Murder or suicide? Singapore inquest on U.S. engineer's death...

Holding a black noose over her head, Singaporean forensics expert Lim Chin-Chin explained Wednesday to a packed courtroom how re-enactments showed that American engineer Shane Todd would have been able to hang himself from a similar black strap attached to his bathroom door.

"One final push and he lands," she said, describing how a chair could be shoved away by the feet so a body would drop.

This was the third day of the inquiry into the death of Todd, who was found hanging in his Singapore apartment on June 24. Singapore's medical examiner concluded that Todd committed suicide, but Todd's parents disagreed and hired a pathologist in the U.S. who -- based on Singapore's autopsy report and photographs of the body --suggested there was evidence that his death was a homicide.

Singaporean lawyers hired by the Todd family have suggested Singapore's police work was sloppy and that an assumption of suicide led police to neglect other evidence. In court, the Todds' lawyers asserted a possible crime scene was altered: Todd's hanging body was cut down and laid on the floor and a nearby chair moved before a forensics team and photographer arrived. Police maintain this follows standard procedure. Full story...

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