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N.M. pathologist rules cop’s death an accident

By T.J. Wilham
Albuquerque Journal

ALBUQUERQUE — A forensics expert asked to review autopsy reports on the death of Albuquerque Police Lt. Todd Parkins has issued a report concluding that the veteran officer’s death was accidental - not suicide.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White called on lawmakers to review how the state legally determines cause of death and for Ross Zumwalt, the state’s chief medical investigator, to change his agency’s official ruling in the case.

Zumwalt did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

“If someone is upset with the work we do, they have the District Attorney’s Office to go to,” White said. “There is always those checks and balances. It doesn’t seem to me there are when it comes to OMI’s office.”

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator ruled Parkins, 38, intentionally killed himself on Sept. 24 when his shotgun went off inside his East Mountains home. His wife and one of his two sons were nearby when the gun went off.

Zumwalt acknowledged to the Journal earlier this year that he wasn’t 100 percent convinced that Parkins’ death was a suicide.

Unhappy with the ruling, White asked well-known pathologist Michael Baden to review the case. White has said his investigators didn’t believe the death was a suicide.

Baden looked over ballistics reports and autopsy photographs as well as threedimensional images of Parkins’ home. In the report, Baden cited a number of factors in his determination, including:

Parkins was wiping his gun with a rag and was in a rush to leave on a weekend hunting trip with several officers.

There was no indication that Parkins was depressed.

The muzzle of the gun was several inches away from Parkins when it discharged.

After he was shot, Parkins fell to the floor and said to his wife, “What happened? Please call.”

The shotgun model in question has a history of accidental discharges.

In a news conference Monday, White and Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz called on Zumwalt to change his ruling.

Members of Parkins family said they were pleased with Baden’s report but ultimately want Zumwalt to change his ruling. The family lost about $100,000 in life insurance money because of the ruling, but they have said they received sufficient settlements and that the issue isn’t money.

“We are not looking for closure. We are looking for OMI to do its job, to do it professionally, accurately, and thoroughly,” said Parkins’ father-in-law, John Duff.

According to his biography, Baden has been a consultant to the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Justice Department. He is also the forensic science contributor for Fox News.

Baden agreed to look over the Parkins case for free.

Copyright 2009 Albuquerque Journal