Ananya,+Anjali,+Brooke,+and+Becky's+Whodunit

It was Halloween, the day after the heated debate on the validity of the study of whodunits in AP Language and Composition, and everyone in Mr. Barra’s period four class arrived on time. In costume and laden with candy, spirits were high amongst the students as they prepared themselves for an easy day of class. Much to their great surprise, their classroom was not as usual. Hanging from the projector was Dennis Brookner, dressed as Where’s Waldo?, dead. Everyone stopped and stared, astounded by the tragedy before them.
 * A Halloween Horror **[[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2sN9o6kI4rVWtr0wXpJ6WAR6i2tOo-tu3xA6XRDIjtIn_BGv9ctCJSFJyMZp49vBzN10BpTg1LKLZSArvMMoR_shxSIhbdFtK09tM4hNFg5ysPX76z6R8vhvog width="622" height="485"]]

“I can’t believe Dennis did this,” breathed Joy, in shock.

“I saw him crying this morning before school. He’s been feeling pretty low because of his SAT score, but I never thought he would do this,” remarked Anish.

The police were called immediately, and upon searching the classroom they found a student ID, belonging to Margot, a recycling bin with a candy wrapper, and the typical assortment of classroom goods. On Dennis’s person was a cell phone, a piece of a scrap of a candy wrapper, and a class schedule from September. Also discovered was a line of drool coming from Dennis’s mouth and a red bump on the top of his head. Before leaving the classroom, the police took the above photograph of the crime scene.


 * You are a detective for this case. Using your analysis of the evidence, was this pure suicide or was there something spooky going on? Argue your case. **


 * Hired or Fired Report **

Captain Barra:

We have a very sad, but intriguing case on our hands of a murder at Bridgewater Raritan High School. Dennis Brookner, a member of Mr. Barra’s fourth period AP Language and Composition class, was found dead on Halloween, hanging from the projector. Being a detective, it is imperative for me to evaluate all the possible explanations. The question is: was this suicide, or a premeditated murder? Before closing the case, I believe it is essential to bring in Brooke Lockwood for questioning.

To begin, the photo shows a plainly visible Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper in the recycling bin. __The fact that there is a candy wrapper in the recycling bin proves that someone had been eating candy since a person who eats candy is likely to discard the wrapper.__ Additionally, the police found a scrap of a candy wrapper on Dennis during their initial investigation. __The fact that a piece of a candy wrapper was found on Dennis strongly suggests that Dennis was eating candy because a person possessing a scrap of a wrapper is likely to have eaten the contents of the wrapper.__

I highly believe that Dennis’s consumption of candy is relevant in this case. To further explain, it is evident in the photograph that there is no chair beneath the hanging body. __The fact that there is no chair under Dennis shows that he did not hang himself on the projector, or someone moved the chair, because a person who needs to reach a high object from the floor is likely to use a chair.__

If it is not suicide that caused Dennis’s death, then there must have been another factor involved. Conspicuous in the photograph is a girl near the doorway holding a box labeled “candy.” While investigating the crime scene, I found out that her name is Brooke Lockwood. __The fact that Brooke is holding a large box of candy highly suggests that she was selling candy because a student holding a box of candy at Bridgewater-Raritan High School is likely to be selling the treats for fundraising purposes.__

It is very likely that Dennis was eating candy, and Brooke was selling candy. __The fact that there was a heated debate the previous day proves that a classmate may have been motivated to kill a fellow classmate because it is likely that there is tension between participants after a heated debate__. The angry aftermath of the debate could have led to a motive for murder.

Having a possible motive for the murder, there must be a possible method. __The fact that there is drool coming from Dennis’s mouth strongly suggests that he was poisoned because a person who is poisoned is likely to drool.__ Poisoned food could have been the method since Dennis was very likely to have been eating food, and, more specifically, candy, on the day of his death. __The fact that Brooke is selling the candy proves that she has the ability to poison the candy because a person who inserts poison into a food item is very likely to have had possession of the item before giving it to the victim__. It is possible that Brooke intended to murder Dennis using poisoned candy.

Furthermore, __the fact that it is October 31 proves that Dennis would not need a schedule from September because a person who has been in school for almost two months is likely to have memorized his or her schedule.__ The evidence seems to show that another person was involved in this case; __the fact that Dennis would not need the September schedule proves that someone else had been using the schedule because a person planning to murder someone is likely to gather information about the location of the victim at specific times.__

The evidence clearly shows that Dennis’s death was not an ordinary suicide. My analysis of the data points to Brooke Lockwood as a possible murderer. More investigation, such as examination of fingerprints, an autopsy, and questioning will clear up the uncertainties in the case. In the meantime, it is necessary for Brooke Lockwood to be brought in for scrupulous questioning.

Thank you for your time,

Detective Langcomp