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From Autopsy 4: The Dead Speak |
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The Belinda Wood Case
1985. In an Atlanta apartment complex, 30-year-old Belinda Wood called the operator before dying of two stab wounds. At the scene, police found incriminating evidence -- but a fire soon enveloped the apartment, destroying the evidence and burning Belinda's body beyond recognition. Later, police found signs of arson in an apartment two floors below Belinda's; the tenant, Donald Catchings, insisted he was innocent.
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Meanwhile, Dr. Burton theorized the killer entered the apartment by climbing the drain pipe on the side of the building. To demonstrate, Burton climbed up the building, sustaining bruises and cuts on his arms. Examining Catchings in jail, Burton found the same bruises and cuts -- key evidence in convicting Catchings of murder and arson.
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Pictured are "friction burns" on the arms of Donald Catchings (above) and Dr. Burton (left), illustrating the similarity in bruising pattern.
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