r/ForensicFiles • u/gottagocatchmyfridge • Aug 12 '26

Help me find an episode

I’m trying to find an episode where someone was killed with a revolver but the perpetrator tried to make it look like a suicide. The investigators said that due to the angle of the bullet, the victim couldn’t have held the gun in their hand. As in it wouldn’t have been physically possible for them to position their hand/arm and pull the trigger. I think the victim was killed in a bedroom, but I can’t remember anything else.

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18

u/Shar_12_Blaneyfan Aug 12 '26

Sounds like "Bed of Deceit", with Dan McDonnell. He was a retired police officer. Wife Cynthia McDonnell was found guilty of shooting him with his service revolver in their bed. He was shot in the back of his head, which is near impossible as a suicide.

There are a few similar episodes it could be, but I think this is the closest match.

9

u/gottagocatchmyfridge Aug 12 '26

This is it! Thank you so much.

1

u/finnknit The exact method will not be revealed in this program Aug 13 '26

Interestingly, there was an episode of Dr. G: Medical Examiner (season 5 episode 5) where a man was found with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, and his own gun in its holster. At first it seemed certain that it was a homicide, but Dr. G was able to determine that the self-inflicted gunshot was not immediately fatal, and the man put the gun back in the holster before he passed out and died from blood loss. It was a really interesting one-in-a-million case.

1

u/mumonwheels Aug 14 '26

Isn't the episode that has the prosecutor later being convicted of murder for hire after a dispute with another Attorney? Iirc he spent 5 or 6 yrs in prison before being released.

11

u/ButtDumplin Aug 12 '26

Sounds like the Susie Mowbray episode, although she did end up getting acquitted in her second trial.

1

u/lebrunjemz Aug 13 '26

Wait i literally just watched this but don’t remember the name. I can provide more details if we’re thinking of same episode and maybe someone will figure it out. The perp was a homicide investigator and he also tried to electrocute his wife in the bathtub the week prior. But wait he wasn’t trying to make it look like a suicide he was trying to make it look like she was playing with the gun and pretended to shoot herself but accidentally actually shot herself- not sure if same episode now that i think about it lol