the deceased individual where they're 149 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 1: cool to the touch. And that's the best way I 150 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: can describe it, because you know, we do things like 151 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: body temperatures at scenes and depend upon the jurisdiction. There's 152 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 1: multiple ways that we can get in sometime about how 153 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: we take body temperatures on the dead. But you don't 154 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: expect in a twenty minute, a twenty minute time frame 155 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: for a body to be cold to the touch. And 156 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: look if he's talking about stiffening or rigidity, and generally 157 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: that's how we refer to it, and again rigidity of 158 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,560 Speaker 1: the body. That means how that goes to Roger Mortis. 159 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: It takes even longer for Roger Mortis to set in. 160 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: So any investigator that knows what they're doing, they're out 161 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: on the scene, they're making that initial assessment and they're 162 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: trying to marry this up with what he is saying scientifically. 163 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: That's why I said this dog don't hunt, because you're 164 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 1: not going to have these manifestations that are occurring now. 165 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: Things are happening at a cellar level. As soon as 166 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: we die, we begin to change, all right, and it's 167 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: because cellular respiration has ceased, you'll begin production of lactic acid, 168 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: which is actually what creates riger mortis. If I tell 169 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 1: my students at Jacksonville State, I teach medical legal death investigation, 170 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: it's this class that I've taught for years. If you 171 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,560 Speaker 1: ever not that anybody would, but if you ever want 172 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: to understand what Ryger mortis would feel like, don't work 173 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: out for a while. Go to the gym and get 174 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: a vigorous workout. In the next morning, when you wake 175 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: up and you're stiff, that's lactic acid that has built 176 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: up in your body. That's about as close as you'll 177 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: ever feel to what riger is. And that takes some time, though, 178 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: and you know that's happening at a cellular level, but 179 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: it's not happening this quick. There's no way. And that's 180 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,319 Speaker 1: that's how we that's in investigations, that's how we test, 181 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:10,439 Speaker 1: at least on my side of the house, that's how 182 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: we test an alibi. Okay, if somebody is trying to 183 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: alibi themselves and say, well, this is what happened, this 184 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: is a time frame that it happened in, and this 185 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: is what I experienced at this moment, Tom And then 186 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,839 Speaker 1: you're looking at what's left behind, all that remains, if 187 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: you will, we're the dead, and you know good and 188 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: well that what they're saying is not valid. And that's 189 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: the case here, Dave. 190 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 2: And that's what I was really curious about, Joe when 191 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 2: in going over this story, knowing we had it on 192 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 2: our table, murder versus suicide. How quickly do the police 193 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 2: call you to come in when they have a scene 194 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 2: like this pretty quickly? 195 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: And again it's jurisdictionally dependent. Okay, So but up in 196 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,439 Speaker 1: if you think about the Twin Cities, if you think 197 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: about Minneapolis, Saint Paul, I was friends with the chief 198 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: investigator for Hennepon County for some time, dear lady, who 199 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:12,439 Speaker 1: was at the top of her game. She was a 200 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,959 Speaker 1: former nurse and she was the chief investigator. And that's 201 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: a top flight office that they have in Hennepon County. 202 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: Their response would have been, as soon as the police 203 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: have visualized the scene and they know that this person 204 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: is in fact deceased, they're going to say start the Emmy, 205 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: and they're going to say start CID and c IDEA 206 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: is a criminal investigation division, and start the crime scene unit. 207 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: So all three of us would essentially head out simultaneously 208 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: from our different offices. We'd show up pretty quickly, and 209 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: the sooner that we can get there to do the assessment, 210 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: the better, because the further you move down that timeline 211 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: away from when the actual event occurred, you're losing data. 212 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: And then it's the environment is producing other data that 213 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: might skew your conclusions. All right, So timeliness is a 214 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: huge factor in everything that we do. As a matter 215 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: of fact, I think our our entire existence is kind 216 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: of based upon we examined for trauma. But one of 217 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: the underpinnings of what we do is we're trying to 218 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: analyze time. We're trying to analyze a timeline and trying 219 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: to understand what is happening within a specific period there 220 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: and does it merry up with with the narrative that 221 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: we're being given. Dave, you got my head's women, man. 222 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: I often say you need a what's that thing called 223 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: the playbuild like they use for Broadway. You need to 224 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: play build to keep up with characters and a given. 225 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: And I'm thinking about Ecker, who is a married man 226 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: with four young'un's man four four, and he's involved in 227 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: an ongoing relationship with this young lady who's thirty two. 228 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: She's I don't know what, roughly twelve years younger than him, 229 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: which is fine. I mean, that's their thing. They can do, 230 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 1: you know. But yet he stated in an interview that 231 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: he had been involved for some time with her and 232 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: that they I think for two years, and that they 233 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: were involved, they had an open relationship. Well, it seems 234 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: like he's open is the key word here. I mean 235 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: he's open to a lot of things, and it has 236 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: not It's not turned out well on either end of 237 00:16:55,840 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: the spectrum here for him and certainly for Alex, who's now. 238 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 2: I don't know what was going on in the relationship 239 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 2: because Alex is dead. What we only have what we 240 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 2: have left. Just like his story, we have Matthew Ecker's 241 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 2: story of what he says happened, and by the way, 242 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 2: according to police, his story changed. We can kind of 243 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 2: understand the relationship dynamics and that Alex at thirty two 244 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 2: and a nurse involved with an older, married guy. We 245 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 2: don't know if Matthew Ecker's wife knew of the relationship before, 246 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,440 Speaker 2: but we know that she did divorce him when this 247 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 2: came out. I don't know Shane Anderson. I didn't want 248 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,439 Speaker 2: to mention his name, but I had to mention his 249 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 2: name because as part of the story, you know, there 250 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:53,639 Speaker 2: was something going on here that caused or seems to 251 00:17:53,720 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 2: have caused Alex to be upset. And the part that 252 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,719 Speaker 2: I have the most questions about is what happened when 253 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 2: they got back to the apartment. Because Matthew Ecker's story, 254 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,160 Speaker 2: and this is why I'm asking you, Joe, about how 255 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 2: soon a person does get cold and stiff, because these 256 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 2: are professional Matthew Ecker is a professional nurse. He's a 257 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 2: nurse practitioner. He works in the emergency room. This is 258 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 2: not his first, you know, bullet wound he's ever seen. 259 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 2: I'm gonna assume no, no, it's not. And the story 260 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 2: he tells you just say that dog won't hunt. So 261 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 2: let's go over this really quickly. Because when police found Alex, 262 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 2: she's laying on the floor of the bathroom. Her legs 263 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:52,199 Speaker 2: are straddling the door her the gun is placed on 264 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 2: her chest. I say placed for a reason, and her 265 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 2: hands are near it. By the way, Alex is right handed, 266 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 2: but the shut the bullet wound was on the left 267 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 2: side of her head. 268 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, g just w to the left side, all right. 269 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:14,199 Speaker 2: Now, while nothing is impossible, you know it does. Have 270 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 2: you known of a case where somebody who was right 271 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 2: hand dominant to shoot themselves on the left side of 272 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 2: the head? 273 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: No? 274 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 2: Do women usually shoot themselves in the head of the heart? 275 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:24,439 Speaker 1: Goo? 276 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:24,919 Speaker 2: Uh? 277 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,639 Speaker 1: Yeah that well, let's let's go with the first one first. Uh, 278 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: the first one first. I like that. So if they 279 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: do change hands, it is a it's an outlier. It's 280 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 1: not something you would come because it's like picking up 281 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 1: a pencil. It's like picking up a golf club or 282 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,679 Speaker 1: picking up a baseball bat, or picking up your knife 283 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,719 Speaker 1: and fork. You're going to use your dominant hand. Now. 284 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how much experience Alex had had with 285 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: a weapon, but one of the questions we always ask 286 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: Dave when we're doing a suicide investigation, which suicide investigations are. 287 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: First off, I've always felt as though, from me, the 288 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: suicide investigations are much more difficult than homicide investigations because 289 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,879 Speaker 1: most of the time you don't have a witness to it, 290 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: and so you're having to draw these conclusions based upon 291 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: what science is telling you. But when we begin to 292 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 1: interview their their intimates, their peripherals, you know, in their life, 293 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: will say, well, this is a apparent suicide. Maybe they 294 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: left a note, who knows. But was there an indication 295 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 1: that they were they ambidextrius? Did they could they use 296 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: both hands or were they left or right hand dominant? 297 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 1: And you would expect that if your right hand dominant, 298 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: that the gunshot wound would be would be on that 299 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 1: dependent side, and in this case it wasn't on the 300 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: left hand side. Now to this question about about do 301 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:05,880 Speaker 1: women shoot themselves in the head, if we were having 302 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: this discussion, let's see, if we were having this discussion 303 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: in the early eighties, I would say that, you know, 304 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 1: you you rarely have ever seen that. But you know, Dave, 305 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 1: as my career. 306 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 2: Progressed, rarely have ever seen a headshot. 307 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, with with females, And people say that there's data 308 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: that backs us up. Maybe there is. But as my 309 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: career progressed, I began to see more and more cases 310 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: of females that would in their lives much like men 311 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 1: did that you know, i'd have mentor oild, gunshot woes, 312 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,199 Speaker 1: gunshot womanes to the side of the head, you know, 313 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: those sorts of things. I think that there was this uh, 314 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: this uh thesis is kind of put forward in our 315 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 1: field where it says that, you know, because of appearance, 316 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,640 Speaker 1: that women were not inclined to shoot themselves in the head. 317 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: I got to be honest with you, I don't ever 318 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: remember a self inflicted gunshot wound by a female where 319 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: they shot themselves in the abdomen. I think I had 320 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: a couple in the chest, but I'd say that I 321 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: probably had more headshots self inflicted with women than I 322 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: did any other location. So I don't I just don't. 323 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: I don't buy into it that that that that idea. 324 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: Do men and women take their lives in a variety 325 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: of different ways, Yeah, they do. I don't know if 326 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,440 Speaker 1: that's gender dependent or not, but it's it's one of 327 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: those things that floats around and get asked that question 328 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: a lot, you know, over the years, I've been asked 329 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: that question. But that she had a gunshot to the 330 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 1: head and they were thinking it might be suicide, at 331 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,360 Speaker 1: least it wouldn't be surprising. I don't think to anybody 332 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: that was out there that would be working the scene. 333 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: But here's the thing that's really shocking about this. Let's 334 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: go back to what you said about Eckert. Not only 335 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: is he a nurse practitioner, Dave, he's working. He's working 336 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: as a nurse practitioner in an emergency room setting, and 337 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: let's face it, a major metropolitan area. He's gonna see trauma, Dave. 338 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: And I got to tell you, I worked as an 339 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: ear tech for a number of years in college, and 340 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: in that environment, if you have gunshot wounds that come in, 341 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: knife wounds, that sort of thing, you're gonna get blood 342 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 1: on you. You're gonna have it on you. I mean, 343 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: that's the nature of what you do. You can put 344 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: on gloves, but you'll even get blood up up above 345 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 1: your wrist, onto your elbows, those sorts of things. You'll 346 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: get blood if you're wearing scrubs, which everybody does. That's 347 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: why you wear scrubs because they used to be almost disposable. 348 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 1: You know, you would get bloodstains on you. You could go 349 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: to closet, get a fresh pair and change out. So 350 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: you would expect him if he is he allegedly attempted 351 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: to stem the bleeding by placing his hand or his 352 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 1: finger over the defect in her head to stem the bleeding. Dave, 353 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,400 Speaker 1: if that were the case. If that were the case, 354 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: he would have blood all over his hands. There's a 355 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: high probability that she probably clipped cerebral artery in there, 356 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,880 Speaker 1: so it's going to be pumping blood out. It could 357 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,959 Speaker 1: spray onto him. There's really no trace evidence of blood 358 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: on him, so I think that that's really making the 359 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: cops question what's going on. 360 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,439 Speaker 2: He actually claims that he washed up now just to 361 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 2: Ecker claims that when he opens the bathroom door and 362 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 2: sees Alex, she shut herself in the head. He claims 363 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 2: he tried to stop the bleeding short of that before 364 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 2: he calls nine one one to report what has just 365 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 2: taken place. He took the time to wash himself up, 366 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,640 Speaker 2: and he tells police he did it in the bathroom 367 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:22,640 Speaker 2: sink and he washed with soap. He then calls nine 368 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 2: one one and he says he called nine one one 369 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 2: within four minutes of the shot. So you've got him 370 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 2: coming to the bathroom finding his girlfriend on the bathroom 371 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 2: floor with a gunshot wounded the head. He then removes 372 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:37,959 Speaker 2: the gun. He takes the gun and puts it in 373 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 2: a suitcase. Then he comes back in after trying to 374 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 2: save her life, washes up using soap and water, and 375 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 2: apparently cleans the gun as well, because he then places 376 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,360 Speaker 2: the gun on her chest and calls nine one one. 377 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 2: Police arrived minutes later, and the first thing they notice 378 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 2: he has no blood on him and the gun is 379 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 2: from remarkably clean. Yeah, despite the nature of this scene, 380 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 2: the gun is scrubbed clean. The fact that he uses 381 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,600 Speaker 2: soap and water on his hands to ostensibly clean up 382 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 2: blood like that would be the worry at that point, 383 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:13,720 Speaker 2: particular moment. 384 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it makes no sense. 385 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:18,880 Speaker 2: And the bathroom sink is dry. The bathroom sink is dry, 386 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 2: but he tells them he just used it to wash 387 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 2: his hands. By the way, blood on the floor of 388 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,360 Speaker 2: the bathroom is drying already. 389 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. 390 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 2: I wonder how long it takes at it seen. 391 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it takes, it takes it takes uh, it takes 392 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:35,640 Speaker 1: a while. I'll put it to you that way again. 393 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: I hate to kind of weasel out of the question, 394 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,679 Speaker 1: but it's going to be environmentally dependent, and it's going 395 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:45,439 Speaker 1: to be dependent upon surface in the bathroom. Are the 396 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,879 Speaker 1: carpets in there is it a tile. Uh you know what, 397 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: what's the temperature inside of the room, what's temperature of 398 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: the floor. That's going to promote this because you know, 399 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 1: when you get drying blood, uh, you're you're at that 400 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: point time. And when I say drying blood, I'm talking 401 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 1: about dry blood that's that's beginning to to flake or 402 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:14,159 Speaker 1: it has the appearance that it doesn't have. Let's see 403 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: that the tension of the blood surface itself has diminished 404 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,159 Speaker 1: to the point where it's almost at the same level 405 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: as the floor that it's on or the surface that 406 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: it's on. It it's it's lost all of that and 407 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 1: it's beginning to almost look like paint. That takes that 408 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,919 Speaker 1: takes some amount of time. I'm thinking, I'm thinking beyond 409 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: an hour, I would I would think, and it's really 410 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: hard to judge that. But you know, here here's another 411 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: thing with the weapon. And by the way, this is 412 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: kind of interesting. He was a licensed firearms carrier. He 413 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: had to carry permit, and he had kept this weapon. 414 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: According to him in his book back which you'll see 415 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: a lot of nurses that are coming in on the 416 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 1: hospital that carry book bags. They almost look like students 417 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: and they you know, they've got extra changes of clothes 418 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: in there there whatnot, you know, is carried around and there. 419 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,360 Speaker 1: He carried his weapon in there and she Alex, according 420 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: to him, went she had an awareness of the weapon 421 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: that he had one before she went into the bathroom. 422 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: She went into his bag and retrieved this weapon. She 423 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: knew it was there and went into the bathroom. 424 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 2: And showed it to him. Okay, she grabs it and 425 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,119 Speaker 2: according to Ecker, she point has the gun in her 426 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 2: hand and she is walking backwards, telling him don't come 427 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 2: any closer. I'll shoot myself, and backs herself into the bathroom, 428 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 2: then shuts the door, and he says, within two seconds 429 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 2: of the door shutting, here's the gun. Go off, opens 430 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 2: the door and finds her. That's why this timetable is 431 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 2: very important to the whole story, because from the moment 432 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 2: he calls nine to one one to the minute cops arrive, 433 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: it's a very short. 434 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 1: Window, very very short. 435 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 2: There's something else that goes into this too. According to 436 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 2: the story Ecker told police, you know, he moves the 437 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 2: gun and put he again. He moves the gun, puts 438 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 2: it in a bag, then brings it back in places 439 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 2: on our chest. He says he tried to save her life, 440 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 2: that she was breathing when he first got there. He 441 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 2: tries to stop the flow of blood, but they asked him, 442 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 2: did you perform CPR? Again, going back to the blood 443 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 2: that would be everywhere, and he says, no, I did 444 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 2: not do CPR because I didn't know what to do. 445 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 2: How does a nurse practitioner working in an emergency room 446 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 2: not know how to do CPR? 447 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 1: You can't. But and that's that's that's what's so odd 448 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: about this. In order to work in an emergency room 449 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,959 Speaker 1: or if you're going to be let's say, if you're 450 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: going to work in ic ICU or one of these 451 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: places critical care units like this, you you have to 452 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: be certified in advanced life and first off, CPR is 453 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 1: is that's the bottom line. I mean, these people go 454 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: through such training. I mean nurses are you know, are 455 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: the life blood of a hospital. You think about doctors, 456 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: forget it. It's the nurses that run the show and 457 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: they control everything that's there, and they are trained and 458 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: you're not trained. If you can't keep up in that environment, 459 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: you can find another job somewhere because they got other 460 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: people that'll take your job really quick. That are proficient 461 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: at what they do. This guy would have had to 462 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: have been certified in advanced life support and he would 463 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: have understood the principles behind CPR. And here's another thing. 464 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: If he had done compressions on her at the scene, 465 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: did you know that with a gunshot wound to the head, 466 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: one of the things that also happens is you'll get 467 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: this fracturing of the skull. Obviously, because you're creating, you know, 468 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: you're cavitating the cranial vault, and you've got these fractures 469 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: that go on the victim as you're doing compressions. You'll 470 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: actually get blood from the nose, the mouth, not to 471 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: mention the defect in the head. So yeah, it would 472 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,360 Speaker 1: be a bloody mess. I wonder if he had an 473 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: awareness of that as well. I'm not so much concerned 474 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: about the absence of blood on his hands, Dave. What 475 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:25,680 Speaker 1: I'm really interested in, since he's saying that this is 476 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: in fact a self inflict AGAINSHT woman, was there no 477 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: blood on her hands? Well, it looks like they've got 478 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: quite the conundrum here, don't they. You've got a guy 479 00:31:53,280 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: that I would imagine, in the face of questioning the 480 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: local PD he ain't doing so well. And but yet 481 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: you've got a a young lady and will go ahead 482 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: and say it plainly because it's it's already out there. 483 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,200 Speaker 1: She's got she's got some real emotional issues. I mean, 484 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: she's you know, fought anxiety, depression, all these sorts of things. 485 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, Ecker has been providing her 486 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 1: with with Benzo's for anxiety, and he's also been providing 487 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: her with adderall kind of mood stabilizing. And so you, uh, 488 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: you think about that, she's got all this dynamic going 489 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: on with her, and you listen, you have to consider 490 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: that that maybe taking her own life is on the table. 491 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 1: As far as an investigator, you have to be able 492 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: to take all of that in consideration. Uh, that would 493 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: do that? Would it would behoove you as an investigator 494 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: to go back and dig into her past. If she's 495 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: under therapy, if she's receiving therapy, you'd want to question 496 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: the individual that's providing her therapy. And then you got 497 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:09,959 Speaker 1: to talk to her friends. You got to talk to 498 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 1: her family members that might you know, she may have 499 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: confided in that sort of thing. It's not just talking 500 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: to Ecker or to this other fellow that she's involved 501 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 1: in a relationship with. This is on its surface, this 502 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: seems like a very simple case. But it's like I said, 503 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: cases like this are very very complex. 504 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:36,280 Speaker 2: Well, the physical evidence, taking away the psychology and everything else, 505 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,200 Speaker 2: just the physical evidence alone, the scene of the crime, 506 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 2: the scene of the incident. Yeah, was it murder or suicide? 507 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 2: One of the handgun didn't have blood on it. Now, 508 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,080 Speaker 2: if she takes her own life, she's right handed, but 509 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 2: she shoots the gun with her left hand and the 510 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,600 Speaker 2: left side of her head. But police get there minutes later. 511 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 2: By the way back to the timetable, the phone call 512 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 2: to nine one one was made at two point fifty am, 513 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 2: and Matthew Ecker claims that he called nine to one 514 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:09,240 Speaker 2: one four minutes after she shot herself. Police arrive and 515 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 2: she is declared dead by medical professionals. MS workers are 516 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:15,560 Speaker 2: there and she's declared dead at three h four am. 517 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 2: So from the time he called, the time he calls, 518 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,919 Speaker 2: to the time they're there and declared dead is fourteen minutes. 519 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 2: Add another four minutes from the time he says she 520 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 2: shot herself, and you have eighteen minutes from gunshot to 521 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 2: declared dead at the scene of the crime you mentioned, 522 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 2: Why are her hands not bloody? What is the test 523 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 2: that is done by medical experts to determine whether or 524 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:39,280 Speaker 2: not somebody has fired a gun? 525 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:44,759 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's a gunshot residue test. It's there are 526 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:54,720 Speaker 1: three major components in in in firearms, in the actual 527 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 1: process of kind of lighting the fuse on a projectile. 528 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: All right, So when if you just imagine, if you'll 529 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,400 Speaker 1: just imagine in your mind that when you initiate the 530 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: firing sequence with any kind of firearm, when you pull 531 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: that trigger, okay, and that firing pin or the hammer 532 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: slams forward onto the base of that live round, you 533 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: have got a primer cap. And the primer itself is 534 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: a bit more unstable chemically, that is is it doesn't 535 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: take much to set it off, which is what you want, 536 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 1: because there's like a little cap. If you look at 537 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: the end of a live round, there's a little cap 538 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 1: in the end of it, and it's called a primer 539 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,880 Speaker 1: cap that's tapped off. And when that's tapped off, it 540 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:55,680 Speaker 1: creates an explosion, all right, And that explosion sparks up 541 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 1: through what are referred to as flash holes, and within 542 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 1: the flat holes, the it ignites what's referred to as 543 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: the propellant that's contained within the cartridge itself, that's the gunpowder. 544 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: So when you do when you do a GSR test, 545 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 1: you're looking for antimony, barium, and also lead those three components, 546 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 1: and primer residue is a bit different than that. So 547 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,480 Speaker 1: you can get an idea that if it's if it's 548 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:36,120 Speaker 1: primer residue that you're looking for, perhaps it it you 549 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,919 Speaker 1: would expect to find it on a hand, all right, 550 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:41,160 Speaker 1: that's where it's. It's kind of got a c clamp 551 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,400 Speaker 1: on the on the grip of the pistol in this case, 552 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:50,840 Speaker 1: and then you'll find the rest the remaining elements there 553 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,759 Speaker 1: that kind of shower down out of this cloud you know, 554 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: you see the gun smoke, you know, cloud that comes 555 00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: out and it's kind of showering down. We try to 556 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,560 Speaker 1: do That's one of the reasons. Like at the scene, 557 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,160 Speaker 1: and I would imagine in this particular scene, at this 558 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,960 Speaker 1: particular scene, rather they would have bagged her hands at 559 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,360 Speaker 1: the scene, that's what we would do, okay. And the 560 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,160 Speaker 1: reason is is that when you place her body into 561 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,960 Speaker 1: a body bag, sometimes the bags can sweat and you 562 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: have to protect those hands because you're going to do 563 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: a GSR test on the victim at the morgue, and 564 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 1: we have series of swabs that we go through and 565 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 1: that's sent off to the state crime lab and you 566 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:35,240 Speaker 1: can test to see if she's recently fired a weapon. 567 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:42,400 Speaker 1: The trick is I wonder. I wonder if the police 568 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,880 Speaker 1: at that moment in time, based upon how unsteady his 569 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:51,399 Speaker 1: story was. I wonder if they said, Okay, we need 570 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 1: to do a GSR test on you, and I wonder 571 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,279 Speaker 1: if he submitted to that, if they actually did one, 572 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: because right now at this point, we don't know if 573 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 1: they did that. There's no indication that that that that 574 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:07,120 Speaker 1: has necessarily come up. Not saying it didn't happen, but 575 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: it's one of the things that you would do in 576 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 1: a case like this, particularly where you're questioning the tomeline 577 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: about how everything went down and it keeps getting marked 578 00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: because you you stated Dave that he changed his story 579 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,360 Speaker 1: a couple of times, and for me, that's that's a 580 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: huge red flag. Well because if you're so, yeah, go 581 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:28,319 Speaker 1: ahead the. 582 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:30,600 Speaker 2: Soap and water, he claims because they noticed a man. 583 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 2: You said you tried to save her life, but there's 584 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,839 Speaker 2: no blood on you and the gun is incredibly clean. 585 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,960 Speaker 2: Uh he is the can you wash away like the 586 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 2: GRS test the gun residue? Did I say that? Right? GRS? 587 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 2: It's GSR, but YESR anyway, but they're going to test 588 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,920 Speaker 2: it if you wash your hands with soap and water, 589 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,640 Speaker 2: can you wash away that residue so that you do 590 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:55,319 Speaker 2: a test on me? And it's like, I'm sorry, man, 591 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:56,880 Speaker 2: it's just soap and water. I had to clean up 592 00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 2: the blood. It's my gun. I touched the gun. I mean, 593 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:01,919 Speaker 2: is there a way that he now can explain any 594 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:04,839 Speaker 2: kind of residue on his hands? But I use something 595 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 2: water just clean them. 596 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:09,600 Speaker 1: I mean yeah, and just because you have just because 597 00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:14,759 Speaker 1: you have these results. First off, GSR tests are not 598 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,400 Speaker 1: full for if people think that they are, they're not. 599 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:18,360 Speaker 1: They're not. 600 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:21,279 Speaker 2: And so that's why they're not putting a whole lot 601 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,800 Speaker 2: of heat on that. All right, Yeah, yeah, that explains 602 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:25,120 Speaker 2: that I wondered, Joe, I didn't know. 603 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:28,400 Speaker 1: I'm not going to say that GSR is in the 604 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,560 Speaker 1: same realm as like a polygraph. Okay, it's not like that, 605 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: but you're not necessarily you know, they did one study 606 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:38,719 Speaker 1: years ago with people that worked in what was it, 607 00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 1: They worked in munitions factories, and they would randomly test 608 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:46,239 Speaker 1: people with GSR in those environments and they would come 609 00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:49,360 Speaker 1: back with negative results. And these people have been handling munitions, 610 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: you know, for days and days, and I always found 611 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 1: that that kind of interesting. They put a lot of 612 00:39:55,520 --> 00:40:00,279 Speaker 1: weight on these tests. But you know, I don't I 613 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:05,680 Speaker 1: don't necessarily think that GSR is required in this case 614 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:13,360 Speaker 1: because he's he's kind of betraying, you know, the original narrative. 615 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:17,040 Speaker 1: Here's he keeps deviating from the story. And that's a 616 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:22,800 Speaker 1: circumstantial in circumstantial evidence. But still he's the only witness 617 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 1: to all of this. He was an ear witness to 618 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: you know, any kind of statements. He certainly saw what 619 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:31,239 Speaker 1: happened that evening, and I guess you know, you begin 620 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:34,719 Speaker 1: to think about, well, what would be his motivation to 621 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:39,320 Speaker 1: do this to her? Why? Why would he take her life? 622 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,360 Speaker 1: And you think about maybe it all came to a 623 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,840 Speaker 1: head that night in the bar where he gets into 624 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:49,200 Speaker 1: this tete a tet with this other man in her life. 625 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:52,839 Speaker 1: He's he's married, he's got four kids. Maybe he had 626 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 1: this moment in time where he's like, what am I doing? 627 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:57,640 Speaker 1: And the only way that he can see to solve 628 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: this is perhaps taking her life. I don't know the 629 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 1: weapon itself, though when you look at it, there's also 630 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: you know, they were talking about how clean it was 631 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:11,359 Speaker 1: many times, not every case, but many times. With self 632 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:17,800 Speaker 1: inflicted gunshot wounds day you'll see evidence of what's referred 633 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: to as blowback on weapons, where you'll have blood that 634 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:24,319 Speaker 1: will come back onto the surface of the weapon, and 635 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:27,440 Speaker 1: if it's a close contact gunshot wound, which I really 636 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 1: want to get into here, you would have I've worked 637 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:39,360 Speaker 1: cases where I've had skin, hair, brain matter in the 638 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:43,160 Speaker 1: muzzle of the weapon where it blows back down the barrel. 639 00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: You'll actually have that occur because you know that barrel 640 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:51,280 Speaker 1: space is empty after that projectile. It happens in a flash, 641 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:57,320 Speaker 1: but after that projectile exits the barrel, it cavitates into 642 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:02,680 Speaker 1: the skull, and you've got this energy that's forcing backwards 643 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:05,640 Speaker 1: towards the point of origin of this thing, and you'll 644 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:08,520 Speaker 1: get this kind of distribution on the surface weapon. They're 645 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:12,160 Speaker 1: not seeing that here, So I think that that's the 646 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:16,480 Speaker 1: position that this puts the forensic pathologists, and I say 647 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,279 Speaker 1: pathologist because we're plural. We've got two of them. Dave 648 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:24,880 Speaker 1: we're talking about to uh too highly learned or learned. 649 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 1: I guess they say uh learned learned people here they 650 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 1: are board certified forensic pathologists, and they both arrived at 651 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,480 Speaker 1: the same conclusion. They can't say that this is either 652 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,960 Speaker 1: a homicide a suicide. They can't say it's accidental. So 653 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:45,239 Speaker 1: their default position here is it turns out to be 654 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: undetermined in this particular case. I find that quite fascinating. 655 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 2: But it does end up going to court. Matthew Ecker 656 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,880 Speaker 2: is charged, and it goes back to the reason I 657 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:02,200 Speaker 2: was hitting the timeline so hard is because you really 658 00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:05,360 Speaker 2: are dealing with eighteen minutes from starting to finish on 659 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:10,760 Speaker 2: her death. And his story did change. It didn't make sense. 660 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,960 Speaker 2: He's a nurse practitioner working in an emergency room, didn't 661 00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:17,680 Speaker 2: perform CPR or do anything he knows to do. And 662 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 2: he was clean. The scene was clean, blood was drying. 663 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:24,280 Speaker 2: There's nothing in the sink indicating anybody had washed anything 664 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,640 Speaker 2: in the sink in the bathroom like he claimed. The 665 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 2: evidence didn't bear out his story, so he took it 666 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:34,399 Speaker 2: to court. He was charged with her murder. It has 667 00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:35,239 Speaker 2: been adjudicated. 668 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:40,000 Speaker 1: Joe, what's our conclusion here? Dave is he now cool 669 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:41,919 Speaker 1: in his heels in state penitentiary. 670 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:46,080 Speaker 2: Matthew Philip Becker, forty five years old. His wife did 671 00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:51,520 Speaker 2: divorce him, by the way. The father of four convicted 672 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 2: of the sole count of second degree intentional murder not 673 00:43:56,239 --> 00:44:01,240 Speaker 2: premeditated for shooting thirty two year old Xandra Lee Pennig 674 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:04,719 Speaker 2: in the head December sixteenth, twenty twenty two. 675 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,440 Speaker 1: I've got to tell you, at the end of the day, 676 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:10,560 Speaker 1: you think about you think about all of the effort 677 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:15,400 Speaker 1: that went into living the lives that these people lived. 678 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:20,040 Speaker 1: The desire to help people in healthcare, the desire to 679 00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:23,080 Speaker 1: get all of the education that's required, those hoops that 680 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:26,480 Speaker 1: you have to jump through, and to throw it all away. 681 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:34,400 Speaker 1: I'm Joseph Scott Morgan and this is Bodybacks