[PennsylvaniaMom]

I still think its level (take a look at the photo @post 80—the neighbor who was interviewed is standing at the fence, looking at the garage.) The brickwork looks flat (so if any grade at all, minimal)...but I agree that the explanation of rolling back into the garage, while in reverse, made by crime scene investigators makes no sense...to the point of being fiction.

[BykrBayb]

I found a supersized (2068 X 3000) image of the garage. I don't want to make this thread difficult to load, so here's a link to open the huge photo. If your browser shrinks it to fit the screen you'll need to change that to view full size.

Click on photo for full sized image

http://i52.tinypic.com/vzvkes.jpg

Take a look at the left side of the garage, where the bricks meet the neighbors' driveway. Notice how the neighbors' driveway slopes down toward the road. The back of their driveway is about three bricks higher than the middle of their driveway, where it meets the front of the garage. The neighbors' driveway appears to slope down to the road, and the Turtons' driveway appears to follow the same slope.

Take a look at the bottom of the stairs. The left side, adjoining the garage wall, is level with the driveway. The right side is shimmed because the driveway is a little lower at that point. The driveway appears to continue down hill at about the same slope.

[Smokin' Joe]

The brickwork looks flat (so if any grade at all, minimal)...

Look again. The fence iron gets longer as you go toward the street, more than just a perspective thing.

I'd estimate a foot of drop from the garage door to the curb (not the street, which would add another 4 to 6 inches, judging by the tires on the vehicle parked next to it and depending where you were along the curb--It is higher at the alley entrance).

You'd need that much grade for runoff in case of a severe thunderstorm, too, as the whole square footage of the house and the 'yard' would have to drain away from the house or flood the garrage.

Note, too, there are a couple of significant ripples in the alley, really evident at the border between the pavers and the alley.