Press cuttings of the case

[abs]

The position is equally awkward if another shot her, I think. I really can´t see how that happened.

[amazon]

The first shot to Sheila produced an amount of blood in her throat. If she had remained conscious after that shot, so that she could "shoot herself again" she would surely have coughed and spluttered that blood out of her mouth and onto her face and body. She would have felt as though she was drowning in her own blood, she couldn't possibly have prevented herself from coughing and gagging. So the first shot MUST have rendered her unconscious.

and if the first shot was in the kitchen and then she ran upstairs as some would suggest (cough, splutter) then the blood would have been all down her front and on the lower half of her face, not just in two neat lines away from her nose and mouth.

I don´t buy that the first shot was in the kitchen. It is too far fetched for me.

So abs (nice to meet you by the way  ), do you think Sheila shot herself once, then, in the same position realised she wasn't dead and shot herself again? What do you think happened?

I think it could have happened quickly. I don´t know of course.

Nice to meet you too. Suddenly the old board was gone, huh!

Hmm Rochford says I am courting you abs, methinks he underestimates your intelligence, don't you?

It could have happened quickly yes, but why would she risk a second failure with another shot herself to her throat at the funny angle she was found in? If she wanted to kill herself she'd have put the gun in her mouth and fired up through the roof of her mouth (sorry to be so graphic  )

[abs]

The first shot to Sheila produced an amount of blood in her throat. If she had remained conscious after that shot, so that she could "shoot herself again" she would surely have coughed and spluttered that blood out of her mouth and onto her face and body. She would have felt as though she was drowning in her own blood, she couldn't possibly have prevented herself from coughing and gagging. So the first shot MUST have rendered her unconscious.

and if the first shot was in the kitchen and then she ran upstairs as some would suggest (cough, splutter) then the blood would have been all down her front and on the lower half of her face, not just in two neat lines away from her nose and mouth.

I don´t buy that the first shot was in the kitchen. It is too far fetched for me.

So abs (nice to meet you by the way  ), do you think Sheila shot herself once, then, in the same position realised she wasn't dead and shot herself again? What do you think happened?

I think it could have happened quickly. I don´t know of course.

Nice to meet you too. Suddenly the old board was gone, huh!

Hmm Rochford says I am courting you abs, methinks he underestimates your intelligence, don't you?

It could have happened quickly yes, but why would she risk a second failure with another shot herself to her throat at the funny angle she was found in? If she wanted to kill herself she'd have put the gun in her mouth and fired up through the roof of her mouth (sorry to be so graphic  )

Sheila was a beautiful woman with a beautiful face. I can see why she didn´t shoot herself in the face.

[amazon]

You really think that went through her mind after she supposedly killed her own children and her parents? Can't see that myself but we'll never know I guess.

[puglove]

You really think that went through her mind after she supposedly killed her own children and her parents? Can't see that myself but we'll never know I guess.

I'm sorry if I'm doing a Mike, but I want to pursue this. If Sheila had shot herself in the throat, a terrible, shocking, painful assault on her body with blood immediately leaking from the soft tissue, could she have kept her mouth closed, not gasped or choked, and calmy reposition the gun into a more effective position? Wouldn't her hands have been shaking with shock? And how incredibly "lucky" that there were two bullets left.

[amazon]

You really think that went through her mind after she supposedly killed her own children and her parents? Can't see that myself but we'll never know I guess.

I'm sorry if I'm doing a Mike, but I want to pursue this. If Sheila had shot herself in the throat, a terrible, shocking, painful assault on her body with blood immediately leaking from the soft tissue, could she have kept her mouth closed, not gasped or choked, and calmy reposition the gun into a more effective position? Wouldn't her hands have been shaking with shock? And how incredibly "lucky" that there were two bullets left.

I'm with you Shona, the scene would look totally different.

[puglove]

It would, Ammi (sorry, I can't work out how to do quotes if the original message is a long one!) This sounds like a ridiculous question, but how long would it take for Sheila to realise that she hadn't succeeded? That she was still alive? Surely it would take a few seconds, and all the time blood would be flooding into her throat and neck.......(I really DO sound like Mike, now!)

[puglove]

It would, Ammi (sorry, I can't work out how to do quotes if the original message is a long one!) This sounds like a ridiculous question, but how long would it take for Sheila to realise that she hadn't succeeded? That she was still alive? Surely it would take a few seconds, and all the time blood would be flooding into her throat and neck.......(I really DO sound like Mike, now!)

I can't work out how to edit, either!! I meant to say throat and mouth.

[amazon]

It would, Ammi (sorry, I can't work out how to do quotes if the original message is a long one!) This sounds like a ridiculous question, but how long would it take for Sheila to realise that she hadn't succeeded? That she was still alive? Surely it would take a few seconds, and all the time blood would be flooding into her throat and neck.......(I really DO sound like Mike, now!)

Not to me you don't Shona. Unless the second shot was involuntary - like muscle spasm/movement on death/incapacity, what you are suggesting is certainly how I would see it. I don't use guns but I would think it would take more than an involuntary spasm to fire a rifle, no?

[John]

It would, Ammi (sorry, I can't work out how to do quotes if the original message is a long one!) This sounds like a ridiculous question, but how long would it take for Sheila to realise that she hadn't succeeded? That she was still alive? Surely it would take a few seconds, and all the time blood would be flooding into her throat and neck.......(I really DO sound like Mike, now!)

I can't see that happening myself.  Even if it didn't kill her she would have been knocked out...stunned.  Had she come round her hands would have gone to the burning wound immediately. 

Q.  Was there blood on the inside of her hands...

A.  NO


From the look on her face I believe she never regained consciousness from the first shot.

[John]

Are you having a problem editing Shona?  Can I help?

[puglove]

Oh dear, I hope I'm not making a Rochy tit of myself here, but I think that the gun was a semi-automatic and could not "run away with itself." I think that Sheila would have actually had to pull the trigger. And even if it was an involuntary shot, wouldn't the gun have slipped away from her neck, rather than further across, which would have involved positioning? Am I being naive here, or have we cracked it?

[puglove]

Are you having a problem editing Shona?  Can I help?

Ta, John. Unless I can see "quote" at the end of a message (if it's a long message) I can't work out how to quote. Does that make sense? I'm not even blonde at the moment. Oh, sorry, you said edit!! Oh Gawd. No, I can't see a modify thingy, either. I'm better with crayons.

[amazon]

Oh dear, I hope I'm not making a Rochy tit of myself here, but I think that the gun was a semi-automatic and could not "run away with itself." I think that Sheila would have actually had to pull the trigger. And even if it was an involuntary shot, wouldn't the gun have slipped away from her neck, rather than further across, which would have involved positioning? Am I being naive here, or have we cracked it?

As I understand it she would have had to pull the trigger again. I was just playing devil's advocate with the involuntary spasm etc as I suppose it is theoretically possible, but unlikely.

[John]

It would have been nigh impossible for her to shoot herself in virtually the same spot with an accidental shot.