× 32 mm acute traumatic defect which has an irregular subcutaneous hemorrhage about the defect, up to 40 × 40 mm medially with an additional, up to 65 × 50 mm medial area of multiple petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages. There is a drying artifact at the margins of the wound. There is some tearing at the margin of the wound as well. There is avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage on the underlying tissues. There is no evidence of powder burning, heat damage, tattooing or stippling about the wound.
3) In the right back 49 ½ from the base of the right os calcaneus and centered 2 ¾ inches to the right of midline is an ovoid defect which is irregular, rectanguloid with some tissue bridging measuring 20 × 12 mm. There is a definitive 4-5 mm area of margination surrounding the wound. There is no identifiable stippling, smoke, burn or tattooing about the wound. There is some irregular fraying of the margins of the epithelium. There is an irregular, 130 × 60 mm area of subcutaneous apparent bruising and hemorrhage about the wound, laterally and superiorly.
4) Additionally over the back of the right shoulder and lateral to the scapula is a 9 mm, double tapering to 2 mm superficial abrasion-contusion.
INTERNAL EXAMINATION:
The body is entered by way of the standard Y-shaped, thoracic-abdominal incision revealing 2 cm of yellow subcutaneous adipose tissue and thick red-brown musculature. There is acute traumatic injury from the defect #1 described above which transverses from medial to lateral through the subcutaneous tissues with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage. Ribs 8, 9 and 10 show multiple fractures with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage. Wound #2 on the right flank is in continuity with the above-described track. A laceration on the dome of the liver is directly under this area. Wound #3 described above the right back perforates the subcutaneous tissues with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage and perforates the paravertebral muscles of the right back with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage with disruption of vertebral body L1 and avulsion of the spinal cord. It exits on the left lateral aspect of the vertebral body perforating the diaphragm and penetrating the lower lobe of the left lung. A bullet lead core is recovered from the lower lobe of the left lung with lodging from the missile track on the posterior, to the midportion of the lower lobe of left lung with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage.
LUNGS: The right lung weighs 325 grams; the left lung weighs 375 grams. Cut sections show collapse of the lung on the right and some congestion of the lung on the left. The above-described traumatic injury is present in the lower lobe of the left lung with a bullet track causing avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage and a recovered bullet in the lower lobe of the left lung. The bullet portion is apparent lead and is marked at its base “TMC 105” and shows significant disruption of the anterior portion of the bullet. There is no jacket portion present at this location. The missile is consistent with a high-powered rifle hunting bullet core.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: The stomach contains approximately 500 cc of fluid with minimal digested foodstuff.
MUSCULO-SKELETAL SYSTEM: There are fractures of ribs 8, 9 and 10 on the right and L1 due to the passage of missile with avulsion, disruption and hemorrhage.
Dr. Canfield concluded that each gunshot wound was consistent with having been fired from a large-caliber rifle at a distant range. The lack of any evidence of powder burning, heat damage, tattooing or stippling about the wound ruled out a close-range shot, as did the nature of the wounds themselves. Under cause of death, he wrote, “This forty-eight-year-old Caucasian male died as the direct result of a gunshot wound of his back. Additionally he suffered a gunshot wound to his chest.”
= chapter 7 =
It was time to contact Bruce’s relatives to see if we could learn more from them. John Bruce Dodson had no family in Colorado. He had moved to Colorado from Maryland as a young man and made Colorado his home. Most of his family lived back East.
Bruce Dodson’s brother Michael lived in Maryland with his wife. The authorities who informed Michael about his brother’s death had told him that some unusual circumstances surrounded the event. I felt certain that Michael wanted to talk to someone about what had really happened in his brother’s death and would be appreciative of our call.
Michael told us that when his sister learned that her brother had been killed in a hunting accident, she said, “that bitch.” According to Michael, after her marriage to Bruce, Janice had made dozens of calls to his mother, asking her to convince Bruce to put Janice’s name on the titles to his property. “She called about money matters and the will at least a dozen times,” Michael revealed. Bruce’s brother thought Janice was strange. He had met her twice. The first time, about a year and a half earlier, she told him she was from a rich family and had a great childhood; the following year she told him she grew up poor and was abused as a child.
A week later Michael Dodson and his sister, Martha, flew in for the memorial service in Delta County and made arrangements to meet with us before returning home to Maryland. We asked them to be open and speak about whatever came to mind about their brother, Bruce, and his wife, Janice Morgan Dodson. Martha said that Bruce told them he would send a video and photographs of the wedding since they were not able to attend. She said she finally received them on the day before Bruce’s death, Saturday, October 14, along with a note from Janice.
Michael Dodson told us that Bruce did well in high school and went on to the University of Maryland. After college, he enlisted in the Navy. Bruce had always wanted to live in Colorado, ever since their family made a trip out here when they were kids. Michael went on to say that his brother was a “retired hippie” who joined the Navy. In the service, Bruce worked in the laundry and as a clerk. After his discharge, Bruce moved to Colorado where he lived for about twenty years. He worked as a laboratory technician in hospitals. Investigator Roberts asked if Bruce had any relationships before Janice. They said that Bruce lived with another woman and was very serious about her and that she died from cancer. As others would, Martha commented that Bruce was a lonely man. After Janice came into the picture, Bruce appeared to be infatuated with her. When Bruce’s siblings were together with Bruce and Janice, Bruce acted as if no one else but Janice was around. The siblings felt it was a strange relationship. They said he sat by her constantly and held and stroked her hand and pampered her to the point it made them all nauseated. One time, Janice fell asleep in front of the television and instead of waking her, Bruce picked her up and carried her to bed. His siblings said Bruce told them that his relationship with Janice was non-sexual even though they had been living together for some time. They were all suspicious of that. They said that they had heard from Bruce’s friends at the memorial service that Bruce had been happy during the last three months of his life, that he seemed to be taking better care of himself and dressing nicer.
Martha contradicted that, however, telling us, “I spoke with Bruce just after Christmas last year and he told me he and Janice were having problems.” The next time he called her was near the end of June and he asked her what she was doing on July 15. He told her he and Janice were getting married. This was three weeks before the wedding. “My mother made it clear to Bruce that she was not happy about this marriage and would not attend.” Martha said Bruce told his mother that Janice had revealed to him her many problems, including having been abused by her father. Bruce felt badly for her and all he wanted was his mother’s blessing and to be happy. Martha was surprised to hear this because when Janice had visited her in Maryland months earlier, she told Martha she came from a rich family and had a wonderful life growing up on a big ranch in Texas. Janice bragged that she hunted all her life and was a pilot. “Janice once told my mother that she could make anybody believe anything she wanted them to.”
The next day, Investigator Roberts spoke with Mrs. Ruth Dodson by phone at her son’s home in Maryland. He asked her to tell him about her son and Janice Morgan.
