Malcolm Fletcher said it was consistent with backspatter. I doubt very much that the thought of a.n other(s) deliberately contaminating the silencer entered his head.
I agree it was either planted or backspatter.
The defense had grounds to put before the jury the possibility of contamination but Geoffrey Rivlin chose an alternative strategy and the rest as they say is history. We will never know whether the jury would have reached the same verdict had GR presented to the jury the possibility of contamination.
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They had no basis to argue contamination. NGB doesn't identify any basis to argue it either. NGB gave his opinion they coudl have tried to cross examine witnesses to try to find a way to eat away at the evidence but doesn't identify anyway they coudl have done so successfully let alone present any evidence to support a claim of planting of evidence.
"There was opportunity and there were also admissions about the attempt to unscrew the silencer and the use of a razor blade to scrape blood. There was evidence of blood stained clothing removed from the house. There was sufficient to permit cross examination about this and if the possibilities had been explored in cross examination it would have been possible to present this to the jury as a possibility to be considered.'
Cross examination would have been worthless because there is no way to accidentally transfer wet blood to the first 8 baffles. There is nothing that could have been asked of any of the witnesses that would have made such possible. Asking Fletcher if it was possible would have resulted in him saying no. If it were possible they would have foudn their pown expert to assert it.
The blood could only have been deposited by drawback or by being planted. To suggest it was planted requires coming up with evidence it was planted. The family would have needed:
1) to know the fatal wound was a contact shot
2) to know all about drawback
3) to obtain Sheila's wet blood or to know her blood type and to obtain some
4) to appreciate that they needed to spray the blood so as to mimick backspatter
5) to figure out a way to spray the blood so it landed on the first 8 baffles
6) to find a way to wash away the blood that would have been inside the rifle barrel because if the moderator had not been attached then the blood form her fatal wound would have been inside the rifle.
Police would have needed the same for them to plant it. Realistically only police agents with such knowledge would be the lab. But the blood was found right away and was seen by the family so was there before it was turned over to the lab. It was not until Vanezis provided his report that police knew about the wound being a contact shot and her blood type. But police would have had to plant the blood right away and convinced the family to lie. They also woudl have to have known abou drawback and to have removed blood from the rifle. But if police planted the blood they would have had the lab test the blood right away instead of wasting so much time fingerprinting it which is what delayed the lab analyzing the blood type. Why woudl they bother planting paint as well if they had planted the blood?
Lawyers get evidence in by testimony of witnesses. What witnesses could they have used to get in the suggestion in that the blood was planted? There are no questions they coudl have asked that would have helped them establish it.
The best they coudl do is what they did which is to try to pretend that Sheila shot June and Nevill then removed the moderator and put it away even though that akes no sense and is not credible. They had the choice of that nonconvincing argument or none.