Scratch That: When a Bullet’s Gouge Redefines the Narrative

In the early 1990’s, a husband was convicted of executing his wife via a single perforating gunshot wound to her head. The bullet was located at the scene and later determined to have been fired in a Charter Arms revolver that was recovered from the husband’s vehicle during a search warrant. Not only was the bullet heavily damaged making any subsequent identification questionable, but it possessed a distinct linear gouge that spanned its base to its nose. The gouge was noted by the original examiner, however its source and therefore its significance, was not explored.

Years later, the case was reopened and the source of the gouge would redefine the narrative of the case and conviction. From metallurgy, to 3D imaging, to high speed photography, from hundreds of hours of testing that spanned west coast to Midwest, the purchase of numerous Charter Arms revolvers all with close manufacturing dates, and the finding of liability in a civil wrongful death lawsuit of another man, the gouge in that bullet helped eliminate the husband as the shooter.