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On June 28th, 1985, Raymond P. Allbright died, the result of five gunshots from an Army Colt .45 "commander" semi-automatic pistol. At the time of his death, Mr. Allbright had just been released from jail and was allegedly awaiting the arrival of a Sheriff's deputy at his home so that he could show the deputy where some farm equipment he had in his possession could be found, equipment that he had been accused of stealing even though he was far from being a poor man, and had never been accused of any sort of crime in the past. According to the official report of the Deputy Allbright was waiting for, he arrived to find Mrs. Allbright "running around and screaming" that Raymond had shot himself, and found Raymond laying on the ground with the five bullet holes in his upper left chest. He reported that the two lower wounds appeared to have the imprint of the barrel of the weapon in them, while the other three appeared to have been fired from "a few inches away", due to the appearance of powder burns on the skin around them. In accordance with police procedure, then, the County Coroner was notified, and shortly thereafter began one of the great Arkansas mysteries. Coroner Kenneth Melton ruled that Mr. Allbright was in fact dead, and had apparently committed suicide. Brenda Allbright, Raymond's daughter, has never been satisfied with that ruling, and she and her mother Maggie have gone as far as having Raymond's body exhumed and an autopsy performed… but to no avail. The State Medical Examiner, after exhumation and autopsy, confirmed the ruling of suicide, despite overwhelming evidence that Raymond P. Allbright had in all likelihood been murdered. His name was Fahmy Malak, and his record of questionable or obviously false rulings as to cause do death has left Arkansas with a legacy of murder and cover-up unparalleled in American history. The mysteries surrounding Raymond's death don't stop with the almost impossibility of committing suicide by shooting your self in the chest five times with a heavy-caliber pistol. There are so many discrepancies in the stories of the night of his death and the following days that they read more like a jigsaw puzzle than a crime report. For instance: Deputy Steve Brondhaver arrived, according to his official report, at 12:13 PM. However, the Sheriff's Office radio log confirms that he had called in a report of a gunshot victim at that exact moment, something Brondhaver claims to have done only after a careful investigation of the crime scene and after photographing the body and the area around it. Raymond was shot five times… and yet only four spent .45 caliber cartridge casings were ever found, and it was determined that a total of seven shots had probably been fired, since two fired bullets were located other than those that had penetrated Raymond's body. Raymond's widow inherited all of his property, and the records of the probate court show that she received his land, their home, and his personal possessions… but there was no mention, nor can any information be obtained, concerning his bank accounts, with an estimated net worth in the millions! All of these questions need answers, but the most important question of all is simply… how can a man shoot himself repeatedly with a pistol that is known for known for knocking men down with a single shot? Why would any man commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest, rather than in his head? And how could any medical examiner seriously consider such a shooting as a case of "death by own hands"? The questions go on and on… but the answers lie in the memories of a few people in Stone County, Arkansas, those few who know what really happened that late June night. If you have any information regarding the real truth as to how Raymond Allbright died over seventeen years ago, please contact the Injustice Files. Your identity will be protected. Sierra Times is proceeding with further investigation into this case, and many other Injustice Files. |
