Two Shots - Two Shotguns

THE FIRST SHOT...

The above are crime scene photos taken by FDLE. When I spoke with Detective Andy Crogan of the Lady Lake police department, he told me this FIRST SHOT was probably a FIRST ATTEMPT and the gun slipped.

Melinda had taken her grandfather's shotgun from its hiding place in the master bedroom closet. She placed the gun in its case on the master bedroom bed and left the empty case on the bed. She would have then had to go to the nightstand and remove the magazine (clip) from the TOP DRAWER. There was a fork on the floor next to the nightstand. Apparently she put the magazine in backwards. It was our theory that she got the fork to unjam the magazine and put it back in so it would operate.
However.....

The three birdshot shells in the magazine could NOT be expelled, because they were in backwards. Therefore, Melinda would have had to get the shotgun shells from the BOTTOM drawer of the nightstand. The box of #6 birdshot was STILL in the bottom drawer. There were 6 shells missing from the box of 25.

Then Melinda would have had to load ONE birdshot in the pump action gun and fire the shot. The FIRST SHOT went into the wall. She would then have had to load a SECOND shell into the chamber.

Detective Crogan also stated that they believed she shot the gun while standing up and using her toe. The trigger would have come up to her knee, she would have had to balance herself and then there's the "recoil".

The 12 Gauge Shotgun...

This is the FDLE agent removing the weapon from the crime scene. The FIRST shell is on the floor. The SECOND shell is still in the shotgun.

Melinda's shotgun...

Melinda's 20 gauge shotgun was unlocked (see yellow lock on seat) and on the floorboard of the backseat of her Eclipse - with the barrel facing the driver side.  It was loaded with one shell. She kept the shells in the hatchback trunk of her car.

While her shotgun was in the backseat of her car, Melinda's suicide notes were neatly placed on the center console of her car...the ones that Leesburg Police department didn't "find" until weeks later.

She also had $900 in cash (withdrawn from her bank account - not money from the church as Josh Duckett reported).  She also had $114 on her person when she was found and her laptop was on the front floorboard of her car under the box of Fruit Loops, along with her purse and clothes.

Also in my conversation with Detective Crogan, he stated that they thought Melinda wanted to commit suicide in her car, but that the gun was too big and she would not have been able to do it.

Among the items taken for review was Melinda's digital camera. On that camera she had pictures of a pet cemetery.

Melinda showed the pictures to her grandmother and stated how peaceful it was there. It is located in Marion County just north of McIntosh on the way to Gainesville, Florida on State Road 441, approximately 50 miles from the grandparents' home in the Villages.

So the questions remain the same.

Why would Melinda pay her car insurance a couple days before she died?

Why would Melinda decide to commit suicide using her grandfather's 50 year old gun that had not been shot in over 20 years, using #6 birdshot that had not been taken out of the box in over 20 years?

Why didn't she use her brand new 20 gauge shotgun that was already in her car loaded, along with her suicide notes already written and drive her car to the peaceful pet cemetery?

Where were Melinda's friends when she needed them?

Vengeance Is Mine Saith the Lord

Melinda Duckett's Letters to Melissa Jones

In a previous article (click here) FDLE interrogated Melissa Jones a friend of Melinda's who was incarcerated for dealing drugs. It mentioned that Melinda had written letters to Melissa.

I have refrained from publishing Melissa's letters to Melinda as they contained very foul language and she was extremely jealous of her boyfriend Mike Dingus and falsely accused him of having sex with Melinda. Mike said it never happened, and Melinda's list of men in her life did NOT contain Mike's name. Here is the myspace reference to her friends in jail.

 And here is the letter she wrote the same day as the myspace posting.

It appears that a page is missing from this letter that was provided by FDLE. I wonder if the money that Melinda was trying to "dig up" from friends was to help bail this girl out of jail. Also she talks about Lucas Brown in that she was thinking of the possiblity of having a future with him. Doesn't sound like she was "NOT OVER JOSH" and was trying to get even with him by hiding Trenton.

The Child Support Issue

Melinda was adopted. The most important person in Melinda's life was her own begotten son, Trenton. Melinda had a responsibility and she stepped up to the plate, unlike Joshua Duckett. Here is Melinda's quest for advice (put out on her myspace account as reported by FDLE,) sent out when Josh was behind 3 months in his child support payments.

Melinda also sought advice early on when DCF first became involved in her life. Here is what she wrote, again about Josh Duckett.

I guess that Joshua Duckett is STILL not responsible, even for paying  child support for his OTHER son.

It's interesting to note that he never uses his physical residence as his address, only a business address - like mother, like son.

Leesburg Police Department Investigation - Melinda Duckett Interview

This is only one of the interviews. It is 60 pages long. I wanted to divide it into segments but the best presentation is in its entirety.  Melinda Duckett was badgered. Every time she brought up her suspicion that Joshua Duckett and his mother Carla Massero took Trenton, detective Richard Giles and his partner Jim Dunnegan would steer the questioning away from Josh. They basically TOLD Melinda that SHE took Trenton. This wasn't an investigation. This was a persecution.  Melinda Duckett, Danny Bass and Chris Pearce ALL heard a car door slam during the first movie and a motor (Melinda described it as when a refrigerator comes on). The private drive runs right next to her apartment. Melinda walked out of the interview all right, but not until "page 60"...to see her attorney in the lobby. The same attorney that Leesburg Police would NOT let come see Melinda.