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Autopsy: Sex, Lies and Murder |
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Autopsy: Sex, Lies and Murder focuses on the following intriguing stories, including one, "Justice for Jaime," that
was solved after a woman emailed Dr. Michael Baden on the
"Ask Dr. Baden" interactive component of the Autopsy website
on hbo.com. Details on individual cases:
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The Love Bird
On Christmas Eve 2001, a 48-year-old
bachelor named Kevin Butler was found murdered in the
living room of his home in Pleasantgrove, Texas. In the
kitchen, police also discovered the mangled carcass of
Butler's beloved white cockatoo, "Bird" (named after
basketball great Larry Bird). Who killed Butler and Bird?
Forensic tests and a DNA match led to a confession - and
details about Bird's valiant effort to defend his master.
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Justice for Jaime
In July 2001, a 37-year-old man
named Jaime Lynchard was taken to the hospital following
bouts of lethargy. Although doctors tested him and found
only traces of valium and other prescription drugs, Jaime
ended up dying - and his sister Tammy became suspicious
of her brother's wife of 16 years, Brigitte. At Jaime's
autopsy - performed at Tammy's insistence over Brigitte's
initial objections - the hospital pathologist concluded that
he had died of natural causes. Unconvinced, but unable to
get authorities to reopen the case, Tammy decided there
was only one place left to get help: the Autopsy web site on
hbo.com. Her email to Dr. Michael Baden read:
Dear Dr. Baden,
I need your help to prove my brother was killed...I believe the
lives of four little children are at stake here. May god bless you
and I hope he puts a burden on your heart...
With the help of Dr. Baden, who brought Tammy to NYC to
share his findings in an emotional meeting, Jaime's death
ended up being ruled a homicide. And after several
suspicious fires uncovered new evidence in the form of a
note written by Jaime, the case was reopened. Faced with
Baden's findings and an incriminating note, Brigitte
confessed, and was sentenced to a 25 year jail sentence.
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Lasting Impression
In 1994, 39-year-old June Aurelio
was stuck by a speeding car while walking down a road in
rural Stillwell, Kansas. She suffered critical spinal injuries
and was unable to remember anything about the accident.
At the Kansas State crime lab, researchers examined the
pair of black stretch pants that Aurelio had been wearing,
and detected an unusual imprint. It was that of a Missouri
license plate, for which they could recognize the expiration
date and the first two numerals. That information, plus
clothing fibers that matched those found on the dented
license plate of a Missouri man's car, led to a confession and
a conviction. Happily, Aurelio recovered from her injuries.
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He Said...She Said
In 1999, 48-year-old Susan
Fassett was found fatally shot in the parking lot of the
Pleasant Valley Church. Who would want to kill this mother
of two? After her husband was questioned and released (he
had an airtight alibi), investigators probed deeper into
Fassett's private life, learning that she had once been
involved in a tawdry ménage a trois with a man named Fred
Andros and a woman named Dawn Silvernail. When
confronted by authorities, Silvernail admitted she pulled the
trigger - but insisted that Andros forced her to do the deed
by threatening her family. Eventually, cell-phone records
and a new forensic tool developed by the Air Force, WEB-
TAS, broke open the case.
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