UK UK - Alistair Wilson, 30, murdered at home, Nairn, Scotland, 28 Nov 2004

[Professor Moriarty]

You can understand the police wanting to withhold some information. But why put out an account that makes no sense? I've heard Professor David Wilson and other pundits pontificating on this murder, but they don't seem to point out that the official version makes no sense.

 

[alb1on]

Let’s say the killer was 20 in 2005. The killer’s dad, perhaps having inherited the gun from the killer’s grandad, legally acquires some ammunition for the gun during the 1980s or 90s, when the killer is but a child. The gun is possessed purely for protection, a need to fire it never arises, and so the ammunition is never used. As a teen or young adult the killer discovers the gun and ammo - in this scenario there’s no need for him to source anything illegally?

It is just possible (and I would not rule it out) but the times (both of the ammunition being available and the time lapse between the law change and the murder) suggest it is much less likely than illegality being involved. I have also previously posted pointing out that those suggesting this must be an old war souvenir retained by a family and so not connected to the underworld are just plain wrong. It may be but in my previous post I linked to a report of exactly this model being used by criminals. My problem is not with keeping the 'family war souvenir' theory as an option but rather seeing it as an overwhelming favourite in the face of the legal issues, the documented criminal use of the same weapon and the probability of illegal sourcing of ammunition.

 

[crazychris]

The thing about Veronica answering the door is that Veronica had been looking after their friends’ baby, and they were due to collect the child. I believe Veronica went to the door expecting it to be them.

Wow. Never heard that before. I know they were reading to boys before bed.

 

[crazychris]

I'm of the belief that the narrative we have been told is completely wrong for one reason or another.

Me too. Either cops and/or Veronica are not telling the whole truth. Too many holes in it, the envelope, the going back inside and him waiting across from a busy pub. Something not right.

 

[Eastend Eagle]

The thing about Veronica answering the door is that Veronica had been looking after their friends’ baby, and they were due to collect the child. I believe Veronica went to the door expecting it to be them.

The couple whose baby the Wilsons were looking after must have got quite the shock when they eventually arrived at the property that evening?
MOO

 

[rvlvr]

In David James Smith’s (paywalled) article on the case he wrote:

It seemed to Andy [Burnet, the landlord of the Havelock] that the ambulance crew took hours to arrive, but in fact they turned up at 19 minutes past seven, which was the time Veronica's eight-minute 999 call came to an end. (The parents of the 18-month-old baby Veronica was looking after arrived a minute or two later.)

A stunning crime

Alistair was lying where he had fallen or crumpled, backwards across the threshold of the front door, his head resting against a box in the hallway. He spoke to his wife, but only to ask her to call

www.thetimes.com

 

[JellyBee]

I always assumed the conversation was probably the killer trying to determine if he had the right guy, before shooting him. It could’ve went something like “Are you Paul?” “No I’m Alistair” “Oh I’m looking for a Paul who works in the pub” “No I work in the bank”… now the guy at the door knows this is Alistair the banker. It would also explain why Alistair was extremely confused and asked Veronica if she was sure they were there for him, before he returned to the door.

 

[davidt]

I always assumed the conversation was probably the killer trying to determine if he had the right guy, before shooting him. It could’ve went something like “Are you Paul?” “No I’m Alistair” “Oh I’m looking for a Paul who works in the pub” “No I work in the bank”… now the guy at the door knows this is Alistair the banker. It would also explain why Alistair was extremely confused and asked Veronica if she was sure they were there for him, before he returned to the door.

I get the idea but personally think its unlikely. My reasoning is because of what we're told happened that night. This caller turns up and Veronica answers the door. He asks for Alastair by name. Apparently he only speaks two words "Alastair Wilson". Veronica doesn't speak at all as far as we know. So this person has gone to Alistair's home and asked for him by name. Veronica fetches Alastair. I can't really see why this person would then ask him if he was "Paul". Surely if he wanted confirmation he'd just ask him if he was Alastair given he'd already asked for him by name in the first place. Why complicate it? That said I'll happily concede the whole thing is so odd just about anything is possible.

 

[davidt]

You can understand the police wanting to withhold some information. But why put out an account that makes no sense? I've heard Professor David Wilson and other pundits pontificating on this murder, but they don't seem to point out that the official version makes no sense.

Yes, several of them have their theories. Nothing wrong with them in principle. There are various plausible interpretations of that night's events. My main problem with them though is that they all seem to rely on choosing the various bits that fit their particular theory and don't deal with the bits that don't. I'd like them to go through their theories bit by bit and match them with the sequence of events and deal with all the questions that arise as you go along.

As an example if this was some sort of contract killing or premdiated hit why wasn't Alastair killed the first time? The answer is sometimes given is that perhaps the gunman was interrupted by a potential witness appearing or something like that. That's possible of course. However the narrative of that night is that it at the conclusion of that first conversation Alastair had finished his business with this person. It was only after returning inside and discussing things with Veronica that Alastair spontaneously decided to go back out (with the envelope presumably) and see if this person might still be there. For some unknown reason he was. Why? He had no reason to expect to see Alastair again. Was he going to hang around for an indeterminate amount of time on the off chance? Why did Alastair think the person might still be there? Just seems very odd for a premeditated killing. Unless of course the narrative is wrong. And it's that narrative all the way through that is the key. It's extremely to make any theory fit it if it is accurate.