On March 15th in 44 B.C. Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators who stabbed him 23 times during a Senate meeting.
The senators claimed Caesar's concentration of power threatened the Roman Republic. However, their efforts to restore the Republic failed, and the aftermath led to a civil war and the rise of the Roman Empire. His death also led to the earliest recorded autopsy in history.
In this episode of Body Bags, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan and special guest co-host Dave Mack discuss the purpose of autopsies, Caesar's life, and leadership, the details of how he was attacked, the injuries sustained, and how this event shaped the course of history.

Show Notes:
0:00 - Intro
1:12 - Background and overview
2:35 - What’s the purpose of an autopsy?
4:05 - Caesar’s life and work as a leader
7:15 - The day of Caesar’s assassination
9:15 - How the attack happened
10:50 - Caesar’s autopsy
13:20 - After someone is stabbed multiple times does blood keep flowing or will it eventually stop after a few hours?
17:10 - Could the doctor have attributed Caesar’s death to blood loss?
20:10 - What was the assassination plan for Caesar? Were there other injuries and what was Caesar's condition afterward?
22:10 - Where was the autopsy done?
23:40 - The start of 3D modeling
25:30 - How this event shaped history
27:05 - Outro

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Twenty eight years ago today, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered. The case has remained in the spotlight for nearly three decades and still, no arrest has been made and no suspect has been named. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the case and what evidence is still available for testing as well as the new documentary on Netflix.

Transcript Highlights

00:02.48 Introduction 28 Years today
03:08.70 Talk about Netflix doc
08:27.79 Anger directed at the parents
12:45.76 DNA Evidence, what happened at scene
15:56.55 Public told of strangulation, not about head trauma
20:06.75 Joe Scott talks about students studying autopsy report
24:31.16 Forensic needs to do DNA profile would have had to be robust at the time
29:13.54 DNA found on the hands of JonBenet
34:58.76 Police at scene have no excuse for what happened
39:11.38 Conclusion

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The murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey the day after Christmas 1996 shocked the nation. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the investigation that was in trouble from the moment the 911 call was made by Patsy Ramsey. Joe Scott also goes deep explaining the shocking injuries suffered by JonBenet and the very specific knot that was used to strangle the little girl. Part One of Two

Transcript Highlights

00:02.48 Introduction
01:58.70 The JonBenet Ramsey Story
04:41.79 The new Bio on Netflix
10:58.76 B-Roll video had a lot to do with media coverage
15:38.55 Girls on stage performing
19:08.75 Meeting John Ramsey at CrimeCon
24:40.16 The death of Patsy Ramsey
28:33.54 The 911 Call
33:32.76 The evaluation at the scene
38:11.38 Description of head injuries
43:26.73 The strangling and destruction of her skull
47:07.45 Ruining the scene with DNA from guests/friends
53:10.26 Conclusion - Dad recovers her daughter, destroying evidence

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In Part One of "The Public Execution of a CEO: The Murder of Brian Thompson" Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discussed the background of the alleged shooter and how the weapon involved would work. In Part Two, Joseph Scott Morgan goes in-depth into the weapon and ammunition used as well as the physical damage that would be done to a person hit with such ammunition. Dave Mack covers what was written in the "notebook" found in Luigi Mangione's backpack when he was arrested as well as "The Manifesto" Mangione is alleged to have written as well as the charges he currently faces.

Transcript Highlights

00:00:00.71 Introduction Part Two

00:00:27.62 Hardware used - Ghost Gun

00:04:53.34 Ammunition used

00:09:16.25 Words Written on shells

00:14:12.34 Words written on shells

00:18:59.48 Handwriting analysis

00:23:22.98 Mansion was not a customer of United Healthcare

00:26:10.23 The Notebook and the Manifesto

00:31:12.50 Conclusion

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This episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan is a look at the death and autopsy of John Wilkes Booth. Booth shot Abraham Lincoln from behind around 10:15 pm April 14, 1865. He died the next morning, April 15, at 7:22 am. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will uncover the track that Booth took as he tried to escape, and finally being shot himself. Joseph Scott Morgan will make you feel like you witnessed the autopsy yourself as he explains, in great detail, the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth.

Transcribe Highlights
00:13.63 Introduction - autopsy of John Wilkes Booth
01:45.79 Discuss Forensic expert is a history fan
05:09.53 Talk about the Booth acting family
08:22.93 Discussion of how Booth wrecked everything
12:47.62.Talk about Booth jumping to stage
18:45.53 Discussion of expectation
22:49.66 Talk about the conspiracy
27:50.24.Discussion of Booth broken leg
32:01.96 Talk about comparing Lincoln to Kennedy
38:40.42 Discussion of Booth not getting help
41:08.80 Talk about getting Booth on boat
48:59.90.Discussion of putting a door on saw horses as a table
50:03.11 Talk about Autopsy in 1800s
52:18.34 Discussion of Booth being wrapped in military blanket
56:27.97 Conclusion, Lincoln wanted the country to heal

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In part one of this two-part series on Body Bags hosts Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack take listeners through the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and its aftermath. They describe the chaos at Ford's Theater, the attending physicians' struggles as they assessed Lincoln's condition with limited medical knowledge and tools, the removal of Lincoln's body, and the irony of increased security after the assassination. They also delve into the autopsy process, highlighting the physicians' extensive experience and the challenges they faced.

Time-codes:

00:20 - Start of show.

01:35 - John Wilkes Booth's actions in the theater.

02:00 - Immediate response to the shooting.

02:35 - Lincoln's condition when the surgeon arrived.

03:15 - Initial confusion among the audience.

04:00 - Booth's calculated timing for the shooting.

05:30 - Surgeon realizes Lincoln's gunshot wound location.

05:55 - Limitations of medical knowledge and tools.

07:40 - Lincoln stops breathing and has dilated pupils.

08:10 - Surgeon removes clot, Lincoln breathes again.

09:20 - Difficulty transporting Lincoln to the White House.

09:55 - Physicians try to locate the lead ball in Lincoln's head.

11:30 - Attempt to drain blood and reduce intracranial pressure.

12:00 - Lincoln's death at 7:30 a.m.

13:50 - Lincoln remains unconscious throughout the ordeal.

16:40 - Removal of Lincoln's body from the boarding house.

17:15 - Absence of security and irony of increased security.

18:00 - Lincoln's tendency to dismiss security.

18:40 - Lincoln's body conveyed to White House for autopsy.

19:55 - Handsaw used to open Lincoln's skull.

21:10 - Delicate nature of dissecting the brain.

22:15 - Autopsy challenges: lack of electricity, reliance on touch.

23:00 - Physicians' extensive experience in dealing with trauma.

29:40 - Modern gunshot wound examination process.

30:30 - Role of x-rays in understanding bullet trajectories.

31:15 - Autopsy confirms nothing could have saved Lincoln.

32:55 - Limitations of 1800s medical treatments.

33:30 - John Wilkes Booth's autopsy.

34:50 - Physician's anger and resentment towards Booth.

35:30 - Booth's body relocation before returning to family.

36:05 - Outro.

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Mary Kay Heese was 17-years-old when she was murdered and dumped in a ditch in March of 1969. Mary Kay Heese did not go down without a fight, she fought back, but died from multiple stab wounds. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack talk about how the case went cold but the family kept working the case. Year after year. Joseph Scott Morgan will explain what it took to solve a case that was cold for more than half a century, and how 55-years after her lifeless body was found in a ditch, an arrest is made in the murder of Mary Kay Heese.

Transcript Highlights

00:00.35 Introduction - 55 year cold case

04:07.70 The Family keeps looking for answers

10:02.66 Parents have passed, but cousin fought for justice

15:01.01 Finding a hair and fiber evidence

20:07.30 Body found near home

25:05.68 Perp dumped body in ditch

30:03.39 Mary Kay Heese fought back

35:29.16 Two suspects, one commits suicide in 1977

40:06.78 A Suspect is found

44:08.09 Arrest is made, more to come

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Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024. The suspect in the shooting is a 26-year-old person of means; smart, educated, and now, possibly a killer. Joseph Scott Morgan breaks down the type of weapon used and how it would function, the ammunition used, as well as the damage it could do to the intended target. Dave Mack tries to fill in the background of the story as it continues to evolve. This is Part One of Two.

Transcript Highlights

00:00:00.71 Introduction

00:00:57.91 Growing up spoiled

00:05:28.58 Luigi Mangione manifesto

00:08:55.84 Mangione creating characters on computer

00:12:26.42 Chronic pain in lower back

00:17:38.37 Description of using 3D printed gun

00:24:56.27 Scheduling an event, waiting for victim

00:28:37.77 Suspect and weapons

00:33:23.74 Description of "site picture"

00:38:29.89 Shot and effect on body

00:39:01.33 Conclusion of part one

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