Veteran homicide investigators in New York and Washington, DC, on Monday questioned the way local and federal authorities in Texas handled thedeath of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not unreasonable to ask for an autopsy in this case, particularly knowing who he is,\u201d retired Brooklyn homicide Detective Patricia Tufo told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not at home. There are no witnesses to his death, and there was no reported explanation for why a pillow is over his head<\/a>,\u201d Tufo said. \u201cSo I think under the circumstances it\u2019s not unreasonable to request an autopsy. Despite the fact that he has pre-existing ailments and the fact that he\u2019s almost 80 years old, you want to be sure that it\u2019s not something other than natural causes.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Ritchie, a retired deputy chief and former head of criminal investigations for the DC police, said he was dumbstruck when he learned that no autopsy would be performed.<\/p>\n \u201cI took a look at the report and I almost fell out of my chair,\u201d Ritchie told The Post from his home in Maryland.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to be an instructor in the homicide school. Every death investigation you are handling, you consider it a homicide until the investigation proves otherwise,\u201d Ritchie said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know that person wasn\u2019t smothered? How do you know it\u2019s not a homicide until you conduct an investigation? You have to do your job. Once you go through that process, you can conclude that this is a naturally occurring death.\u201d<\/p>\n Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara said she declared Scalia dead via telephone based on what cops and marshals at the scene told her \u2014 that there were no signs of foul play.<\/p>\n \u201cHow in the world can that Texas judge, not even seeing the body, say that this is a heart attack?\u201d Ritchie wondered. \u201cA US marshal can\u2019t tell you. You need a medical professional. If this was Joe Blow, you say OK, 79 years of age, health problems, maybe natural causes. But this is a sitting justice of the Supreme Court!\u201d<\/p>\n Guevara also spoke by phone with Scalia\u2019s physician, who told her Scalia had several chronic medical conditions and had gone to the doctor\u2019s last week for a shoulder problem, reports say.<\/p>\n Scalia\u2019s family did not want an autopsy, she added.<\/p>\n With AP<\/em><\/p>\n __ By Jamie Schram and Bob Fredericks New York Post MORE ON: ANTONIN SCALIA Scalia could have been poisoned: forensics pathologist Obama ‘regrets’ his 2006 filibuster of Supreme Court nominee: White House What it means for gun rights if Scalia’s replacement … Continue reading
\nhttp:\/\/nypost.com\/2016\/02\/15\/detectives-question-lack-of-autopsy-in-scalia-death\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"Antonin](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/20080226_mda_bw2_002.jpg\")
<\/a>Antonin Scalia Photo: Zumapress<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nMORE ON:<\/h3>\n