Murry Prosecution Connects with Nanoparticles
by Shari Dovale
The Murry triple-murder and arson trial continued this week in Spokane, Washington, with the prosecution struggling to connect the defendant to the crime scene.
Roy Murry is charged with the murder of his wife’s parents and brother, as well as attempted murder of her, in May 2015.
Earlier this week, the prosecution questioned Dr. Pablo Rudenko, a scientist that developed a specialized gun lubricant. Rudenko testified that his lubricant is unique in that it contains ‘nanoparticles’ that he can identify under a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). He can identify his specific lubricant in comparison to other lubricants on the market.
However, his gun oil is not yet on the market and is still in the prototype stage, with only a couple of vials available. One of these vials went to the defendant, Roy Murry for testing to see if it improves the accuracy of his weapons. Another vial went to the Washington State Police Crime Lab.
The forensic scientist from the State Crime Lab testified that he had attempted to see the nanoparticles but their lab did not have the necessary TEM equipment. He enlisted the help of a private lab in Georgia, MVA Scientific (MVA).
The scientist from MVA , Rich Brown, testified that he was able to confirm the presence of the unique nanoparticles on 3 of the 8 shell casings given to him for testing from the murder scene.
This potentially seems to finally place Murry at the crime scene.
The defense made a good effort to diffuse the testimony by questioning whether or not MVA can confirm that these nanoparticles cannot be found in the environment.
Without going into the science of these elements, it does seem highly unlikely – though not impossible. It will be up to the jury to decide how much weight to place on this expert testimony.
Additionally testimony today included the medical examiners explaining the autopsies of the 3 victims. It was rather horrific testimony and reinforces the rage that must have gone through the assailant’s mind as these shocking crimes were being committed.
With all victims subjected to multiple gun shot wounds, they were all determined to have died before the fire was started. The damage to their bodies seemed to be consistent with accelerant, such as gasoline, being poured on the bodies to further destroy evidence.
The prosecution is nearing the end of their case and the defense is expected to begin tomorrow. They do not anticipate more than a day or two before the case is given to the jury.
Today’s evidence will certainly give the jury something to think about.
