(snipped for clarity, because this conversation was just getting too darn confusing with all the wrapped quotes)Okay, ignoring (for the time being) the medical aspects and what others have said, think about exactly what was found around her neck when the coroner first saw her (since this is the first documentation we have of it). How do you think it was used to strangle her? Was it simply pulled, was it somehow twisted, or was it used like a tourniquet (as some have suggested) with the stick placed under the cord and turned to tighten it?
I see there being too many problems with each of these methods for any of them to be possible.
Hmmm, well, it sounds like you have an interesting theory about this.
From the photos, it appears to me that it tightens as it's pulled. I seem to recall it had to be cut off. (though perhaps that is to save the knot for specialist examination and not because it couldn't be untied - but the point is it couldn't be loosened while preserving the knot) The AR states asphyxiation as the cause of death (along with the trauma to the head) So, I'll have to go with door number 1 - it was pulled.
Actually (and this is important to note), what we learned from Kolar was that one doctor (Dr. Lucy Rorke-Adams) expressed her opinion that it could have been that long. Of all the doctors’ opinions I have read, she is the only one who felt that it could have been that long, and she based her opinion on the pictures and the brain sections she was provided. So her opinion was based on her knowledge and the quality of the specimens she was provided. Since you’ve said you’re not inclined toward studying the medical aspects, I won’t go into the details (and actually it’s too complicated to try and address here), but keep your mind open to the fact that she may have been wrong on the length of time between the two injuries.
Thank you for pointing out that it's just one opinion. I will remain open as to the time between the blow and the garrotte.
Remaining open of course still allows for the 90 minutes to be right. One thing that has always troubled me is that while I think the blow to the head was accidental (could be wrong, but I lean towards accident) the garrotte was deliberate. It always struck me as odd that someone accidentally hit her then in short order decided on murder. The 90 minutes allows for some thought and time to screw up one's courage to do the deed.
I agree on that. This was not a case of EA -- for the enjoyment of anyone.
Good. Then we probably agree that the garrotte was not for the purpose of staging some kinky sex murder. It may or may not be staging, but (imo) it's not meant to make anyone think about a sex killer.
There are more than two sides on which to jump from this fence, and you don’t have to jump until you feel you know what’s on each side.
Agreed. So why do you think someone would, as you suggest, wrap a cord around her neck to strangle her after having struck the head blow? She was already unconscious at that point. If the intent was to kill her, why not some other more effective method, or as you say, just whack her again? The knife was there. She was already unconscious, so why not just pinch her nose and hold her mouth, or stab her? Why this freaky, never-before-seen “garrote”?
The knife would be too messy.
I basically lean towards the simple answer - the garrotte ensures her death. If I'm understanding the knot correctly, it does not loosen at all when tension is released. IOWs the more it's pulled the tighter it gets, and it doesn't loosen up. It guarantees she'll die of asphyxiation. There are other methods as effective, but none more so, as far as I can see.
Pinching the nose and covering the mouth would require attention to her breathing. That might fail, as the signs of life could become so faint one might think she's dead before she really is. Also it requires some sustained effort for a few minutes. The garrotte, if I'm correct about the knot, is a sort of "set it and forget it" method.
If we speculate on how a parent (or brother, to be fair to BDI theory) would kill a daughter (or sister) the garrotte might not seem so freaky.
A gun would alert the neighbors, and though many people have guns, relatively few have silencers on them. Also a gun makes a heck of a mess and one can't pretend to have slept until nearly 6am if she was shot at say midnight. It's one thing not the hear the scream that may never have occurred. It's another not the hear a gunshot.
The knife, as mentioned, is also quite messy - though quiet.
She could have been hung, which is really just a variation on the "asphyxiation" theme.
If hit in the head repeatedly, she'd probably die, but that might also get messy, and it leaves some uncertainty - unless taken to the point where the head is stove in.
She could have been drowned, but that might not fit the planned scenario - if the killer was thinking ahead.
I should add that I'm not in the camp that says this was a super sophisticated killing device that only a CIA trained "double naught" spy could make. This was a piece of rope with a simple knot. In fact, I'll go a bit further and say that's it's not very "sailorly" (if that's a word). Sailors usually prefer knots that are both secure and easy to untie.
I'm not quite sure what to make of your comment that the garrotte was "never before seen".
Sadly, yes. Sooner or later, hopefully, someone who lives in Colorado will file for FOI status, and maybe we'll have more evidence and insight into what happened.
We can hope.
