Inexplicable Wounds made by Special Bullets

[Bob Prudhomme]

Bob: Earlier on this thread you and I were talking about the curved path the magic bullet must have followed to zip alongside the curved rib, as described by Shaw. If the bullet isn't moving in a straight line, (bullets occaisonally do that inside a body) how does that affect your idea about the location of the shooter?

Excellent question, Drew, and I'm just tickled that you asked it.

Once I began taking a closer look at Dr. Shaw's WC testimony, and was fully able to comprehend that the bullet stayed on the outside of the 5th rib, stripping it out, I was troubled by the fact the rib would have been curving away from the trajectory of the bullet, and the bullet, as common sense would tell us, could not have followed the rib for 10 cm. (4 inches).

However, going over both of Shaw's WC testimonies again, I noticed a couple of things that Shaw mentioned that explained the whole thing, and put a whole new slant on determining the origin of the bullet that struck the Governor's back.

First, Shaw told the WC that the 5th rib, as observed during surgery, was noticeably more pushed inwards than the 4th and 6th rib, above and below it.

"Dr. Shaw -
Also the rib has because of being broken and losing some of its substance, has taken a rather inward position in relation to the fourth and the sixth ribs on either side. "

Second, damage was not only done to the 10 cm. section of the 5th rib from the middle to the anterior portion of the rib. The posterior end of the rib, just out from where it attached to the spine, suffered a fracture, as well.

"Mr. SPECTER - What effect was there, if any, on the upper portion of that rib?
Dr. SHAW - This was not noticed at the time of this examination, Mr. Specter. However, in subsequent examinations we can tell that there was a fracture across the rib at this point due to the rib being struck and bent.

Mr. SPECTER - When you say this point, will you describe where that point exists on the X-ray?
Dr. SHAW - This is a point approximately 4 centimeters from its connection with the transverse process of the spine.
Mr. SPECTER - And is the fracture, which is located there, caused by a striking there or by the striking at the end of the rib?
Dr. SHAW - It is caused by the striking at the end of the rib."

To simplify all of this, Dr. Shaw is telling us the bullet struck the 5th rib a "slapping" blow, due to the fact the bullet was almost travelling parallel to the rib. This is what kept the bullet from actually entering the chest cavity. However, as the bullet was not travelling parallel to the rib, the rib offered some resistance. Not only did the bullet strip out a great deal of the rib, it pushed the rib temporarily inward and, for as long as it took to pass through, actually straightened a 10 cm. portion of the rib. This explains how a bullet travelling in a straight line was able to follow a rib curving to the left. And, as the rib was not an overly elastic structure, this straightening caused a stress fracture in the rib 4 cm. from the point where it connected to the spine.

This only explains the trajectory through the rib, though, and the trajectory of the bullet is another matter altogether. As any hunter knows, it takes a great deal to stop a bullet head on yet the smallest of twig branches is enough to deflect a bullet from its trajectory. As the bullet was ploughing through the 5th rib and bowing it inwards, what effect was all of this having on the bullet? Was this enough to deflect the bullet 10-20° to the right from its original trajectory?

"Mr. SPECTER - What effect, if any, would the striking of that rib have had to the trajectory of the bullet?
Dr. SHAW - It could have had a slight, caused a slight deflection of the rib, but probably not a great deflection of the rib, because of the angle at which it struck and also because of the texture of the rib at this time.
Mr. SPECTER - You say deflection of the rib or deflection of the bullet?
Dr. SHAW - Deflection of the bullet, I am sorry."

It would be nice to know how many degrees a "slight deflection" translates into. Considering that the SE corner of the TSBD was calculated to be only 9° lateral from the midline of the limo at z223, it would not take many degrees of deflection to seriously complicate the SBT.