Yes, exactly my thoughts.
It seemed to me that the original Medical Examiner was very careful with her words and vague about many aspects of John O'Keefe's injuries. I felt that she may have been under pressure from Trooper Proctor and Co.
Dr Sheridan's testimony cleared up a lot of questions that I had about the particulars of JOK's injuries, particularly in regard to the possibility that JOK might have stumbled or walked to his final resting place (he couldn't) or whether JOK could have in fact been lying out in the snow for six hours (he couldn't).
JOK is unconscious and immobile after the blow to his head. The blow is so severe that it sends multiple fractures around the skull, and the subsequent swelling of the brain and brain stem leads to downward herniation as the brain is encapsulated by the ridged confines of the skull.
This puts such pressure upon the spinal cord that respiratory failure is imminent.
When he was discovered around 6am, his body temperature was still 80*f.
He died shortly after his injury and he was certainly not lying out in the snow for six hours. One of these two scenarios is likely:
- If he was injured outside as suggested by the CW, it was after 3am, or
- His time of death was earlier but he remained indoors in a heated environment and moved outside sometime after 3am.