GUILTY MI - Paul DeWolf, 25, fatally shot in Ann Arbor frat house, 23 July 2013

[bourne]

If (big IF) he was shot in the back of the neck, his spinal cord was instantly severed and he wasn't doing anything at all.

Immediate paralysis and death.

:cow:

I read that same comment in one of the articles: http://www.annarbor.com/news/crime/...gunshot-wound-to-neck-fired-by-another-peson/

"what4
9:10 PM on 8/2/2013
It is a terrible, tragic loss for family and friends and indeed our society, my heart goes out to them. And horrifyingly from what has been printed here it appears to have been a killing by someone he knew or someone who snuck in to specifically kill him. There was no struggle and nothing was stolen, there was no blood (the police did not know the cause until the autopsy). One bullet to the back of the neck, spine severed, death instant and no bleeding. A cold hearted premeditated assassination. I am glad the Air Force is involved they will never give up"

What I'd like to know is HOW DID THE POSTER username "what4" KNOW WHERE EXACTLY Paul was shot and whether the bullet SEVERED his SPINAL CORD? :gasp:

 

[SapphireSteel]

I read that same comment in one of the articles: http://www.annarbor.com/news/crime/...gunshot-wound-to-neck-fired-by-another-peson/

"what4
9:10 PM on 8/2/2013
It is a terrible, tragic loss for family and friends and indeed our society, my heart goes out to them. And horrifyingly from what has been printed here it appears to have been a killing by someone he knew or someone who snuck in to specifically kill him. There was no struggle and nothing was stolen, there was no blood (the police did not know the cause until the autopsy). One bullet to the back of the neck, spine severed, death instant and no bleeding. A cold hearted premeditated assassination. I am glad the Air Force is involved they will never give up"

What I'd like to know is HOW DID THE POSTER username "what4" KNOW WHERE EXACTLY Paul was shot and whether the bullet SEVERED his SPINAL CORD? :gasp:

Well it could just be rumour. :dunno:

But the family would have been told, I'm sure. The information is out there, cops talk, all it takes is one with a few beers on a Friday night. Add in your morgue workers and a few pushy reporters and there's your leak.

But if it IS the way he died, it's very compelling isn't it?

:moo:

 

[Katana]

I read that same comment in one of the articles: http://www.annarbor.com/news/crime/...gunshot-wound-to-neck-fired-by-another-peson/

"what4
9:10 PM on 8/2/2013
It is a terrible, tragic loss for family and friends and indeed our society, my heart goes out to them. And horrifyingly from what has been printed here it appears to have been a killing by someone he knew or someone who snuck in to specifically kill him. There was no struggle and nothing was stolen, there was no blood (the police did not know the cause until the autopsy). One bullet to the back of the neck, spine severed, death instant and no bleeding. A cold hearted premeditated assassination. I am glad the Air Force is involved they will never give up"

What I'd like to know is HOW DID THE POSTER username "what4" KNOW WHERE EXACTLY Paul was shot and whether the bullet SEVERED his SPINAL CORD? :gasp:

That poster could be speculating but, failed to say so in that sentence. The rest of the post seems to be speculation.

 

[Woe.be.gone]

If (big IF) he was shot in the back of the neck, his spinal cord was instantly severed and he wasn't doing anything at all.

Immediate paralysis and death.

:cow:

In which link did you read about a shot to the spinal cord while sitting as his desk account of things?* I can't believe I missed that report. Why didn't all media reports pick those details up? (I'm too lazy to read all the articles again right now, can you please point out where you read that version of the crime.) LE may want to keep the details under wraps so, if someone comes forward claiming to know what happened, LE will know if the details they give match the crime.
*I figured it out and see you even said "comment" in your post.

Sometimes I feel like I'm losing too many brain cells. WS is supposed to be helping me stay sharp! :scared:

 

[Woe.be.gone]

That poster could be speculating but, failed to say so in that sentence. The rest of the post seems to be speculation.

Oh, is that a comment in the comment section of an article?
If so, interesting, but can't be taken as truth. Sometimes local information turns out to be true though.

 

[Woe.be.gone]

Well it could just be rumour. :dunno:

But the family would have been told, I'm sure. The information is out there, cops talk, all it takes is one with a few beers on a Friday night. Add in your morgue workers and a few pushy reporters and there's your leak.

But if it IS the way he died, it's very compelling isn't it?

:moo:

Gotcha. Someday I'll learn to catch up reading before I respond. :blushing:

 

[Woe.be.gone]

Paul posted on Fb that his computer was hacked after one of his friends posted on his page as him. It was a joke relating to liking a sports team. Paul says someone got to his computer and further stated that it also meant someone broke into his room. This was all in good fun but, who had access to his room when he wasn't there or when it was locked? Or did Paul often leave his door unlocked?

I'd be angry if someone did this to me. No boundaries, not funny imo.

 

[Zuri]

I hope the police and AF investigators are looking at his patient base. As a 4th year med student, he would have been seeing patients as part of whatever rotation he was on. There are a lot of drug seekers, and although he would not have had prescribing abilities, somebody may have had a vendetta against him. They may have had their meds cut off, substituted, whatever. He also would have been compelled to report any suspicions of abuse to the proper authorities. Another thought I had was that some idiot boyfriend of a patient he was seeing may have wanted him gone due to jealousy. This is such a tragic senseless loss and my heart goes out to his family and friends. JMV

 

[bourne]

Well it could just be rumour. :dunno:

But the family would have been told, I'm sure. The information is out there, cops talk, all it takes is one with a few beers on a Friday night. Add in your morgue workers and a few pushy reporters and there's your leak.

But if it IS the way he died, it's very compelling isn't it?

:moo:

I find the speculations of the poster (what4) provocative but I wouldn't call it "compelling". It flies in the face of what's been reported in the news which is that Paul was found in a "pool of blood". The poster's speculations directly contradict news reports. S/he says "there was no blood" and "no bleeding."

If I had to choose between media reports vs. the poster's opinions about what happened to Paul which even you say may be pure speculation, I'd choose the media's. At least with the media, if their "sources" are wrong, we can hold them accountable and they would have to retract their statements once the "truth" comes out, e.g., in autopsy, etc. On the other hand, this anonymous poster we can't hold responsible since we can't even identify them.

I doubt what4's speculations. I'm going to ask a medical professional whether it's possible for someone to be shot in the back of their neck severing their spine and not leak any blood. From my own medical education, I don't believe that can happen. There is a vertebral artery that runs through the spine, for one thing. If the spine was severed, so would this vertebral artery, so why would the blood not leak? There are also numerous blood vessels, including veins and capillaries, and even parts of the carotid artery that courses throughout the back of the neck. So I have no idea why this poster claims there was "no bleeding".

 

[bourne]

I hope the police and AF investigators are looking at his patient base. As a 4th year med student, he would have been seeing patients as part of whatever rotation he was on. There are a lot of drug seekers, and although he would not have had prescribing abilities, somebody may have had a vendetta against him. They may have had their meds cut off, substituted, whatever. He also would have been compelled to report any suspicions of abuse to the proper authorities. Another thought I had was that some idiot boyfriend of a patient he was seeing may have wanted him gone due to jealousy. This is such a tragic senseless loss and my heart goes out to his family and friends. JMV

Interesting thought but somehow I don't think a patient would be able to sneak into the frat house sight unseen and know Paul lives in a basement unit and catch him off guard and shoot him in the neck with one single shot, killing him. The part about Paul's murderer possibly being a drug addict I could see, but the patient angle is a bit hard to swallow. I also can't see a patient's boyfriend getting to that high degree of jealousy over a medical student so much so he'd stalk Paul to his frat house and kill him. Medical students don't generally have continual contact with the same patient over a long period of time. They just don't have the time to dedicate to one patient. They generally are rotated in different time shifts, departments, etc. And it also sound like Paul was conducting research so he'd be really too busy with studies, patient clinicals, and research to be that focused on one patient. I could be wrong, but somehow I don't see a patient's boyfriend getting that wrapped up about a med student.

IMO, it's most likely someone with long-standing jealousy towards Paul, someone Paul's known for a long time. The murder seems too personal to be a random murder by some lunatic out for a thrill kill.

I could entertain that perhaps it started off as a game. Maybe the killer just wanted to scare Paul with the gun. Perhaps the killer's used to playing shooting games like paintball or something of that nature. And then the gun goes off, Paul's shot in the neck, bleeding heavily, the killer freaks and runs...But *shrugs* IDK.

 

[OldSteve]

Just a thought - I know the gun has not been found, but what if this was suicide and someone took the gun, maybe even a note if one was left.... done so that it could not be said he took his own life... also would allow insurance $$ to be collected...
Okay, far fetched, as only someone very close to him would do something like this and risk being found out and prosecuted...

 

[Woe.be.gone]

Just a thought - I know the gun has not been found, but what if this was suicide and someone took the gun, maybe even a note if one was left.... done so that it could not be said he took his own life... also would allow insurance $$ to be collected...
Okay, far fetched, as only someone very close to him would do something like this and risk being found out and prosecuted...

One of the few facts known, per the death certificate, is PW was shot in the neck by another person. The position of the entry wound must confirm that PW couldn't have fired the shot himself.
Come to think of it, the words on the certificate lend credibility to the commenter who posted, under a news article, that Paul was shot from behind.

 

[jjenny]

If somebody was sneaking into his room using his computer-I find that very suspicious. Paul could have told that person he is going to report them, if he found out who that was.

 

[SapphireSteel]

One of the few facts known, per the death certificate, is PW was shot in the neck by another person. The position of the entry wound must confirm that PW couldn't have fired the shot himself.
Come to think of it, the words on the certificate lend credibility to the commenter who posted, under a news article, that Paul was shot from behind.

We also know that gunshot was not suspected until autopsy.

That sounds like a very close up, very small calibre to me, placed very precisely. I really doubt the "pool of blood" scenario only because gun deaths tend to look just like gun deaths, and in this case, investigators didn't pick it.

:moo:

This is why I wondered if Paul made a habit of studying with headphones on and his door unlocked. I someone had've known that, it would have been easy as pie to sneak up behind him unheard.

It's almost an execution, if that's the way it happened.

 

[jjenny]

If the wound was small, even if there was a pool of blood, investigators might have not been sure what kind of weapon killed him. For instance, they might have seen the wound, but couldn't tell if it was a gun shot or stabbing.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

Paul posted on Fb that his computer was hacked after one of his friends posted on his page as him. It was a joke relating to liking a sports team. Paul says someone got to his computer and further stated that it also meant someone broke into his room. This was all in good fun but, who had access to his room when he wasn't there or when it was locked? Or did Paul often leave his door unlocked?

That is interesting indeed. And the fact that he posted it on FB might mean he thought it funny OR that he may have been a bit concerned himself but thought it better to make it appear more like a joke and less suspect. It is really odd indeed.
Did the person that broke into his room also steal a key? What else did they do? Very weird. Highly suspect.

 

[bourne]

This is just for comic relief and not directed at anyone.

 

[OldSteve]

One of the few facts known, per the death certificate, is PW was shot in the neck by another person. The position of the entry wound must confirm that PW couldn't have fired the shot himself.
Come to think of it, the words on the certificate lend credibility to the commenter who posted, under a news article, that Paul was shot from behind.

BBM - it sounds to me (2 assuptions):

1) Perp did this by total surprise... someone Paul knew was with him was able to catch him off guard - perhaps while Paul was engrossed in something, and the perp was able to quietly take out a small gun and shoot him from behind in the neck....
OR
Someone was holding him captive with a gun from behind ... perp then shot him in the neck. This would be more difficult since the perp would have to be rather close to him - so close I wonder if Paul tried to get the gun and was then shot... but would think multiple shots would have been fired... the perp would not realize he hit him right away... UNLESS the perp had no intention in the first place of really shooting Paul, and as soon as the one shot when off, the perp took off.

? Could it have been a prank of some sort gone terribly wrong??.. someone who's only intention was to do something with/on Paul's PC..

 

[Katana]

According to a paramedic I know, he says that a gun shot versus a stabbing is unmistakable and LE on the scene would be able to identify the injury. The difference is a hole or slit mark left by weapon. My friend says if a circular object was used, such as an ice pick, then it could be possibly mistaken as a gun shot but, the difference between a hole and slit is easy to identify. He says if LE could not identity the injury this could be due to the amount of blood surrounding the wound.

He also said a neck shot would both enter and exit the neck because there isn't anything in the neck to stop a bullet even if it hit the spine. If the bullet did not exit then the shot most likely was not a straight shot so either aimed up or down.

 

[Katana]

That is interesting indeed. And the fact that he posted it on FB might mean he thought it funny OR that he may have been a bit concerned himself but thought it better to make it appear more like a joke and less suspect. It is really odd indeed.
Did the person that broke into his room also steal a key? What else did they do? Very weird. Highly suspect.

The incident was awhile ago (couple of years at least) and Paul did not seem to mind. He may have known exactly who it was and may have given that person access to his room for a reason. I thought the incident could mean that the frat brothers are trusting of each other and may access to each others rooms. I don't know.