For their various contributions, we must thank many in the forensic and medical community, chiefly: Dr. Randall Frost of the Bexar County (Texas) Medical Examiner’s Office; Dr. David R. Fowler, Bruce Goldfarb, and Shea Lawson in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland; Platte County (Wyoming) coroner Phil Martin; Dr. Irvin Sopher; Dr. Werner Spitz; Dr. Douglas Kerr; and Dr. James Cottone.
We could not have told these stories without some expert legal interpretation, either. We are grateful for the legal minds of Charles Bernstein, Don West, Robert Moxley, Bruce Moats, Mark Drury, David Houston, Washoe County (Nevada) alternate public defender Jennifer Lunt, and Laury Frieber.
And for their various contributions and courtesies, we also thank Steven Naifeh, Robin and Edward Cogan, Rudolph Purificato, Allen Baumgardner, Leigh Hanlon, Jessica Bernstein, Mark Langford, Lee Miller of the Platte County (Wyoming) Public Library, Lisa Milliken of the Platte County (Wyoming) Sheriff’s Office, Paul McCardell of the Baltimore Sun News Archives, and Maryland state trooper (Ret.) Rick Lastner.
Patrick Connelly of the National Archives in Philadelphia was the single bright note in our copious federal research. He found most of Martha Woods’s 60,000-page federal trial transcript, and tried hard to find the rest, without success. Sadly, we are disappointed that five separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed in 2013–14 with the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) remain unsatisfied to this day.
Creating a book requires like-minded company, too. Dr. Jan Garavaglia, a former colleague, has our deepest thanks for her beautiful foreword. Many thanks to editor Charles Spicer, April Osborn, and their team at St. Martin’s Press for making the book you now hold. And literary agent Linda Konner has been an extraordinary adviser of infinite value.
Closer to home, we relied heavily on the memories and scrapbooks of three amazing Di Maio sisters—all of them medical doctors—Therese-Martin, Mary, and Ann. Without them, the autobiographical segments of this book would lack focus and poignancy.
And finally, to the two women who sustained us through this project, Theresa Di Maio and Mary Franscell. They were always in our corner. Without these two remarkable wives, these stories aren’t worth telling.
Notes
1. In 1981, DNA profiling was not yet available. Had we been able to use it, the task would have been simplified even further. But we were limited in this case to the tools of pre-DNA forensics: dental comparisons and other telltale medical evidence.
2. A few days later, mortician Paul Groody would suddenly recall that he hadn’t seen a craniotomy incision on the corpse’s skull, adding a colorful new chapter to the JFK conspiracy saga. Since Groody knew that Oswald’s brain had been removed, he suddenly decided that he must not have embalmed Oswald but somebody else. He told reporters that shadowy figures must have dug up the body in Oswald’s grave and switched the unknown corpse’s head with Oswald’s real head so the teeth would match if he was ever exhumed. But as our examination showed, Groody was wrong. Our report noted the corpse’s neck column was intact, which made any beheading impossible, and that the skullcap had clearly been sawed off, although it had been camouflaged by “mummified soft tissue.” Nevertheless, Groody continued to insist until he died in 2010 that the man he embalmed was not Lee Harvey Oswald.
Index
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function on your e-reading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
Abramson, Leslie
Adelson, Lester
ADX Florence Supermax federal prison
aging
airline disasters
Alderson Federal Prison Camp
Alford plea
Alhambra, California
Al-Amin, Jamil Abdullah. See also Brown, H. Rap
Antistius
antiwar unrest
Arbuckle, Fatty
Arkansas. See also West Memphis, Arkansas
Corning
State Crime Lab
Supreme Court
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Medico-Legal Section
Wound Ballistics Section
Army
CID
Kirk Army Hospital
Medical Corps
Ownby, Robert, and
Attica Prison
autopsies
in Bel Air explosion case
of Branch, Byers and Moore
of Clarkson
crime solving through
of Dean, Malakai
early historical
of Kennedy
of Martin, Trayvon
of McClellan, Chelsea
of Oswald, Lee
of Ownby, Robert
of Perea
of Shue
Auvers
Baden, Linda Kenney
Baden, Michael
Baldwin, James. See also West Memphis Three
Alford plea and release of
arrest of
imprisonment of
murder trial of
West Memphis boys’ murder and
Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Hospital
morgue
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland
Bao, Shiping
Baylor University Medical Center
Bel Air, Maryland
courthouse
Bel Air explosion case
autopsies in
Brown, H. Rap, and
dead bodies from
Di Maio, Vincent, and
FBI and
Featherstone and
Lastner and
note found in
Payne and
Bernstein, Carl
Bernstein, Charles
Bexar County
Chief Medical Examiner
Hospital
justices of the peace
Medical Examiner’s Office
blacks. See also race
black power movement
Featherstone and
freedom schools and marches
Martin, Trayvon, killing and black leaders
militant racial politics
separatist
Blakey, G. Robert
Bloch, Emanuel
bombings. See also Bel Air explosion case
Beirut suicide car bombers
threats of
Booth, John Wilkes
Branch, Stevie (“Bubba”). See also West Memphis boys’ murder
autopsy of
murder of
Brooklyn
Brown, H. Rap
as Al-Amin
Bel Air explosion case and
FBI and
imprisonments
trial
Brown, Hubert Gerold. See also Brown, H. Rap
Brown, Michael
Bunker, Judith
Byers, Christopher (“Wormer’’). See also West Memphis boys’ murder
autopsy of
father of
murder of
Cabey, Darrell
Caesar, Julius
Cahill, Robert
California Supreme Court
Cambridge, Maryland
Capone, Alphonse
Carswell Federal Medical Center
“A Case of Infanticide” (Bernstein and Di Maio)
celebrity cases
child deaths
at Bexar County Hospital
of Dean, Malakai
Jones and
prior bad acts in
serial killer
sudden infant death syndrome
Woods, Martha, and
Child Protective Services
Chin, Chester
Ciccarelli, Marianna (grandmother)
CID. See Criminal Investigation Command, Army
Clarkson, Lana
autopsy of
> burial of
gunshot wound of
overview
shooting of
Spector and
suicide and
conspiracy theories
about Booth
about Kennedy assassination
about Oswald, Lee
Conyers, John, Jr.
Corning, Arkansas
coroner medicolegal system
coroners. See also specific coroners
early historical
elected
Los Angeles County coroner’s office
Platte County
Cottone, James
crime solving
through autopsies
doctors and historical
Criminal Investigation Command, Army (CID)
Cromwell, Joseph
Cutler, Bruce
Dallas
Baylor University Medical Center
Medical Examiner’s Office
Parkland Hospital
Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences
Dean, Jaiden
Dean, Kanesia
Dean, Malakai
autopsies of
death of
Di Maio, Vincent, and
race and death of
death. See also child deaths; murder; suicide; specific deaths
estimation of time of
in hospitals
meaning of
medical examiners at scenes of
statistics
suspicious
Delano, Barbara
dental records
of Oswald, Lee
Payne and
Depression
DeSouza, Adriano
Devil’s Den
Devils Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three (Leveritt)
Di Maio, Domenico (“Dominick”) (father)
death and funeral of
death cases of
as doctor
as forensic pathologist
as medical examiner
Di Maio, Theresa
Di Maio, Vincent. See also specific topics
in Army Medical Corps
Bel Air explosion case and
Catholicism of
childhood
Dean, Malakai, and
doctor ambitions of
doctors in family of
early encounters with death
education
extended family
fellowship of
forensic pathology internship
grandparents
gunshot wounds and
Martin, Trayvon, killing and
McClellan, Chelsea, and
medical school education
Oswald, Lee, and
overview
Ownby, Robert, death and
Perea and
sisters of
Spector case and
van Gogh, Vincent, and
West Memphis boys’ murder and
Woods, Martha, case and
Di Maio, Vincenzo (grandfather)
Di Maio, Violet (mother)
death and funeral of
diphtheria
DNA profiling
Doiteau, Victor
Dorchester County Courthouse
Douglas, John
Dozier, James
Drum and Spear Bookstore
Duke University Hospital
Echols, Michael (“Damien”). See also West Memphis Three
Alford plea and release of
arrest of
at esbat
as fringe freak
imprisonment of
murder trial of
West Memphis boys’ murder and
as Wiccan
Eckert, William
Eddowes, Michael
epiglottitis
esbat (gathering of witches)
Evans, Timothy
Excited Delirium Syndrome (Di Maio and Di Maio)
exhumation
of McClellan, Chelsea
of Oswald, Lee
of Perea
expert witnesses
famous people
Fanning, Buckner
FBI. See Federal Bureau of Investigation
FDLE. See Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Featherstone, Ralph (“Feather”)
Bel Air explosion case and
black community and
FBI and
overview
Payne and
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Bel Air explosion case and
Brown, H. Rap, and
Featherstone and
Ownby, Robert, and
Woods, Martha, case and
Fisher, Russell
Flight 66 airline disaster
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
Ford, Gerald
forensic dentistry. See also dental records
historic use of
forensic evidence
forensic odontology. See forensic dentistry
forensic pathologists. See also specific forensic pathologists
as expert witnesses
Hollywood
mission of
overview
on television
forensic pathology
internship of Di Maio, Vincent
recognition as distinct discipline
Forensic Pathology (Di Maio and Di Maio)
forensic science
forensics, modern era
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Worth
Frias, Martin
appeal for
conviction and imprisonment of
murder trial of
Perea and
Gachet, Paul
Garavaglia, Jan
Gauguin, Paul
Goetz, Bernhard
Gray, Freddie
Green, Brandy
Green, Chad
Groody, Paul
Guevara, Che
guns
gunshot wounds
of Clarkson
Di Maio, Vincent, and
entrance and exit wounds
to hearts
Hollywood
at intermediate range
Martin, Trayvon, killing
of Perea
from suicide
of van Gogh, Vincent
Guy, John
Gwozdz, Feliks
Hausman, Robert
HBO
hearts
broken
gunshot wounds to
Helpern, Milton
Hitler, Adolph
Hobbs, Terry
Hofman, Walter
Holland, Kathy
Hollein, Harry
Hollywood
forensic pathologists
gunshot wounds
medical examiners
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Holmstedt, Bo
homicide. See murder
Hoover, J. Edgar
hospitals. See also specific hospitals
deaths in
House of Blues
House Select Committee on Assassinations
Houston, David
Hunt, Kevin Anthony
Dean, Malakai, death and
murder trial of
plea deal and imprisonment of
Huston, Carol Ann
Huston, Martha. See also Stewart, Martha; Woods, Martha
child deaths and
retarded children and
suicide attempt of
Huston, Mary Elizabeth
Huston, Stanley
Ioele, Francesco (“Frankie Yale”)
Islam
Jack the Ripper
Jackson, Alan
Jansen, Leo
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Jones, Genene
child deaths and
imprisonment of
murder trials of
overview
as serial killer
Journal of Forensic Sciences
j
ustice system
Kaufman, Frank A.
Kennedy, Bobby, assassination
Kennedy, John F., assassination. See also Oswald, Lee Harvey
autopsy
conspiracy theories about
Soviet Union and
Kerr, Douglas
Kerrville, Texas
district attorney
hospital
pediatrics clinic
Kessler, Stephen H.
Khrushchev Killed Kennedy (Eddowes)
Kings County Medical Center
Kirk Army Hospital
Kubiczek, Piotr
Kunstler, William
Lantz, Robert
Lapi, Angelo
Lastner, Rick
Lee, Henry
Leonardo da Vinci
Leroy, Edgar
Leveritt, Mara
Lincoln, Abraham
Los Angeles County
coroner’s office
district attorney’s office
Malcolm X
Marcus, Cyril
Marcus, Stewart
Martin, Tracy
Martin, Trayvon
death of
DeeDee and
disappearance of
overview
Zimmerman and
Martin, Trayvon, killing
Bao autopsy
black leaders on
Di Maio, Vincent, and
gunshot wound
media and
Obama on
race and
reaction to
Sanford police and
Siewert gunshot examination of
Stand Your Ground law and
trial
witnesses to
by Zimmerman
Maryland. See also Baltimore; Bel Air explosion case
Cambridge
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
May, Corrie
Mazery, Jean
McClellan, Cameron
McClellan, Chelsea
autopsies of
Di Maio, Vincent, and
exhumation of
murder trial of
McClellan, Petti
media
Martin, Trayvon, killing and
Spector and
medical examiner medicolegal system
medical examiners (MEs). See also specific medical examiners
at death scenes
early historical
Hollywood
job of
salaries of
medicolegal systems
coroner
medical examiner
Meedendorp, Teio
Mengele, Josef
MEs. See medical examiners
methamphetamine
Michelangelo
Middleberg, Robert
Miller’s Funeral Home
Milton Helpern Laureate Award
Misskelley, Jessie, Jr. See also West Memphis Three
Alford plea and release of
arrest of
confession of
at esbat
imprisonment of
murder trial of
in Satanic cult
West Memphis boys’ murder and
Morgue Page 28