forensic anthropologist at the university of tennessee, was asked for his opinion. we have three fractures irradiating out from the same source, the source being the hole that is in the skull. that is an indication that there s been blunt-force trama there that s not due to the fire. the cause of death was determined to be thermal injuries and blunt-force head trauma. his death was listed as a homicide. homicide investigator major michael overbey asked jean long to explain what happened on the night of the fire. jean said her husband was filling the heater with kerosene when it exploded. you said that he re-lit it inside. well, he didn t relight it, he was refueling it. he had to put fuel in it. with what? kerosene. with what container? it was red.
home to call the fire department. at the fire scene, investigators found the remnants of the kerosene heater. but the plastic fuel can was found outside the workshop door, in perfect condition, inconsistent with jean s story. and major michael overbey believed that the position of jim s body was inconsistent with most fire victims. it appeared his arms were outstretched and over his head. it appeared to me the way someone would be positioned if they had been dragged into a particular spot or carried. that was the first thing that i noticed. they were not in a fetal-type position that you see in fires. in addition, overbey found visual evidence of pour patterns around jim s body, the type of patterns that result from the use of an axel rant. to him, it suggested that
you know what i mean? jean also said she called the fire department from a phone in the house. but investigators found the outside door was locked. if jean locked it on her way out, police saw this as evidence she was in no hurry to save her husband. her husband was on fire, burning in this building. she runs outside, but she locks the door behind her. see, to me, that s very important. you think the jury s going to buy this? i can tell you right now, they won t. major overbey asked jean to take a polygraph test, and she agreed. she was asked point-blank if she poured her husband with gasoline, set him on fire. she failed that question. she failed if she was present when he was murdered. investigators discovered that jim was angry with his wife for spending so much time in kansas each year visiting relatives. there were also rumors that jim may have been planning to leave jean. major overbey believes on the night of the fire, the couple may have been discussing a divorce, whi
forensic anthropologist at the university of tennessee, was asked for his opinion. we have three fractures irradiating out from the same source, the source being the hole that is in the skull. that is an indication that there s been blunt-force trama there that s not due to the fire. the cause of death was determined to be thermal injuries and blunt-force head trauma. his death was listed as a homicide. homicide investigator major michael overbey asked jean long
to explain what happened on the night of the fire. jean said her husband was filling the heater with kerosene when it exploded. you said that he relit it inside. well, he didn t relight it, he was refuelling it. he had to put fuel in it. with what? kerosene. with what container? it was red. yet, the red plastic fuel can was found outside the workshop. all right. how did it get back outside? i don t know. and overbey noticed that jim s arms and legs were outstretched when he was found. underneath jim s body were several aerosol cans.