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Skull Fractures

posted 18 years ago by JMAN-8
5 replies | jump to latest

I've seen the vitriol on this board, and it quite annoys me. The moment people can't have a civilized conversation is the moment the conversation should end.

In any case, I do have a question that, despite my looking on all these websites devoted to either side of the case, have failed to answer (then again, I'm tired and hope someone else has the information readily available).

My question is as follows: If David Rudolf's evidence is accurate, how is one to explain the fact that all the other people who were beaten to death in the last ten years in NC have had either skull fractures or brain injuries, but Kathleen doesn't?

If someone has an answer, please provide source links so that I may read up on it myself.

Your help is appreciated.

JMAN

[–] shoyt_2001 18 years ago

http://www.courttv.com/trials/novelist/092903_ctv.html

You can use that link to check experts testimony concerning the head wounds.

[–] JMAN-8 18 years ago

That's appreciative, but that didn't answer my question. The experts testified that it almost couldn't possibly be a fall down the stairs due to the number and size of the lacerations, but that doesn't explain how she could have been severely beaten without those telltale fractures and brain injuries, when all the other have been.

Anyone else can help me on this?

JMAN

[–] shoyt_2001 18 years ago

Peterson was not "swinging at her, hitting her just as hard as he could" with roundhouse blows as Rudolf kept trying to imply. He could have used a short whipping type blow and/or drug the tip of the blowpoke down her head. Either of those motions would rip the scalp open without fracturing the skull.

With Elizabeth Ratliff he probably used a shorter weapon such as a hand held can opener. Both women had a horizontal injury at the base of the skull. That was probably the result of having the back of their heads hit on a step. In the case of Kathleen Peterson that blow did not cause a fracture of the skull but the base of the skull injury to Elizabeth Ratliff did cause a hairline fracture of the skull. All of the other, vertical injuries on both women were likely the result of an instrument.

Don't fall for Rudolf's image of Peterson flailing away like a madman. Peterson was trying to create a scene that would look like an accident on the stairs. Remember, there were at least three attacks over time and Peterson was cleaning up and staging inbetween attacks. Both Deaver and Henry Lee noted there were several periods of bleeding as evidenced by the blood.

Here is a link to one of the many places you can find information about scalp lacerations.

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/forensicmedicine/llb/woundsdws.htm#Lacerations

[–] JMAN-8 18 years ago

Thanks, I'll look into it.

JMAN

[–] shoyt_2001 18 years ago

If you look at the link that I provided be sure to note that the Y-shaped lacerations are associated with a... metal rod. That was the sort of lacerations on the back of Kathleen's head. If you have the DVD you can stop motion to see those or you can find them depicted in the book by Aphrodite Jones, A Perfect Husband. Not the best book on the subject but the pictures are very telling.