There are so many variables in our perception of, and the scientific measurement of sound and loudness that I wonder whether both PT and DT may have discarded pursuing particular details further (scream fade after bang etc.)
The following would all give a unique set of properties to the sound travel that evening:
Air temperature/humidity (at ground level, above the houses etc)
Wind direction
Time of day (dead of night, low ambient noise from community / traffic / aircraft / animals)
Man-made environment (echoey tiled bathroom, open window, toilet door)
Natural enviroment (flat open area beyond the bathroom window, surrounding properties creating echo)
Human physiology (how RS stopped screaming / how quickly she died)
I could certainly imagine it being difficult to ascertain exactly when a series of screams stopped amidst a shorter series of gunshots, both as a witness or a forensics expert.
The link posted earlier in the thread on screaming (http://www.audioforensics.com/PDFs/AES122_Scream.pdf) had quite a telling summary however (BBM)
It's very difficult to believe that the ear witnesses were all mistaken in hearing a women's terrified screams.
The following would all give a unique set of properties to the sound travel that evening:
Air temperature/humidity (at ground level, above the houses etc)
Wind direction
Time of day (dead of night, low ambient noise from community / traffic / aircraft / animals)
Man-made environment (echoey tiled bathroom, open window, toilet door)
Natural enviroment (flat open area beyond the bathroom window, surrounding properties creating echo)
Human physiology (how RS stopped screaming / how quickly she died)
I could certainly imagine it being difficult to ascertain exactly when a series of screams stopped amidst a shorter series of gunshots, both as a witness or a forensics expert.
The link posted earlier in the thread on screaming (http://www.audioforensics.com/PDFs/AES122_Scream.pdf) had quite a telling summary however (BBM)
A scream is similar to a babyís cry; there is nearly a
universally-understood agreement as to its meaning
regarding human calamity, and its frequency content
seems almost tailored to frequencies of maximal
sensitivity on an equal-loudness contour. The level at
which a scream might be discriminated from other types
of sounds in most contexts is likely not much higher
than the level at which it can be detected, due to its
unique character.
It's very difficult to believe that the ear witnesses were all mistaken in hearing a women's terrified screams.