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Show Coroners' Reports Conflict In Singer's Cause of Death and that he should drop his gun." Gerry Spence maintains John Singer was shot at least once in the back as he was returning from the mailbox to his home in Marion. The facts surrounding not only this failed arrest attempt in January of 1979 but also the six-year conflict between the Singer Family and Summit County and state officials will be scrutinized during the trial, presently scheduled to begin April, 22 in federal court in Salt Lake, consider a motion for a change of venue in the controversial case, was re-scheduled from this Friday to next Wednesday, April 1. The motion, filed recently by Gerry Spence, states the singer Family can not receive due process and a fair trial because "Utah is a theocracy... controlled or significantly influenced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" and that John Singer was an excommunicated Mormon. "There is simply too great a risk that a juror may see it as his or her religious duty to defend the Mormon Church and to defeat the claim of the Singers," the memorandum says. "Such an allegiance (to the Mormon Church)," the memo continues, "would prevent the juror from considering the merits of the plaintiff s case, because a juror may believe that his or her salvation would depend upon rendering a verdict against the Singers." By David Flelsher John Singer's death January 18, 1979 was caused by multiple blasts from more than one gun, according to an affidavit filed Friday in federal court in Salt Lake in connection with the $111 million wrongful death suit filed by Singer's widow. Heinz H. Karnitschnig, pathologist for Marcopa County, Arizona, who has engaged in Forensic Pathology for twenty-one years, according to the affidavit, stated "It would have been impossible... for the wounds suffered by John Singer to have come from a single shotgun blast, but instead the wounds came from one or more shotgun blasts or a combination of a shotgun blast with shots from another weapon or weapons." Utah State Medical Examiner J. Wallace Graham responding to the afficavit, re-affirmed his opinion that Singer was shot by a single shotgun blast. Dr. Graham is named as one of the defendants in the suit. Enforcement Officer Louis Jolley fired the fatal shotgun blast when Singer allegedly drew a pistol and pointed it at the arresting officers. Other members of the ten-man arresting team, according to defense attorneys, included state narcotics officers Joe Schouten, Ron Gunderson, Dave Fullmer, Tom Carlson and Grant Larsen; Utah Highway Ptrol Troopers Bob Hayward and Floyd Farley; and Summit County Deputies Bob Bates and Larry Henley. Grant Larsen, officer in charge of the January 18, 1979 arrest attempt, was also reportedly involved in an earlier arrest attempt on John singer, this one in October of 1978, when three law enforcement officers employed by the state posed as newspaper reporters from the "Los Angeles Times". Concerning the "resulting conspiracy to cover up" the facts, Mr. Spence states in the compalint "that many of the statements made by theofficers herein were incorrectly made, were known misrepresentations of fact made in order to manipulate public opinion against the Singers and to otherwise form public opinion in favor of said officers or to misdirect public attention and the attention of the plaintiffs (Singers) away from the issues of this case and the numerous wrongs committd by these defendants." Approximately one month after Singer was killed, Summit County Attorney Robert Adkins stated in a letter sent to Utah Public Safety Commissioner Larry Lunnen: "Based on the Medical Examiner's report and interviews conducted by this office with the law officers present at the scene and others who either heard or saw the incident, it appears John Singer was shot after he had taken aim at a member of the arrest team with a loaded 380 automatic pistol and appeared to be ready to shoot his weapon. It further appears the shot ws fired after Mr. singer had been told on at least three occassions that those involved were police officers The Arizona Pathologist stated he arrived at his conclusion after reviewing physical evidence available v including the clothing worn by Singer at the time of his death, pictures of the body, as well as the deposition statements of Dr. Graham. "Projectiles from more than one gun," Dr. Karnitschnig concluded, "entered the body of John singer." In his complaint, Wyoming attorney Gerry Spence, chief counsel for Vickie Singer and her seven children, said state and Summit County officials "joined together in a conspiracy to keep from the public all essential facts pertaining to the shooting of John Singer, and said persons did, by agreement, censor all information given to the press, released only fragments of the investigation investi-gation reports of both the County Attorney (Robert Adkins) and the Attorney General (Robert Hansen) and refused to provide the name of the person who shot John Singer and those persons who were parties to the shooting". Since the filing of that complaint in April of 1980, U.S. District Court Judge David K. Winder, who will preside over next month's trial, ordered the names to be released. In accordance with that order, defense attorneys revealed that Utah Narcotics and Liquor Law |
