Opinion ID: 2631133
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The autopsies, crime scene, and forensic investigations

Text: Skillman and Rita died from their gunshot wounds. Skillman had a bullet wound to his left interior thigh and another to the top of his head. Black soot surrounded the entry wound on his head, indicating the gun was only inches from his head when fired. Blood-spatter analysis established that Skillman's head was approximately three inches above the floor when he was shot. Rita had suffered two bullet wounds. One bullet entered his left thigh and exited through his right upper back. A second bullet entered Rita's left arm, went through his shoulder, and entered the base of his skull, lodging behind the left ear lobe. Rita was shot from four to five feet away. Both Skillman and Rita had substantial amounts of methamphetamine in their systems at the time of death. The Orange County Sheriffs Department and Westminster Police Department investigated the crime scene. Recovered from victim Skillman's pockets were a little over $1,300 in cash, two pipes that could be used to smoke drugs, and a closed pocketknife. A briefcase in Skillman's bedroom contained small bags of marijuana and marijuana seeds. Also in the bedroom were several firearms, including a loaded .22 rifle. Victim Rita had no money in his possession. Also recovered from the scene were four bullet casings, all 10-millimeter automatic, an unusual caliber. Three of the casings were of the Federal brand and one of the Starline brand. All four had been fired from the same gun. Three of the four bullets recovered from the two bodies and the crime scene were fired from a single gun. The fourth bullet was extensively damaged, and thus it could not be definitively established as having been fired from that same gun.