Tales from the Morgue: Forensic Answers to Nine Famous Cases Including the Scott Peterson & Chandra Levy Cases

Esteemed Pittsburgh pathologist Wecht, who's been called on to lend his expertise to the JonBenet Ramsey and O.J. Simpson cases, sorts out the evidence, or lack thereof, in the scandalous circumstances of Scott Peterson and Chandra Levy, explains why he thinks the JFK assassination was a conspiracy and agrees with the original Marilyn Monroe autopsy that found no signs of foul play. He makes an articulate argument in defense of basketball star Jayson Williams, accused of manslaughter in a 2002 shooting death on his New Jersey estate, but the most fascinating and disturbing cases are the least well known. The 1995 death of Jonny Gammage, a black man who died at the hands of police during a traffic stop, and the alleged 1989 suicide of Marine Corps captain Jeffrey Digman are prime examples. In one case, Wecht concludes that a 1985 plane crash that killed 248 American soldiers was caused by sabotage and covered up by officials. What makes Wecht's arguments so persuasive is that he lets scientific facts-or at least his expert interpretation of them-do the talking. Photos.