TX - Sandra Bland, 28, found dead in jail cell, Waller County, 13 July 2015 #1

[EllieBee]

This 2013 study found that the hyoid bone was UNfractured in 98.4% of hanging cases. In fact, it says that if the hyoid bone IS fractured that more investigation should be done to rule out manual strangulation.

http://medind.nic.in/jal/t13/i3/jalt13i3p239.pdf

ETA: It does say that other authors have reported incidences from rare to 67%. The article shows a table with incidence based on gender and age.

Aha! Thank you. I read another article that said it was unusual NOT to have a hyoidal fracture, but not unheard of. However, YOUR article has evidential support, LOL!

This is one of those I read:

http://www.academia.edu/3003781/Pos...ng_to_Ascertain_Hanging_as_the_Cause_of_Death

Don't we have a verified ME as a member here? Can we send out the bat signal? :scared:

 

[EllieBee]

This is interesting and germane to our discussion here:

http://time.com/3968875/sanda-bland-pulled-over-by-a-cop/

1. You have the right to remain silent. That is true whether you’ve just been temporarily detained or formally arrested. There are some instances, like during a traffic stop, where you must provide your license, registration, insurance, and name, when asked. And there are some states where you are required to answer basic identifying questions (name and address) by the police. But you’re not required to give a statement beyond that. You can simply say, “I choose not to answer that question.”

SB should not have taken the bait and answered the cop's repeated questions about being upset. However, I suspect that had SB taken the advice given in this article, it would have angered this cop even more. He was looking for a reason to escalate things.

IMO, this is why he picked and picked to make her finally tell him why she was upset.

IMO, he did it just SO he could "light her up".

Often times with bullies, non-reaction is even more infuriating than reaction. So they keep poking, poking, poking until the focus of their aggression finally responds. At that point the bully feels justified in "lighting them up".

"She made me do it. She wouldn't shut up".

 

[LonghornSpeakEasy]

I'm not an ME but in a health-related field so I'm used to looking at medical research and this kinda stuff fascinates me, too.

I can't seem to cut and paste any information so you might want to take a look at this article if you want more specific information. It basically says that Petechiae was absent in 54% of the hanging cases studied and goes on to break down the different locations of the Petechiae seen in the other 46%. It then looks at multiple variables such as type of ligature, height of decedent, etc. looking for correlation between presence or absence of Petechiae and that particular variable. The only correlations found were with (1) incomplete hangings and (2) height of decedent.

Now to find out how to convert meters to inches and feet....any Canadians or Europeans out there right now?:lookingitup:

 

[EllieBee]

I'm not an ME but in a health-related field so I'm used to looking at medical research and this kinda stuff fascinates me, too.

I can't seem to cut and paste any information so you might want to take a look at this article if you want more specific information. It basically says that Petechiae was absent in 54% of the hanging cases studied and goes on to break down the different locations of the Petechiae seen in the other 46%. It then looks at multiple variables such as type of ligature, height of decedent, etc. looking for correlation between presence or absence of Petechiae and that particular variable. The only correlations found were with (1) incomplete hangings and (2) height of decedent.

Now to find out how to convert meters to inches and feet....any Canadians or Europeans out there right now?:lookingitup:

I had trouble copying and pasting those articles, too. I thought it was my ipad.....

ETA: i am grateful for your medical background! Thank you for your interpretive help.

 

[Betty P]

ME,too KEPPRA is to control epilepsy. On insurance question, somewhere among booking docs I just read, it said no insurance (med). If she was not taking meds it could be because she could not afford them,JMO. Anyway, whether her family knew it or not, I believe that she had epilepsy. JMO

I read in a news story today that her family knew she had epilepsy, it was many years ago and that she hasn't taken meds for a few years, with no seizures .


http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_28527375/sandra-bland-q-what-is-known-about-case

 

[EllieBee]

I read in a news story today that her family knew she had epilepsy, it was many years ago and that she hasn't taken meds for a few years, with no seizures .


http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_28527375/sandra-bland-q-what-is-known-about-case

Another medical question: I don't know medicine but aren't some types of epilepsy outgrown after adolescence? I can't even say why I think that....

 

[Doghairrules]

I'm having trouble seeing the trash bag as strong enough to actually work when used by the person intending death.
The will to breathe alone would make suicide difficult using a bag wrapped around the neck.
I wonder if any tests were conducted to test how sturdy the bag was.
I don't think she was killed on purpose but maybe she died and for whatever reason it was decided to claim death by suicide. IMO
It is possible she did kill herself but the method used seems a bit questionable. IMO

ETA were there sheets on the bed?

That's exactly what I think. That she had a head wound and died or a seizure and died and then they panicked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doghairrules]

Great post - totally agree. Especially about the part where he asked her if she was irritated- well YEAH! DUH! Who likes getting pulled over by the PD?! I understand that traffic laws exist for a reason but it seems pulling her over for failure to signal a lane change was a bit extreme - it didn't appear there was a lot of traffic on the street based on the dashcam video. My SO, ex LEO himself, said there were times they got "creative" in order to pull over a vehicle. Anyway- like you, I don't see a whole lot wrong with her being irritated at being pulled over and with his attitude. I'd have reacted the same way. With that said, I'm still in disbelief that a simple traffic stop turned into such a tragedy for Sandra Bland. Just awful.

So this is slightly off topic and I've spent a couple of days deciding whether to post it or not, but feel compelled to.

My primary abuser when I was a child would wait until I was upset about something (usually being unfairly blamed for something), then try to have a cheerful conversation with me when I was not just irritated but trying hard not to cry and when I didn't respond the way she wanted me to, she would look at my father and say, "what's wrong with her NOW?" And then she'd needle me until I had an outburst and then I would get beaten for crying and/or talking back.

This officer reminds me so much of her that I've had trouble sleeping this week.

Moo and all that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[human]

So this is slightly off topic and I've spent a couple of days deciding whether to post it or not, but feel compelled to.

My primary abuser when I was a child would wait until I was upset about something (usually being unfairly blamed for something), then try to have a cheerful conversation with me when I was not just irritated but trying hard not to cry and when I didn't respond the way she wanted me to, she would look at my father and say, "what's wrong with her NOW?" And then she'd needle me until I had an outburst and then I would get beaten for crying and/or talking back.

This officer reminds me so much of her that I've had trouble sleeping this week.

Moo and all that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly! So abusive. It is good you recognize this behavior and will not accept it. Horrible growing up. I hope you have healed and cast off the cruelty . I am cheering for you!

 

[EllieBee]

So this is slightly off topic and I've spent a couple of days deciding whether to post it or not, but feel compelled to.

My primary abuser when I was a child would wait until I was upset about something (usually being unfairly blamed for something), then try to have a cheerful conversation with me when I was not just irritated but trying hard not to cry and when I didn't respond the way she wanted me to, she would look at my father and say, "what's wrong with her NOW?" And then she'd needle me until I had an outburst and then I would get beaten for crying and/or talking back.

This officer reminds me so much of her that I've had trouble sleeping this week.

Moo and all that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am sorry that you experienced abuse like that.

I appreciate your perspective.

 

[Doghairrules]

Disagree on her moving out of frame -- even the audio disputes you there.

And as for the 'kicking' incident -- we have only the officer's word on that, and based on his performance during the arrest, I see no reason to believe him without further evidence. And frankly, even if she kicked him, I don't think she should be charged, and I still think he should be fired (and perhaps charged as well), based only on what we do know definitively from the dash-cam.

I agree that he moved her out of the frame. He also ordered the other citizen to stop recording. It's very clear he didn't want what he was then doing to her to be seen by the public.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doghairrules]

This cop is a joke and all the defense of his behavior is unreal. She was giving what he was dishing and when he knew she wasn't backing down the guy pauses and thinks of what he can do to irritate her... He asks her if she would mind putting out her cigarette. Downhill from there he slams his clip board on her hood and threatens her out the car. If he felt she was under the influence his statement would have been a great time to bring this up.
If her cigarette was a weapon we all need to know this so we aren't lit up during a routine stop.

Don't forget about the part where he says he will light her up! I'd be fighting him too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bwt42]

That's exactly what I think. That she had a head wound and died or a seizure and died and then they panicked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You & those that liked your post must think the Harris County is involved in a cover up. Correct ?

 

[Montjoy]

Personally, I do not think that Sandra was murdered. I do think that her custody was inadequate, and that those who incarcerated her did not attend to her needs, and ignored the fact that she was by any estimation at a high suicide risk.

For what it's worth, I think that anyone who is paid to provide safe custody has a moral obligation to protect his/her inmates. And while I will not call it murder, the sort of negligence involved in making it so easy for a suicidal inmate to kill herself is at the very least shameful and actionable.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

That's exactly what I think. That she had a head wound and died or a seizure and died and then they panicked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

She had a head wound? I found this but nothing on a head wound.

The only injury to her neck or head was a "uniform and consistent" mark consistent with a suicide by hanging, not a violent strangling.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...suicide-hanging-texas-prosecutor-says-n397351

 

[CoolJ]

Personally, I do not think that Sandra was murdered. I do think that her custody was inadequate, and that those who incarcerated her did not attend to her needs, and ignored the fact that she was by any estimation at a high suicide risk.

For what it's worth, I think that anyone who is paid to provide safe custody has a moral obligation to protect his/her inmates. And while I will not call it murder, the sort of negligence involved in making it so easy for a suicidal inmate to kill herself is at the very least shameful and actionable.

Agreed. I think it is highly possible they purposefully denied her access to contact family and they placed her alone into a "suicide cell". JMO

She took the bait at the traffic stop. And she took the bait laid out for her in the jailhouse. JMO

 

[4senthia]

After reading some of the links I believe that since there were no female jailers on duty at the time, the female officer who transported SB dressed her in the orange stuff. Not a male.
The hyoid bone is normal for such a hanging.
I'm so very sorry she killed herself and also sorry it was taking her family so long to post her bond.
jmho

 

[4senthia]

Yes it says officer Goodie attended to that because she was a female-
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/sandra-bland-autopsy-custodial-death-report

jmo

 

[Curious Guy]

Well yes, he had to charge her with something after yanking and grappling with her inside her vehicle and saying he was going to "light her up"
He was on camera after all.

If we are to be honest here we can't absolve her of any blame for the escalation of the situation. This new found game of all the blame being laid at the feet of LE is getting tiresome. His actions were not what I expect from those protecting the public but her actions were combative as well. Reacting to LE in this manner will almost always result in you spending a little time in jail, right or wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KaaBoom]

You & those that liked your post must think the Harris County is involved in a cover up. Correct ?

There is no doubt in my mind that there is a cover up. Edited video, moving her off camera, telling a witness to stop filming, releasing an incomplete autopsy report, the list goes on, and on. How much more evidence of cover up do you need?