Mr. Clifford was found dead with a cassette recorder on one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police came in, they immediately pressed the play button on the cassette. The recorded voice of Mr. Clifford said, "I have nothing else to live for. I can't go on.", then the sound of a gunshot.
After listening to the cassette tape, the police knew that it was NOT a suicide.
How did they know?
I assume the desired answer is that someone had to stop the tape, rewind it to the correct spot so that pressing play would result in the message they heard. Obviously, the dead person could not manipulate the tape recorder after death. We're to conclude that the murderer did the tape machine manipulation.
But I can poke two holes in this reasoning.
(1) Someone else may have manipulated the tape machine after the death. Indeed another person may have found the victim, fiddled with the tape recorder and ultimately set up the tape position after a suicide.
(2) The dead person could have manipulated the tape machine before death. The suicide planner may have made the recording at some past time, even at a different location, perhaps at the gun range or in the woods; then set up the tape in position; then committed suicide. Perhaps the suicide victim wanted someone to get blamed for murder.
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Posted by Larry
on 2023-02-21 09:01:44 |
Suspicious but not proof
