Opinion ID: 2586281
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Ballistic Evidence

Text: A firearms expert testified that his analysis of the recovered bullets and casings indicated that two nine-millimeter firearms were used at the crime scene. Daniel Magoon's Helwan pistol, which was found in Alvarado's car, was the only nine-millimeter weapon recovered during the investigation, but none of the recovered nine-millimeter bullets or casings was fired by the Helwan. The Helwan had been fired at some point, but it was not possible to determine when. Expert testimony also revealed that two expended bullets recovered from Daniel Magoon's body during the autopsy, and the expended bullet found on the master bedroom floor, were fired by one ninemillimeter weapon, but the expert could not determine the particular model. Either of the two nine-millimeter guns listed on the Department of Justice's records as registered to Alvarado (under the name Ralph Varela) was the type of gun that could have fired the bullets, but there were approximately 75 other models of nine-millimeter firearms available on the market that could have also fired them. The two expended bullets recovered under Mary Magoon's body were fired from the same gun, which was probably an Uzi-manufactured firearm. The Uzi magazine found in Alvarado's car could have fit into either a pistol or carbine Uzi weapon. The firearms expert also testified that six of the nine-millimeter casings recovered were fired by one gun; five of the casings were found at the crime scene (including the three casings found near Daniel Magoon's body) and one casing was found in Alvarado's pants pocket when he was arrested. The three nine-millimeter casings found on the floor in the hallway bathroom (where Mary Magoon was killed) were fired from a different gun. An unexpended cartridge found on the living room floor, and two unexpended cartridges found in the backseat of the patrol car where Alvarado was sitting, had been cycled through the same firearm that fired the three nine-millimeter casings found on the hallway bathroom floor. In addition, five .22-caliber casings were recovered at the crime scene, all of which were fired from the same gun.