The family of a California lawyer who died throughout a visit to Mexico says an official post-mortem and a separate family-commissioned investigation problem the concept he died by chance.
Elliot Blair, who labored as a public defender in Orange County, California, died Jan. 14 at a resort in Rosarito Seashore, 32 miles south of San Diego within the Mexican state of Baja California. Colleagues and family mentioned he was there celebrating his one-year wedding ceremony anniversary.
Officers in Baja mentioned Blair, who was 33, appeared to have fallen from the third flooring of the resort and was lifeless when first responders arrived early that morning.
A Mexican state post-mortem circulated by the family lists Blair’s blood alcohol content material at .10, which in Baja in addition to the U.S. state of California is simply above the driving restrict of .08. It additionally mentions “aggravated murder” as a attainable crime within the demise, though the doc has not been verified by the Baja California state legal professional normal.
Blair’s family has questioned the conclusion that his demise was the results of traumatic mind damage attributable to an unintentional fall, they usually have employed a Santa Monica, California-based damage professional, Dr. Rami Cannabis, to evaluate proof, family legal professional Case Barnett mentioned.
Moreover, a personal pathologist’s evaluate of Blair’s demise sought by his family has discovered that the lawyer suffered roughly 40 fractures to his skull, Barnett mentioned by e-mail.
The Orange County Register and its mother or father firm, the Southern California Information Group, first reported information of the fractures and different proof probably inconsistent with an unintentional demise willpower.
Blair’s widow, fellow Orange County public defender Kimberly Williams, instructed the publications the thought he could have been drunk is inconsistent along with his means to drink and keep sharp. “I’ve by no means seen him stumble drunk,” she mentioned.
“A fall doesn’t make sense,” she mentioned.
She has mentioned a detective on the scene of the demise Jan. 14 instructed her Blair’s physique had proof of a gunshot wound, Barnett confirmed.
The doc mentioned to be a translation of the official post-mortem in Blair’s demise was forwarded to NBC Information by Barnett. It contains pictures of the physique that the family’s specialists say are inconsistent with an unintentional fall.
The photographs depict scrapes and bruises on knees, left foot and left arm, the final of which Barnett mentioned may very well be an indication of a defensive wound.
The Baja California state legal professional normal didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
In her first tv interview, Williams instructed ABC Information’ “Good Morning America” on Thursday somebody killed her husband.
She instructed the present the 2 had been stopped by police within the Rosarito space Jan. 13, shortly earlier than his demise early the subsequent morning, and had given the officers money in trade for his or her freedom.
“We had been each rattled,” Williams mentioned.
The officers alleged the automobile they had been in rolled by means of a cease signal, Williams mentioned. Blair mentioned the couple let officers know they had been staying at Las Rocas Resort and Spa after they requested, she mentioned.
The Justice in Mexico analysis undertaking, hosted by the College of San Diego, a Roman Catholic establishment, famous in a November report, “Public Safety in Baja California,” that municipal police in Rosarito have lengthy been accused of corruption and colluding with drug cartels.
Todd Miyazawa contributed.
