Bones of the Lost(68)

Hawthorn mentioned my association with JPAC and my familiarity with the military. He pointed out that the bulk of my work had been on behalf of the prosecution rather than the defense.

I testified that I’d just returned from Afghanistan, where I’d supervised the exhumation of the bodies of Abdul Khalik Rasekh and Ahmad Ali Aqsaee, and performed skeletal autopsies at the Bagram Air Force Base hospital.

Gross watched with the intensity of a tomcat eyeing a sparrow. Now and then a subtle tremor twitched his left lower lid.

Hawthorn then got to the heart of it.

Hawthorn: “What conclusions, if any, did you draw concerning the entry and exit points of bullets?”

“As to Mr. Rasekh, none. As to Mr. Aqsaee, I concluded that bullets had struck him in the area of the chest and had exited at his back.”

No reaction from Gross. Just the tic.

Hawthorn: “Why were you not able to determine trajectories with respect to Mr. Rasekh?”

“Bone destruction was too extensive to allow identification of entry or exit points.”

Hawthorn: “But you were able to identify such points for Mr. Aqsaee?”

“Yes.”

Hawthorn: “Please describe the findings that led you to that opinion.”

“There were several. Defects on two rib segments, on bone shards that had been part of the sternum, and on one vertebrae all demonstrated classic fracture patterning for gunshot wounds in an anterior-to-posterior trajectory. Metal and bone fragments found on X-ray further supported that finding. Mr. Aqsaee was shot in the chest.”

Gross remained absolutely motionless, his face a stone mask.

Hawthorn: “Can you explain briefly what happens when a bullet impacts tissue?”

I provided a jargon-free overview of the biomechanics of gunshot wounding, including the effects of projectile tumbling, cavitation, and fragmentation.

Hawthorn: “Tell us about bullet damage to bone.”

“A projectile traveling at high speed subjects bone to sudden dynamic stress. Though bone is thought to be rigid, it actually has some elasticity. As with soft tissue, when a bullet penetrates bone, a temporary cavity is created.”

Hawthorn: “What velocity is required for penetration of bone?”

“Studies suggest a minimum of two hundred feet per second. Much less than a bullet fired from an M16.”

Hawthorn: “Tell us about exit and entrance wounds.”

“Typically, when a bullet penetrates bone, a circular to oval defect is created at the point of entrance. The defect’s edges are sharp, and its diameter may roughly approximate that of the bullet’s caliber. An exit defect tends to be larger and more irregular in shape.”

Hawthorn: “Why?”

“A number of factors, including the potential for bullet deformation or fragmentation, and the potential loss of much of the bullet’s kinetic energy.”

Hawthorn: “Larger size and irregular shape. Are those the only differences?”

“No. As a bullet exits bone, fragments are broken off the edges of the exit surface and propelled forward, accompanying the bullet on its path. As a result, an exit defect is beveled out in a conelike fashion. Schematic representations are included in my report. I also have photos and copies of X-rays.”

“Have you transferred those to a computer-imaging format which you can display on our screen?”

“Yes.”

I booted my laptop, opened my PowerPoint presentation, and advanced to an image of a section of rib.

“This photo shows the anterior aspect of a piece of Mr. Aqsaee’s right fifth rib.”

Hawthorn: “The part that faced front?”

“Yes.” I ran the cursor around the upper border of a partially preserved circular defect. “Note the sharp, clean edges. This is a bullet entrance hole.”

I advanced to the next image.

“This shows the posterior aspect of that same rib, the part that faced Mr. Aqsaee’s spine. Note the beveled edges of the defect. The beveling indicates that this is a bullet exit point.”

Hawthorn: “What does this fracture patterning tell you?”

“The bullet trajectory was front to back.”

Gross remained impassive, but seemed to glance at the bench every so often to gauge how the lieutenant colonel was reacting.

I moved to the next image.

“This defect is located on the anterior aspect of Mr. Aqsaee’s right seventh rib, at a point close to its articulation with the sternum.”

Hawthorn: “His breast bone.”

“Yes. Note that the defect characteristics are almost identical to those in the previous shot.”

The next image showed a posterior view of that same rib. As with the exit defect on the fifth rib, spalling was evident around the edges. I moved on.