Dr. Michael Graham, the chief medical examiner for the city of St. Louis, did not respond earlier this summer to numerous requests for comment about the new photos or their significance. After the RFT's cover story, the medical examiner's office also refused to release its report to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, saying the investigation was now an active one.
Now the conclusions of Dr. Combs may raise even more questions about the crime scene — and the "accident" verdict settled on by investigators.
An associate professor of clinical medicine at Washington University from 2004 to the present, Dr. Combs has a lengthy CV. Trained at New York Medical College, he has a long list of certifications, awards and positions, including a stint at Mallinckrodt Inc. as medical director and then executive vice president.
Writes Dr. Combs, "This was not a beating to simply intimidate, this was a beating administered purposely to leave the victim dead or permanently disabled and compromised. Some of the injuries are consistent with the use of a weapon. The bloody rock found at the scene, and perhaps a pipe or similar object are consistent with the injuries."
Attorney Watkins says he felt compelled to bring in an expert after obtaining the photos released by the medical examiner this summer.
"Once we knew the Medical Examiner’s Office was possessed of more and different information from that which was amassed by the City police department, we knew a medical expert was required to explain why the Medical Examiner’s Office characterized the investigation as open while the police department asserted it was closed," he said.
Giovanna Cassilly is continuing to seek the public's help in solving the mysteries surrounding her husband's death. She and Watkins are asking that anyone with information about Cassilly's final days to contact them at [email protected].
COURTESY OF ALBERT WATKINS
This photo, taken at the death scene, was released to Giovanna Cassilly this summer, five years after her husband's death. What appears to be a rock is visible at lower right.
COURTESY OF ALBERT WATKINS
This photo, taken the morning of Bob Cassilly's death, was obtained by his widow's lawyer this summer.
We hope these adjustments will allow those who want to avoid viewing the photos to still read the story — but also provide the photos for those who are seeking to make sense of this tragedy.
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