Opinion ID: 4578624
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Investigative and expert witnesses

Text: FBI analyst Jaclyn Garfinkle testified that Mr. Whiteplume’s and Mr. Dodge’s DNA were found on the “inside collar and the underarm area of [a] sweatshirt” near the crawlspace. Id. at 799.
Mark Stratmoen, the Fremont County, Wyoming coroner, testified that he found Mr. Dodge’s body in the crawlspace. He said “the crawlspaces beneath a house generally average about 40 degrees as a standard” at that time of year. Id. at 467. He also reported that, when Mr. Dodge’s body was found, there was “[s]ome extremely spoiled meat” in the freezer. Id. at 440. 6
Dr. Michael Burson, a forensic pathologist, conducted the autopsy of Mr. Dodge.4 He testified that discerning the cause of Mr. Dodge’s death was “complicated . . . because he had so many various types of injuries.” Id. at 929. Dr. Burson “observed severe blunt-force trauma to [Mr. Dodge’s] face and his extremities” and “almost innumerable sharp-force injuries.” Id. He explained that “the blunt force alone could have resulted in [Mr. Dodge’s] death in time had he not had the other injuries as well,” but that “there were also significant sharp-force injuries.” Id. at 930-31. He also testified that, even if Mr. Dodge’s throat had not been cut, his wounds from the beating would have killed him “[a]t most” in a couple hours without medical treatment. Id. at 969-70. At trial, Dr. Burson relied on autopsy photos of Mr. Dodge’s body to explain Mr. Dodge’s injuries. He used them to explain how he could differentiate between antemortem and postmortem injuries, and how he could tell which injuries stemmed from blunt or sharp force. Some of the sharp-force neck injuries reflected in the photos occurred while Mr. Dodge was alive, and “definitely would have resulted in death.” Id. at 934-35. 4 Dr. Burson testified that he “belong[s] to a small group of forensic pathologists who” perform autopsies on behalf of county coroners in Colorado and Wyoming. Id. at 917-18. 7