Accident Murder (Fall Down Stairs) Plus Civil War Gun

I'm finalizing a plot and could use some help ironing out the finer details.


It's a "push down the stairs with a final death blow to the head" theme (been done, I know, I'm creating my own version). The main plot is solving the murder.



My question is, I'm trying to set it up that the dead dude at the bottom of the stairs is said by the cops and autopsy report to be an accident (stairs are wood, he broke the banister on the way down, blunt force trauma to the head is cause of death). Murderer does push him, but also picks up an object to strike at the end. The item (see below) is wood as well, so the head blow can be made to look like he struck his head hard on the broken banister on the way down.


Proof is going to be finding the murderer with the possession of the particular object (an art piece) that has DNA (why don't they ever burn or destroy these things?) along with a list of other clues for motive and opportunity.


My question (finally!) involves with the police investigation regarding accident or murder, or how would the police handle falls down the stairs and what I might need to keep in mind regarding what is realistic for the police to consider? I know they might try to re-piece the banister back together, perhaps taking prints and checking alibis to make sure this guy was really alone and not with someone. (Murderer has a paid alibi.)


Murderer will be one of about three initial subjects that knows the person so fingerprints from all three will be there but doesn't prove one way or another as they were there all the time with the guy (before he died). So the stairs and banister would have shoe smudges and finger prints from all three potential suspects who can be accounted for.


For the art piece, it's an old Civil War pistol with a wooden handle. This is taken from the residence after the murder (the whole thing is not premeditation, the guy was angry, and trying to stop victim from tattling on him for something else). He tosses it in his car trunk, but then later forgets he did this (he was in a panic, most of that night is a blackout for him) and often goes back to look for this item he thinks he lost).



I'm unfamiliar with Civil War pieces but I know a lot of those items have wood handles. I was thinking he didn't shoot him but used the butt of the gun to hit the guy over the head. The final blow might be played off as a hit on the head by the banister on the way down. Since the gun piece is missing, and the banister is broken and right there, that a coroner may suspect it to be the banister, not suspecting anything else.



Or am I just sucky with this one and need a new direction? All of this happens off stage before the story starts, but I want to cover my bases to make sure the plot later to uncover this isn't unbelievable. Help is very much welcome.

I can easily change the gun type to an 1812 model or earlier, making sure it's a wooden handle. I thought Civil War would be far enough but I can push it back.

Any help with gun wood type? I've heard walnut but trying to get a common wood to match with the banister (possibly, undecided on that yet).

As for the wound that it would cause, would the smaller strike with the gun piece after a blow to the head against the banister, could that be detected if it's in relatively the same place? After the fall the murderer deals the final strike to ensure he's dead, although I believe the fall would have killed him eventually if left alone for hours without rescue (which is true).

Thanks for the help.

Walnut is apparently a popular choice for wood staircases apparently. (After search online) Expensive, too.

The walnut will be similar enough, I hope that while one is old and the banister is new, it might be just enough for a new coroner to not know the difference, if a splinter should occur.

Good to know.

I am very hopeful that given that both objects are wood, that the final blow won't be discovered due to it being the same material. I'm going to guess that if a metal object was used, it'd look different (deeper? more square?) than a wooden one.

If they're both varnished with no splinters, it'll make my part easier when writing. Piecing together splinters was a stretch but bases covered just in case.

I'm thinking with the police, with the wooden banister and the position afterward, that they won't suspect foul play, but might check up on if anyone was there and make sure the wounds are compatiable with that of a fall (which they will, he fell from the top, tumbled down). That's the limitation, and since no one was suspected of being around, a fall would be assumed as an accident. (Only the main character suspects differently.)

So I can clean up the splinter mess and detail the gun a bit at the end and it'll be OK. (As close to realistic without getting too complicated, at least.)

Thanks so much! Using a Colt or an old 1812 gun would work just fine. I'll be sure to describe the grip as such, too.

And thanks, Jim, for the thought of a coat rack or something similar. This guy likes a lot of art and antique furniture, so having an additional coat rack or other furniture there could work out for the better, plus give it something that may disguise the fact that a gun grip was used after.

As for the police, I won't be having them 'on stage' but the details of how they came to the conclusion of accident are important to my character who will know most of what they said. Not to put cops in a bad light, but to show that with a lack of evidence to prove otherwise (alibies for all suspects and no obvious foul play involved) the ruling of accident was all they could do.

I've heard lots of people complain that they hate when characters will hit someone over the head with the barrel or the grip and then they always manage to knock the guy out. I'm hoping my barrel to the head thing will be enough to actually kill the person.