Have any of those suicide cases turned out to be Murder

[ctgrumpybear]

Watching some of the episodes of unsolved mysteries and they should cases where someone’s death is ruled an suicide but family argue that it was murder


Any of those cases actually turn out to be murder?

[ghosthouse]

The Steve Sandlin case was eventually classified as a homicide.

The Mario Amado case was eventually reclassified a homicide and a police officer was convicted of his murder but the ruling was overturned.

[Killarney Rose]

IMO, just because the cause of death was changed to undetermined or murder from suicide, doesn’t mean it’s so. Just means the ME gave in to pressure from the families.

[spaceace]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

IMO, just because the cause of death was changed to undetermined or murder from suicide, doesn’t mean it’s so. Just means the ME gave in to pressure from the families.

I agree 100%. I feel bad for the families, but most all of them hire some PI and keep spinning some wild theory until they wear everyone down.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by ctgrumpybear

Watching some of the episodes of unsolved mysteries and they should cases where someone’s death is ruled an suicide but family argue that it was murder


Any of those cases actually turn out to be murder?

Yes there are multiple. chad maurer and Cindy James were both changed from suicide to undetermined IIRC. I think it is obvious to say that Chad was murdered. Keith Warren is another case that I suspect was murder, but investigators classified him as suicide. Paul Whipkey was an Army Lt. who was classified a deserter, but was later classified as died in the line of duty. those are just a few that I can recall.

[dynoguy88]

How about Doug Johnston from the 'Mistaken Hit,' segment?

The audacity of the investigator to say we can't classify it as a murder or suicide based on the evidence despite no gun being found anywhere in or near the car. Isn't no gun being found at the scene technically evidence?

Do they honestly think he could have shot himself and then the gun just magically floated away?

[bell83]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Do they honestly think he could have shot himself and then the gun just magically floated away?

You've heard of ice bullets for assassins? Clearly there's an ice pistol for suicides!

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

IMO, just because the cause of death was changed to undetermined or murder from suicide, doesn’t mean it’s so. Just means the ME gave in to pressure from the families.

In every case? That's a broad assessment.

From the cases I've seen on Unsolved Mysteries of declared suicides thought to be murders, most of the families had pretty good arguments. And the authorities' arguments for suicide have ranged from questionable to flat out ridiculous.

[Killarney Rose]

There might be more to Kieth Warren’s case, but IMHO, most of these are suicides and the family doesn’t want to accept it.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

There might be more to Kieth Warren’s case, but IMHO, most of these are suicides and the family doesn’t want to accept it.

Fundamentally all deaths are to be treated as homicides until proven otherwise. Not the other way around. And in most of these cases suicide was not proven. The evidence ranged from inconclusive to flat out obvious for homicide.

[Killarney Rose]

Whatever you choose to believe is fine with me, I will do the same.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

There might be more to Kieth Warren’s case, but IMHO, most of these are suicides and the family doesn’t want to accept it.

I agree 1000% with this take. There are a few cases where suicide doesn't seem as cut and dried, but the overwhelming majority of the murder/suicide segments were legitimate suicides that the family could not accept.

[comicbookwriter]

The weirdest thing about this forum about Unsolved Mysteries is that - according to a good chunk of members on this site - no one is ever actually murdered. Mysterious deaths have to be all be suicides.

I guess this should be the "unsolved suicides" forum.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I agree 1000% with this take. There are a few cases where suicide doesn't seem as cut and dried, but the overwhelming majority of the murder/suicide segments were legitimate suicides that the family could not accept.

I don't really want to argue this to much as I think this is really a case by case argument rather than a generalization. But I will only make the general comment that in no way were the overwhelming majority of these cases clear cut suicides, or they wouldn't have been on Unsolved Mysteries. Yes Unsolved Mysteries had a tendency to overdramatize some cases by withholding facts or stretching the truth a little. But they would not have wasted their time on cases that were that obvious.

Most of them actually ranged from inconclusive to borderline ridiculous to be called suicides. Its just that for whatever reason its become the cool thing on this board to dismiss everything as a suicide because people think it makes them sound like the voice of reason or smarter than everyone else. But often they try so hard to sound that way they come off as ridiculous.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the fact is none of us were there for any of these, and none of us really know.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by comicbookwriter

The weirdest thing about this forum about Unsolved Mysteries is that - according to a good chunk of members on this site - no one is ever actually murdered. Mysterious deaths have to be all be suicides.

I guess this should be the "unsolved suicides" forum.

Pretty much what I addressed above.

I put it down to insecurity. Its almost like people are afraid to believe the more sinister or sexy resolution to a case because they are afraid of looking ridiculous.

I just think people need to get over themselves. Fact is, a lot of the facts in many of these cases are based largely on hearsay on what was found, and we just assume people are telling the truth. But we don't know. Anyone who thinks there isn't corrupt law enforcement who covers up a lot of stuff in many of these cases is naive as all get out.

Just one example, if you believe Tommy Burkett's parents, there is no way he committed suicide if the cylinder of his gun was unlatched when they found him. Case closed, he couldn't have done it.

But we don't know that his parents are telling the truth, cause none of us were there.

All you can do is take the facts given and formulate your own opinion. Nobody knows for sure.