Murder at the President's House

by J. R. Johnson

  Meanwhile, he reviews the report of the housekeeper typewritten by the first patrol officer who arrived at the crime scene at the White House for any inconsistencies in her version of the story. At the onset there is no new leads currently in the case to build from. Cradle contacts his assistant to obtain the Pathologist report who performed the autopsy at the George Washington Hospital several weeks ago on Richard Royster. A few days passed until the Pathologist's Report is received in Cradle’s office at D.C. Metropolitan Police Headquarters.

  The housekeeper manages to arrive at Cradle’s office at 12:30 pm on July 1 as oppose twelve noon. She had called a taxicab to pick her up since her car would not start. The taxi pulls up at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters on 300 C Street NW. She is screened by security and passes through the metal detector and proceeds to take the elevator to Detective Michael Cradle’s office is located on the fifth floor. Cradle’s office is numbered 525. She enters his office door where Cradle cheerfully greets her and shakes her hand with a firm grip.

  The face-to-face interview with the White House housekeeper promptly begins:

  Cradle: “Please state your name?”

  Housekeeper: My name is “Anna Chavez”

  Cradle: “How long have you worked as a housekeeper at the White House”

  Chavez: “ I have worked there for ten years.”

  Cradle: “What time did you discover Richard Royster’s body”

  Chavez: “I had just started my shift two hours ago, when I walked into Richard Royster’s office to clean and pick-up the trash, It was 6 pm.

  Cradle: “ Where was the body found?”

  Chavez: “ I found him slumped down over at his desk faced down.”

  Cradle: “Did you any see blood stains?”

  Chavez: “Yes, I saw his blood splatter on the desk and white shirt stained.”

  Cradle: “Had the office been looted when you first discovered the body.””

  Chavez: “No, the office was full of paper scattered on his desk and several boxes on the floor.

  Cradle: “What did you do after you discovered his body?”

  Chavez: “ I called my supervisor.”

  Cradle: “ Did you see anyone else enter the office after you called your supervisor.”

  Chavez: “No”

  Cradle: “ I have no further questions at this time.” “Is there anything do you think I have left out.”

  Chavez: “No.”

  Cradle: “Thank you for your time, speaking with me today.”

  The interview is completed but no new surprising or shocking information to be disclosed. The housekeeper’s story is consistent with the details in the patrol officer incident report that Cradle read previously.

  Now ,a mysterious letter shows up at Cradle’s office, after the housekeeper Anna Chavez has left Cradle’s office enroute to catch the elevator back downstairs. Cradle takes the precaution of putting on a pair of plastic clothes to preserve the letter for testing by the forensic lab.

  The letter is handwritten on White House stationery dated June 25, 1993 which read as follows:

  Dear Det. Michael Cradle:

  Mistakes was made from ignorance, inexperience and overwork;

  No one in the White House, to my knowledge, violated any law or standard of conduct.

  There was no intent to benefit any individual or specific group by committing the murder.

  The press is covering up the illegal benefits.

  Catch me if you can!

  Leave me alone.

  Back off!!

  Signed,

  X Assassin Executor

  Michael Cradle suddenly drew a puzzled on his face upon reading the mysterious letter he had received. Who sent this letter? Why? To further complicate the matter the ink on the letter appears to be fading out. So Cradle immediately have the letter sealed in an evidence bag and sent to the crime lab across town via courier for evaluation by forensic scientists.

  Cradle looks down at his watch and see that is now four o’clock and he has to leave his office to go over to the Boys & Girl Club Capitol Hill Branch to speak to a group of aspiring young boys and girls who he regularly mentors at the facility.

  The mysterious letter has now arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) crime laboratory. One of the forensic scientist on duty removes the letter from the marked evidence bag. The letter is in placed a solution to preserve the contents from disappearing from sight, so it can be photographed by his assistant.

  An handwriting analysis performed by the MPD laboratory could not confirm the identity of the author of the letter.

  Now, the letter has finally stop fading out and disappearing from sight. It is placed in another type of evidence bag for filing and cataloging in the evidence archival system.

  The forensic scientist completes the evidence reporting the finding of his evaluation of the letter, a copy to be send to Detective Cradle by tomorrow morning. At least the letter was not lost forever due to the disappearing ink that was it written in.

  A really strange twist is the use of White House stationery being used a strange person or party who hand writes as oppose to using a computer with a word processor application such Microsoft Word to compose it such a letter. An extremely puzzling situation.

  Detective Cradle arrives back at his office to find the forensic scientist evidence findings report on his desk. He promptly reads it to see who may have written it, the Forensic scientist concludes the letter was written in invisible ink by an unknown author. The mysterious letter is important in one way but inconsequential in the other.

  Cradle is furious that the mysterious letter is just that a mysterious piece of documentary evidence. He fumes out of his office into the Chief’s office and proceeds on breaking the facsimile machine on the desk.

  Then, he catches the elevator downstairs and walks out of the door to get a Latte at the Starbucks down the street across from the D.C. Superior Courthouse. Cradle orders his a Mocha Frappuccino and takes a seat at the window.

  He stares out in space, closes his eyes begin reflecting on the events of the day and from the past three weeks from the time of Richard Royster’s death at the White House.

  Cradle is thinking to himself that this murder case will possibly go down as an unsolved one. No real suspect is hunted down, arrested and brought to justice. A case of this magnitude be heart-breaking for a homicide detective of Cradle’s caliber but that is the nature of the beast and the job itself.

  This is the reason that Cradle has managed to be a top detective in the department and an exemplar of what good detective is to a lot of rookies who he mentor down through the years. A passion for excellence in his duty to serve and protect the citizenry of Washington, DC.

  The following day, Cradle tells his Chief that he broke his fax machine.

  Cradle: “Chief, I have something to tell you.”

  Chief: “What do you have to tell me Michael?”

  Cradle: “I broke your fax machine on yesterday.”

  Chief: “I am surprise at you breaking my fax machine in my office.”

  Cradle: “I did it because I was upset with the way the Royster murder case was unfolding.’

  Chief: “You are my top detective in this department and I do understand how much a perfectionist you are with these murder cases.”

  Cradle: “ I am very sorry Chief, I would not let it happen again.”

  Chief: “Okay Michael, next time go to the gym and punch the bag instead.”

  Cradle: “Alright Chief, I will.”

  At the time of the autopsy, there are a total of four gunshots to the head and torso. The sequence of the infliction cannot be determined for certain and is therefore arbitrarily labeled in the report. The following day Cradle received the report from the Pathologist’s office.

  Cradle began to read it as follows:

  I hereby certify that I, John C. Beaird, M.D. have performed an autopsy on the body of Richard Royster on the 22nd day of June, 1993 at
1:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C. at George Washington University Hospital.

  The purpose of this report is to provide a certified opinion to the Washington,D.C. Chief Medical Examiner and District of Columbia Attorney General. The facts and findings to support these conclusions are filed with the District of Columbia Department of Health.

  EXTERNAL EXAMINATION

  The body is that of an adult white male measuring 72 ½ inches and weighing 197 pounds. The body is normally developed and appears consistent with the given age of 47 years. He is received with white shirt, white undershirt, navy blue suit, red striped tie, black belt,white boxer shorts, two black socks and 2 black shoes. All the clothing is stained with blood. The shirt have defects consistent with gunshots wounds to the body. Post mortem changes consist of fixed posterior livor mortis and full rigor mortis.

  The scalp hair is mixed gray, wavy and short. The corneas are cloudy. The sclerae and conjunctivae are unremarkable. No discrete petechiae be present. The irides are blue. The mouth contains natural teeth. There is no mustache and beard present. The palate and frenula are intact. The ears, nose and mouth show no abnormalities. The neck is of normal configuration and there is no palpable masses. The thorax is symmetrical. The abdomen is flat. The axilla,external genitalia, and anus are without trauma. The extremities are symmetrical and normally developed.

  No identifying marks such as a tattoo is present. There are no scars on the abdomen, back and on the extremities.

  There is no evidence of emergency medical intervention.

  EVIDENCE OF INJURY: At the time of the autopsy, there are a total of four gunshots wounds to the head and torso. The sequence of the infliction cannot be determined for certain and is therefore arbitrarily labeled in the report.

  The autopsy found a bullet entered the cranial cavity, significantly damaging the left side of the brainstem and the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain, and exited from the center of the back of the head.

  There is a 3/16 inch close range penetrating wound on the right temple, at 3 inches below the top of the head and 4 inches right of the anterior midline. There is a zone of soot around the entrance wound which measures 1 inch x ¾ inch in greatest dimension.

  A hemorrhage wound track passes leftward, backward, and downward causing patchy subscalpular, patchy skull fractures, patchy hemorrhage, patchy subarachnoid hemorrhage, extensive damage to the bases of the right front and temporal lobes, left temporal lobe,and a distorted copper jacketed and medium caliber bullet is lodged and recovered inside the left area canal.

  There is a 5/16 inch diameter diameter distant wound on the right side of the chest, at 17 ½ inches below the top of the head and 4 ½ inches right side of the anterior midline. There is a marginal abrasion noted around the entrance wound which measures ½ inch in diameter. There is no evidence of soot material or powder tattooing appreciated in around the entrance wound. A hemorrhagic wound track passess backward, downward, and leftward through the right anterior 4th intercostal space, with perforation to the middle lobe of the right lung, right lobe of the liver, right posterior 11th intercostal space, and the bullet and ¾ inches right of the posterior midline, with the exit wound measuring ¼ inch in diameter. There is approximately 750 mL of blood inside the right chest cavity.

  There is a ¼ inch diameter distant perforating gunshot wound on the left side of the chest, at 21 inches below the top of the head and 3 inches left of the anterior midline. There is a marginal abrasion noted around noted around the entrance wound with one at 12 o’clock position measuring ⅛ inch in thickness and one at the 6 o’clock position measuring 3/16 inch in thickness. There is no evidence of soot material or powder tattooing appreciated in around entrance wound.

  A hemorrhagic wound track passess backward and slightly downward through the left anterior 6th rib cartilage with perforation to the left lobe of the liver, stomach, pancreas in two halves, left kidney, left posterior 11th intercostal space, and the bullet exits through the left side of the back, at 23 ¾ inches below the top of the head and 3 inches left of posterior midline, with the exit wound measuring ¼ inch in diameter, There is approximately 50 mL of blood inside the abdominal.

  There is another 5/16 inch diameter distant perforating gunshot wound in the middle of the chest, at 17 ½ inch below the top of the head and 4 ½ inches middle of the anterior midline. There is a marginal abrasion noted around the entrance wound measures ½ inch in diameter. There is no evidence of soot material or powder tattooing appreciated in or around the entrance wound.

  A hemorrhagic wound track passes backward, downward, and leftward through the right anterior 4th intercostal space with perforation to the middle lobe of the right lobe of the liver, right posterior 11th intercostal space, and the bullet exits through the middle of the back, at 25 ¼ inches below the top of the head and 1 ¾ inches right of the posterior midline, with the exit wound at ensuring ¼ inch in diameter. There is approximately 375 mL of blood inside the middle chest cavity.

  INTERNAL EXAMINATION

  HEAD AND NECK: The brain weighed 1230 grams. There is no epidural hemorrhage. The vasculature overlying the cerebral hemispheres is congested. The structures at the base of the brain, including cranial nerves and large vessels, are intact, except for the injuries described. Serial sections through the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brain stem reveal no tumor or evidence of infection.

  The neck is without soft tissue hemorrhage or palpable and the structures surrounding the upper airway are intact. Sections through the thyroid gland and tongue are unremarkable.

  CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: The heart weighed 360 grams. The epicardium is intact and smooth. The coronary arteries arise from unobstructed ostia, follow the usual distributions, and are without significant arteriosclerosis. The cardiac valves are normally formed and chambers of usual dimensions. The atrial and ventricular are intact. The myocardium is red-brown firm and unremarkable. The aorta and its major branches are intact.

  RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: The right lung weighed 340 grams and the left 640 grams. The pulmonary arteries are without thromboemboli on initial incision into the pulmonary trunk and on dissection. On sectioning the pulmonary parenchyma is mildly to moderately congested,edematous, and without focal lesions.

  DIGESTIVE SYSTEM AND LIVER: The esophagus is unremarkable with a sharp gastroesophageal junction. The unremarkable stomach is full. The duodenum, small intestines, appendix, and large intestine are unremarkable. The liver weighed 1920 grams.

  The parenchyma is red-brown and soft without focal lesions. The unremarkable gallbladder contains approximately 11 cc of bile. The extrahepatic bile ducts are patent and unremarkable. The pancreas is otherwise unremarkable.

  RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM: The spleen weighed 170 grams. There is a normal distribution of unremarkable lymph nodes. The thymus gland is unremarkable.

  GENITOURINARY SYSTEM: The right and left kidney weighed 150 grams and 170 grams, respectively. The subcapsular surfaces are smooth. The cortices are of normal thickness with sharp corticomedullary junctions. The calyces, pelves, and ureters are patent and unremarkable. The unremarkable urinary bladder contains approximately 725 cc of urine.

  Serial sections of the bilateral testes reveal no evidence of trauma. Serial sections of the prostate demonstrate no gross abnormality.

  ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: The pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands are unremarkable.

  MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM: The musculoskeletal system is unremarkable.

  TOXICOLOGY: The following specimens were submitted for possible toxicological analysis: blood, bile, and vitreous humor.

  No alcohol or drugs found in Royster’s blood, although a later analysis by the FBI lab revealed small traces of trazodone, attributable to the antidepressant prescribed by Dr. Jones, Royster primary physician

  Photographs taken during the autopsy by the Forensic crew, as well as microscopic slides of tissues from Dr. Beaird and reviewed by the Pathologist Panel.

  Dr. Beaird certified the death as homic
ide.the office’s x-ray machine was operable at the time of Royster’s autopsy, and as a result x-rays were taken as well.

  The lab conducted tests on the blood sample obtained during Royster’s autopsy. The tests revealed small concentrations of trazadone, diazepam and nordiazepam. Trazodone is the anti-depressant prescribed by Dr. Jones and taken by Royster on the evening of June 19.

  Diazepam is commonly as valium, and nordiazepam is a metabolite of valium. The concentrations of these drugs were below generally recognized therapeutic levels. Royster’s blood type was found to be consistent with blood found on his shirt and undershirt.

  Finally, the Panel was provided with summaries of interviews with Royster’s family and friends during which they described Royster’s depressed state prior to his death.

  The Pathologist Report states that information that Royster took an antidepressant prior to his death, which corroborated by the findings of a trace of trazadone, antidepressant, identified in Royster’s blood.