MovieChat Forums > Fracture (2007) Discussion > Isn't the ballistics on the bullet a plo...

Isn't the ballistics on the bullet a plot hole in Ted's plan?

posted 9 years ago by RynoII
4 replies | jump to latest

Ted planned on his wife dying, and not going to a coma. But if she died immediately, then the police would have immediately examined the bullet from her head, and found that it was Nunnaly's. The police would theoretically realize that Nunnaly did not shoot her, because he was on duty at the time, and probably with someone who could verify his whereabouts at the time.

So then wouldn't the police conclude that the two pistols looked the same, and maybe switched? They would then conclude that they were switched likely.

So what was Ted's plan be to get away with it, if the wife did not go into a coma, and the bullet was examined?

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

But if she died immediately, then the police would have immediately examined the bullet from her head, and found that it was Nunnaly's.

Why would they immediately link it to Nunnaly's gun? It would probably be linked to that gun type, not necessarily Nunally's.

So then wouldn't the police conclude that the two pistols looked the same, and maybe switched?

Well they didn't, simple as that. Willy and Flores finally figure it out after the episode of the mixed up, same model phones.

Ted wouldn't have needed another plan. As it stood, we can see that he was intending to get "a long way away" anyway and was only foiled by Willy working out the switch, before he left.🐭

[–] SaliceMcD 8 years ago

They'd have no reason to consider Nunally's gun in this regard, because they couldn't have imagined that Crawford somehow got ahold of it before shooting his wife. The second switch was "meaningless" without the first, at the hotel.

[–] mosipd 8 years ago

Whatever the character's thought process behind the murder, it definitely was not that of the "perfect murder". One universally accepted principle in ballistics is that bullets will often do wildly unpredictable things. It is therefore impossible for Crawford to account for the bullet and the many variables he surely realized it would introduce. Because if the bullet killed his wife, was surgically removable, or simply exited her body and wasn't located, his plan fails. All forensics needs to find is just one of the several bullets Crawford fired, and considering the amount of effort put in they probably would have.

The trajectory of the bullets fired out the window can be roughly estimated. A recovery team, equipped with metal detectors and searching an area not heavily littered with metal would probably find at least one. Matching any recovered bullets to Nunally's service weapon is then trivial. As part of their normal investigation ballistics would run any recovered bullets through the automated ballistics identification system, which also includes information on all police issued weapons. In combination with gun shot residue testing, another standard operating procedure, even if they didn't recover the bullet that struck his wife the evidence is pretty solid at this point.

This being a rather technical plot hole is fairly easy to overlook in favor of just enjoying the movie, which I did.

[–] Lokisgodhi 8 years ago

This isn't true. In fact it's ridiculous.

The LAPD has in excess of 9,800 officers. Assuming they all have been issued a firearm, it would literally take years for all those firearms to be test fired and placed into the system. Likely the officer would be issued a new sidearm before their firearm's test bullet made it into the system.

This wouldn't account for repaired firearms that have barrels, firing pins, ejectors replaced or for wear to the barrel from repeated firings changing it from what was originally on file. How often an officer cleans his firearm also will impact the markings it leaves on a bullet as does ammunition differences.

The reality is that firearms are usually only tested for ballistics when the officer is involved in a shooting.

mosipd wrote:

Matching any recovered bullets to Nunally's service weapon is then trivial. As part of their normal investigation ballistics would run any recovered bullets through the automated ballistics identification system, which also includes information on all police issued weapons.