MI MI - Francis "Pat" Brown, 17, & Sheldon Miller, 14, fatally shot, Detroit, 3 Jul 1964

[Betty P]

The .22 rifle cartridges used to kill Pat and Sheldon were "rimfire" rounds, which have the priming in the rim of the casing. To ignite the powder in the casing, a firing pin hits the rim, leaving an imprint. This imprint shows what type or shape the firing pin was, and this in turn helps to identify the type of weapon was used. Also, marks can be made on the casing which show the imprint of the bolt face, or scratches might appear from the loading mechanism or the extractor/ejector.



A bullet which has been fired from a rifle or pistol will have rifling marks on it which also help to determine the type of weapon used. These marks on bullets and on spent shell casings can also assist in the identification of a specific weapon when compared with a test cartridge fired from a suspected firearm.



Rifle or pistol barrels could have anywhere from 2 to 16 grooves and lands in them. These are spiral cuts which impart spin and stability to the bullet while in flight. These marks are like "fingerprints" to ballistic experts.

The general measurements and number of grooves help to determine the type or make of weapon that was used, but included within the rifling marks are very specific/unique scratches and marks made when the bullet passed through the barrel and which can help to identify the exact weapon which was used in the crime.

Bullets, casings, and unfired cartridges might also contain further evidence, such as DNA and human fingerprints which can help to link the murder weapon to an individual.

The study of wounds made by bullets can also yield clues as to method and actions of the killer.

Thanks, Richard. The photo of the firing pin impression is very helpful. It's easy to see how LE could use that information to identify the specific weapon that was used in these murders.

 

[Richard]

By a strange coincidence, in the Summer of 1964, a man named Stanton O. Berg published a scholarly study on the classification of .22 firing pin impressions and how they could be used to identify the type of firearm the cartridge was fired from.

The following link includes illustrations of the various types of marks found on fired casings. It is possible that the Detroit Police forensics experts did an analysis on the casings to determine the exact make and model of revolver that was used, and certainly they compared test fired rounds from many revolvers looking for a match.

If those studies and the casings still exist, they could be compared to other .22 revolvers or shell casings that are still in existence today.

LINK:
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5241&context=jclc

 

[MajorHoople]

Thank you @Richard for an educational primer (no pun intended) on firearm cartridges. Good job.

 

[Richard]

Thank you @Richard for an educational primer (no pun intended) on firearm cartridges. Good job.

Thank you for your kind remarks. The study of ballistics is something that I have been interested in for quite a few years. It is a science which includes such factors as a given type of cartridge, bullet weight, type and amount of powder, distance, chamber pressure, bullet velocity, etc. These things are studied and experimented with by folks who reload cartridges for - and shoot - just about any type of firearm.

The study of terminal ballistics, or wound ballistics, is a bit different, but certainly related. Such variables as where someone is hit, from what angle and distance, and other factors like where the shell casing is ejected, whether the bullet hit other objects, etc are things studied by Law enforcement forensic specialists in their attempts to solve crimes.

 

[Richard]

Here is a rather strange 2018 facebook link video made near the scene of the murders some 50 years later, as well as some comments on the case.

... "Tom Termani the boy walking along Pickford that was shot at and he said fireworks were going off in the darkened park! (Actually he was hearing the two boys being murdered) He said it was right about 10:20 when something whizzed by his head!"...

... "The scuttlebutt through the police department especially back then they say they know who did it but don't have enough evidence. I remember when that happens there was a one kid that was asked to come down to the police station and he came with not only his father but a priest! They said he talked some crazy stuff. I'm of the mind he must have been the one they suspected, who brings a priest?"...

Frank Horenkamp

 

[dotr]

Here is a rather strange 2018 facebook link video made near the scene of the murders some 50 years later, as well as some comments on the case.

... "Tom Termani the boy walking along Pickford that was shot at and he said fireworks were going off in the darkened park! (Actually he was hearing the two boys being murdered) He said it was right about 10:20 when something whizzed by his head!"...

... "The scuttlebutt through the police department especially back then they say they know who did it but don't have enough evidence. I remember when that happens there was a one kid that was asked to come down to the police station and he came with not only his father but a priest! They said he talked some crazy stuff. I'm of the mind he must have been the one they suspected, who brings a priest?"...

Frank Horenkamp

Interesting!
Wondering if "the kid" attended any of the churches listed below? speculation, imo.
Michigan Priest Sex Abuse List: State of Michigan Catholic Diocese - Merson Law PLLC

Priest who served in 17 Detroit-area communities accused of sexual abuse years after death
''West was ordained in 1964 and served in various capacities in 17 different southeast Michigan communities.
He was a pastor at Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington; Our Lady Queen of Peace in Harper Woods; St. Anastasia in Troy; St. Andrew in Rochester; St. Dennis in Royal Oak; St. Joan of Arc in St. Clair Shores; St. Matthew in Detroit; Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse Pointe Woods; St. Agatha in Redford; St. James in Ferndale and St. Louise de Marillac in Warren.

West was also an administrator at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Temperance; St. Aidan in Livonia; St. Basil the Great in Eastpointe; St. Joseph in Maybee; St. Mel in Dearborn Heights; St. Michael in Livonia and St. Victor in Rockwood.

The priest was taught at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, was a minister at Wayne State University and a chaplain at Bishop Gallagher High School in Harper Woods.''

 

[Richard]

The difficulty in trying to connect any of these offenders with any specific event in the early 1960's is that by the time the church and courts began to deal with the issue is that the statute of limitations had long expired. The earliest cases mentioned are much later, and then the summary information is vague.

Another problem is the apparent constant movement of these predators from one church to another and also state to state transfers. Many places are mentioned, but without specific dates.

 

[Richard]

The fact that the killer moved 78 feet away from the boys after shooting them 8 times, reloaded and then returned to fire at least 3 or 4 more shots, was probably because he heard moans or continued movement from one or both boys.

The shooting of each victim behind the right ear tends to support this. The autopsy would probably show that the final kill shots were made a very close range, because there would have been gunpowder residue around the wounds.

The killer wanted to ensure that he remained unknown by finishing the boys off and exiting the area immediately. Key to finding him would be to look at similar crimes before and after the murders of Pat and Sheldon. Not only in Michigan, but other states (and Canada) as well.

 

[Dylansmom08]

Thank you for all the work you have put into this case great job pulling everything together. Just looking at what you have here I don't think this is the only murders this person has committed and not the last since they were never caught. It might be hard to find other cases before this one because a lot of the older cold cases are not published online but we can definitely look for other cases after in the surrounding areas it might be a long shot but I will give it my best and see what I can find.

 

[Richard]

Dr. Clara Raven, chief Medical Examiner for Detroit conducted the autopsies on both Pat Brown and Sheldon Miller. Her report would be a very thorough primary source document in this cold case.

Her history is most interesting and impressive:

Clara Raven

(1909 – 1994)

Dr. Clara Raven, Colonel AUS-Retired, and Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Wayne County, Emeritus, was a true pioneer for the advancement of medical knowledge as well as for the achievement of women. After graduating from the University of Michigan with bachelor and master’s degrees, she became the only female student in her freshman class at Duke University Medical School. She then transferred as a sophomore to Northwestern University Medical School under a quota system that allowed only four female students into the Medical School. She graduated with an M.D. degree in 1938.

At the brink of World War II, Dr. Raven was a John Garrett International research fellow at the University of Liverpool, England (1938-39). Immediately after her return, World War II began in Europe and she volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army, but was not accepted until legislation was passed to admit women in 1943. Dr. Raven was among the first five women physicians commissioned. She served in Europe during World War II and later in the Far East during the Korean War. As chief of laboratory services in general hospitals, she was involved in the research of hepatitis infections in servicemen in Europe and in the research of hepatitis and epidemic hemorrhagic fever in Korea. She attended the Nuremberg trials in Germany and served briefly at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima, Japan.

While on duty as a tissue pathologist at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, she co-authored a Japanese textbook on histopathology. In 1961, she became the first female physician to achieve the rank of full colonel in the Army Medical Corps.

Clara Raven became Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Wayne County in 1958. Her greatest challenge was her more than 20 years research into the cause of crib death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). In the early 1970s, Dr. Raven testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee to encourage funding for SIDS research and counseling of the bereaved, but the cause and prevention are still evasive.

Dr. Raven received many honors, awards, and commendations including the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, the Michigan State Medical Flag Award, and the 1962 Northwestern Alumni Merit Award. Her name appeared in Who’s Who in the Directory of Medical Specialists, Who’s Who in Men in Science, and Who’s Who of American Women. She was the first female officer to become a member of the Military Order of World Wars and the Association of Military Surgeons. She was a member of many professional and scientific organizations and women’s and philanthropic associations.

LINK:
Clara Raven - Michigan Women Forward

 

[Warwick1991]

Like many of the cold cases here, it is so sad and tragic, with no justice for the perpetrator. These 2 promising boys were cheated of the opportunity to grow up and live their lives.

My thought about the pistol is that it would be exceptionally difficult to find. This crime occurred before the Gun Control Act of 1968, and High Standards were sold by mail all over the country. I can remember seeing ads for them in the backs of magazines, and asking my father if he’d send away for one so I could learn to shoot with it... Sales records are a likely dead end. Of course, if the suspected murder weapon was found, it could be tested.

 

[Richard]

Like many of the cold cases here, it is so sad and tragic, with no justice for the perpetrator. These 2 promising boys were cheated of the opportunity to grow up and live their lives.

My thought about the pistol is that it would be exceptionally difficult to find. This crime occurred before the Gun Control Act of 1968, and High Standards were sold by mail all over the country. I can remember seeing ads for them in the backs of magazines, and asking my father if he’d send away for one so I could learn to shoot with it... Sales records are a likely dead end. Of course, if the suspected murder weapon was found, it could be tested.

You make an excellent point. While that same pistol might no longer exist today, it is possible that it was used in another crime before or after its use on 3 July 1964. If that was the case, perhaps somewhere in old evidence files are bullets, casings, or ballistics reports which might match what Detroit Police took in evidence.

 

[MajorHoople]

Has Richard Speck ever been considered as a possible suspect?

IL - 50 Years Since Speck: The Nation Reeled in Horror

 

[Richard]

Has Richard Speck ever been considered as a possible suspect?

IL - 50 Years Since Speck: The Nation Reeled in Horror

I doubt if Detroit Police ever considered Richard Speck as a possible suspect in the murders of Pat and Sheldon.

Certainly not at the time, since they were murdered in July 1964, and Speck was not known as a killer until after July 1966 when he murdered 8 student nurses in Chicago. By then, the murder case of Pat and Sheldon had gone cold.

Speck, although a "spree killer" and mass murderer, is technically not considered a "serial killer" since all of his known victims were all killed in one night and in the same place. But since he murdered each girl one at a time, a good case could be put forward to call him a serial killer.

There have been a number of other unsolved cases in which he was considered as a suspect, but he was never brought to trial for them, since he was already convicted of the 8 murders in Chicago.

The mind of that dirtbag was certainly warped and it would be entirely possible that he could and would kill the boys without any feeling. But was he in Detroit in 1964? And is there any link between him, his known victims, his method of killing, and the two boys?

LINK:
Rare photos, interviews honor 8 nurses slain by Richard Speck in 1966

 

[Warwick1991]

I doubt if Detroit Police ever considered Richard Speck as a possible suspect in the murders of Pat and Sheldon.

Certainly not at the time, since they were murdered in July 1964, and Speck was not known as a killer until after July 1966 when he murdered 8 student nurses in Chicago. By then, the murder case of Pat and Sheldon had gone cold.

Speck, although a "spree killer" and mass murderer, is technically not considered a "serial killer" since all of his known victims were all killed in one night and in the same place. But since he murdered each girl one at a time, a good case could be put forward to call him a serial killer.

There have been a number of other unsolved cases in which he was considered as a suspect, but he was never brought to trial for them, since he was already convicted of the 8 murders in Chicago.

The mind of that dirtbag was certainly warped and it would be entirely possible that he could and would kill the boys without any feeling. But was he in Detroit in 1964? And is there any link between him, his known victims, his method of killing, and the two boys?

LINK:
Rare photos, interviews honor 8 nurses slain by Richard Speck in 1966

I think Speck was in prison in Texas in 1964.

 

[dotr]

Wondering if the killer went on to kill others after the two boys were shot to death?

 

[Richard]

Wondering if the killer went on to kill others after the two boys were shot to death?

It is certainly a good question. The answer is most likely "yes". The killer, although perhaps not well experienced at the time, displayed complete disregard for his victims and total focus on completing the act of murder. He left the scene briefly by walking away 78 feet, carefully emptied his revolver and reloaded it in the dark, and then returned to deliver killing shots to each boy.

He then had the presence of mind to calmly and quickly exit the area to avoid capture. He subsequently avoided capture and implication in the massive police investigation which followed.

Although there might not have been other murders or attacks exactly matching the specifics of this case, it is very possible that other similarly violent "over kill" murders with no discernable motive might be linked.

 

[dotr]

Maybe i missed it, but is there a description of the shooter?

 

[MajorHoople]

You make some good points Richard and Warwick1991.

 

[Richard]

Maybe i missed it, but is there a description of the shooter?

Police identified at least 28 persons (all teenagers) who were in the park between about 10 PM and midnight that evening. None had actually seen the shooting of the boys.

One 17-year-0ld boy (not named in News coverage) stated that he had seen an older youth or young man in the vicinity at about 10:45 PM (about 15 minutes after the estimated time of the murders). The witness ran from this older person because, although he did not know his name, he recognized him as a bully who had troubled him in the playground before. This possible suspect was described as large, possibly six feet tall, and heavy set.

Police focussed on this potential unknown suspect and continued to question the 17 year old boy. At one point, the boy picked from a police lineup, a 22 year-old man he believed to have been the person he saw that night. That man had an alibi because at approximately 11 PM the night of the murders, he was being questioned by Dearborn Police on another matter (about 7 miles away from the murder scene).

Seven months later, in a news conference on the case, police investigators stated that the 17 year old witness was a liar who had misled the investigation. They therefore disregarded his entire eyewitness statement regarding the possible suspect.

Is it possible, however, that the boy DID see the person he identified, but thought he was someone he had encountered before? Or could the person he identified in the lineup have made it to Dearborn in 15 to 30 minutes?