What is the likelihood that someone in a supine position shooting themselves in the forehead would miss first time, do we think? Is it possible that a combination of outstretched arms, shaking hands, nerves, etc, would lead to a shot into the pillow the first time?
This is a good point which I meant to address before but missed for whatever reason.
The following is obviously just my opinion based on my own experience.
I don't think it likely that the shot into the pillow is a case of her missing on a first attempt. I think that that can be effectively ruled out for the following reasons;
There would unquestionably be very noticeable gunshot residue deposits to her face, hair and upper clothing, etc. When I say gunshot residue deposits I'm not just taking about the gaseous residue stuff they swab a criminals for. I'm talking physical injuries caused by free flying particles of unburnt powder, soot and the propellant gasses themselves.
The 9x19mm NATO round (and the 9mm Luger/Parabellum which are essentially the same) works at a pressure that people who aren't experienced in firearms or handloading ammunition may find surprising. If you've ever kicked a car tyre, and possibly hurt your foot, and thought it must be containing quite a lot of pressure then compare with a 9mm round. An average car tyre is inflated to about 30-40psi (pounds per square inch). As can be seen from the link below (I know it's only Wikipedia but it quotes correctly) the 9mm cartridge produces pressures well over one thousand times of manhy car tyres!
en.wikipedia.org
The below is a link to the Hodgdon Powder Company loading data website which confirms these levels of pressures. You'll need to navigate through it and select "9mm Luger" data along with a bullet weight and powder type but it's all there.
Discharging 30,000psi of super-heated gas and tiny projectiles travelling at 5,000fps+ a few inches away from human skin and not leaving evidence of such is, to all intents and purposes, inconceivable in my opinion. No medical examiner would miss such injuries.
Now, perhaps it was the case that she did that and it was mentioned in the post mortem report but I'm not aware that it's online anywhere to check.
The second reason which, in my opinion makes it highly unlikely, is the noise. As with the points about pressure, if you don't have any experience with firearms then it's difficult to fully appreciate just how noisy these things are. The noise is related to the pressure - the higher the pressure, the higher the volume. Indeed, noise meters actually measure pressure, so I believe. 30,000psi is a
lot of pressure! Discharging a 9mm pistol a few inches from your face would be an utterly terrifying experience. The notion that she would then have seemingly calmly realigned it with her forehead and shot herself seems highly unlikely to me. As with the first point, there would also likely be noticeable physical effects of very likely burst eardrums.
So, whilst lining up her second shot she would likely have been shaking with terror and in fairly severe pain from her skin being penetrated by super-heated gas and flying particles and most probably shattered eardrums and massive ringing in the ears yet managed to perfectly place a second shot right in the centre of her forehead. I don't see this is a credible scenario.
I don't have an answer to the other shot. I've mulled about with various unlikely theories that just possibly the gun managed to discharge a second time when she pulled the trigger but it's a pretty thin theory. It doesn't get round the fact that all of the issues mentioned above would still be evident on her body.
The only conclusion I can arrive at is that it was some sort of "test shot" to satisfy herself that the gun worked. It could have been an accidental discharge when she was playing about with it or trying to load it, of course.
My opinion only, obvs.
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