The spouse of California lawyer Elliot Blair was instructed by police on scene that her husband was shot within the head the night time he died at a resort in Mexico, an lawyer representing the household instructed The Submit Thursday – although Mexican authorities reportedly denied that assertion.
The bombshell revelation continued the sequence of conflicting statements between Blair’s grieving household and Mexican authorities into what led to the Orange County public defender’s demise final Saturday at Las Rocas Resort and Spa.
Blair’s household and associates have insisted that he was the sufferer of a “brutal crime” whereas Mexican officers have mentioned his demise was from an unintended fall from a balcony on the resort.
The household has made clear they’re conducting their very own probe into their cherished one’s demise with the assistance of personal investigators. Whereas Blair fell two tales earlier than hitting the bottom ground, household lawyer Case Barnett mentioned in an interview Thursday that the household isn’t certain what occurred within the moments main as much as that.
Barnett mentioned a part of the bewilderment stems from Blair’s spouse, Kimberly Williams, being instructed by police there was a “bullet gap in Elliot’s head.” The couple was celebrating their one-year anniversary when Blair died.
The household lawyer additionally revealed that the district lawyer in Mexico ordered the 33-year-old’s physique be embalmed, which might make it unattainable for the household to conduct their very own toxicology report. Mexican authorities have additionally refuted that declare.
After Williams was instructed concerning the incident, a household buddy close to the realm got here to the scene and interpreted for her, mentioned Barnett, who was associates with Blair.
“The cop on the scene – the lead investigating officer, he’s in plain garments carrying a badge round his neck, tells Kim that there’s a bullet gap in Elliot’s head,” Barnett mentioned. “And that form of begins this entire factor with the violence of all of it.”
A spokesperson for the Baja California lawyer normal instructed the Los Angeles Occasions when officers arrived on the scene and from a following post-mortem “there was no signal of violence.” He additionally reportedly rejected any proof of a gunshot wound.
Barnett mentioned when the liaison to the coroner’s workplace contacted the household days later, they had been instructed the reason for demise was trauma to the pinnacle and the demise could be referred to prosecutors as suspected murder.
When the household requested a couple of gunshot wound, the liaison mentioned the paperwork indicated head trauma, Barnett mentioned.
“The liaison says if it was a gunshot to move it wouldn’t say head trauma, it might say gunshot wound to the pinnacle,” Barnett mentioned, including. “So the household is confused.”
The household plans to have their very own post-mortem carried out when the physique is returned to them, he mentioned.
Barnett mentioned the household is disillusioned they’ll’t conduct a toxicology report back to disprove claims he was intoxicated when he died as a result of he’s been embalmed. The household was instructed by the mortuary that transfer was completed underneath prosecutors’ orders, Barnett alleged.
“The household’s clearly devastated as a result of given these unusual circumstances they wished their very own toxicology,” he mentioned. “They now can not get their very own toxicology as a result of the physique’s been embalmed.”
The Baja California AG’s workplace instructed the LA Occasions the choice about what to do with the physique “is a query for the household.” He confused to the newspaper that authorities wouldn’t counsel {that a} physique be embalmed with out permission from the household.
The household beforehand contended that Mexican officers prompt Blair’s physique be cremated.
Barnett additionally shed extra gentle on one other set of differing statements between police and Blair’s family.
The lawyer normal of Baja California reportedly mentioned Blair fell to his demise when he went exterior to shoo away pigeons exterior his resort room. Officers mentioned Williams instructed investigators Blair was drawn to the noisy birds, a declare the household denied to the Orange County Register.
Barnett mentioned Williams was speaking to the household buddy on the scene about how he scared the pigeons off throughout the day from their third-floor resort room on the Las Rocas Resort and Spa. He believes the lawyer normal took that assertion to imply he was shooing pigeons off that night time earlier than his demise.
Baja California Atty. Gen. Ricardo Ivan Carpio Sanchez mentioned his demise was initially probed as a prison case, the LA Occasions reported. An examination of his physique discovered no seen accidents from a gun or a pointy object, he reportedly mentioned.
Barnett mentioned the pair had been within the room collectively after coming back from an evening out, however Williams fell asleep earlier than Blair did.
Barnett mentioned Williams was initially woken up by resort workers about her husband’s demise after which referred to as out for assist. However resort employees instructed her an ambulance was already there a pair hours in the past, and he was useless with police now on the way in which, he mentioned.
It stays unclear what Blair was doing previous to his demise, Barnett mentioned.
“We don’t know what he was doing on the market,” Barnett mentioned of Blair. “We’re looking for out.”
