My situation is this. A young, otherwise healthy woman is in an increasing domestic violence situation with her husband. He probably doesn't hit her regularly, and if he does it's in a "clever" way so bruises won't show. (This was in the 1850s where clothing covered most of the body--so he theoretically *could* hit her quite a bit.) She's afraid to leave because he's rich and powerful, family members are dependent on work from him (he's ruined others in business and would ruin them if she left) and she has a minor child. He would chase her down at any amount of trouble and expense and take the child--so she "hopes for the best."
One night an argument gets out of hand. Perhaps she finally threatens to really leave. (I don't know--only the two involved do and I'm writing from the POV of the child.) He kills her, accidentally because he's so mad or intentionally to get rid of her and keep the kid for himself. By the way, the victim should either die instantly, or at least without regaining consciousness--because if he did do it, and she told, or even muttered something in delirium--it would be revealed as not an accidental fall. With a brain lesion it might take awhile to die. (Princess Grace being a tragic real life example who could have been saved had proper help been summoned in time.)
He CAN'T do anything openly recognizable as murder--shooting, stabbing, hanging, poisoning--or he'd be found out. Throwing down the stairs is right out as a number of children and servants are present who would hear a noise. So that leaves me with a head injury, internal injury from a blow, or strangulation if it could be done without telltale bruises (no finger marks--but maybe crushing the whole neck in the forearm/elbow wouldn't leave such marks.) This was "back in the day" when a doctor would be called to the house, say she's dead, and that's it. No autopsy to determine cause, so the staged cause of death could be different than the real cause.
There could be telltale indications it was abuse--such as, a family member wanted to dress her for the funeral, but her husband was quite insistent servants do it--as he had them intimidated into silence. Years later, her son, a child at the time, has gained a lot of medical knowledge and puts two and two together that the accident didn't occur the way it was staged.
So I'm dealing with two things here. The actual cause of death, and the staged cause.
Actual cause, things I want to avoid: Flinging the victim across the room so her head strikes the marble top of a dresser. Very effective, but I saw it on a TV show so it's out. Hitting the victim in the throat and crushing the windpipe. Saw it in a book but never heard of it in real life and hard to make look like an accident. Also keep in mind it takes two minutes to really strangle someone. People can be rendered unconscious in real life as quickly as seen on TV, but they don't die that fast.
Things I'm leaning towards: head, internal injury, or broken neck from being flung against a wall or piece of furniture. Have also heard if someone is struck hard enough in the chest, their heart can go into arrythmia, or a blood vessel can rupture and they can bleed to death. (Princess Diana had a concussion, which was no big deal--the ruptured blood vessel was what caused her death--but if a person had hit someone in both the head and the chest, they'd probably assume the head injury was the fatal one and stage it accordingly.)
Staging the accident: I'd stick her shoe in her petticoats and make it look as if she tripped and struck either her head or chest against a bedpost, but her husband is very devious and theatrical. What about the staging of the accident could be overdone just enough to make people suspicious, but not so suspicious as to provide evidence it was not accidental? It takes place in an extremely upscale 1850s bedroom (she and her husband were in a bad enough state that they had separate rooms) so there'd be at least a very ornate, probably carved wooden, bed. There could be some object missing which was damaged in being used to hit the victim, and whose absence is not noticed till much later--after lots of people have been in the room.
Any suggestions or observations welcome, thanks.
One night an argument gets out of hand. Perhaps she finally threatens to really leave. (I don't know--only the two involved do and I'm writing from the POV of the child.) He kills her, accidentally because he's so mad or intentionally to get rid of her and keep the kid for himself. By the way, the victim should either die instantly, or at least without regaining consciousness--because if he did do it, and she told, or even muttered something in delirium--it would be revealed as not an accidental fall. With a brain lesion it might take awhile to die. (Princess Grace being a tragic real life example who could have been saved had proper help been summoned in time.)
He CAN'T do anything openly recognizable as murder--shooting, stabbing, hanging, poisoning--or he'd be found out. Throwing down the stairs is right out as a number of children and servants are present who would hear a noise. So that leaves me with a head injury, internal injury from a blow, or strangulation if it could be done without telltale bruises (no finger marks--but maybe crushing the whole neck in the forearm/elbow wouldn't leave such marks.) This was "back in the day" when a doctor would be called to the house, say she's dead, and that's it. No autopsy to determine cause, so the staged cause of death could be different than the real cause.
There could be telltale indications it was abuse--such as, a family member wanted to dress her for the funeral, but her husband was quite insistent servants do it--as he had them intimidated into silence. Years later, her son, a child at the time, has gained a lot of medical knowledge and puts two and two together that the accident didn't occur the way it was staged.
So I'm dealing with two things here. The actual cause of death, and the staged cause.
Actual cause, things I want to avoid: Flinging the victim across the room so her head strikes the marble top of a dresser. Very effective, but I saw it on a TV show so it's out. Hitting the victim in the throat and crushing the windpipe. Saw it in a book but never heard of it in real life and hard to make look like an accident. Also keep in mind it takes two minutes to really strangle someone. People can be rendered unconscious in real life as quickly as seen on TV, but they don't die that fast.
Things I'm leaning towards: head, internal injury, or broken neck from being flung against a wall or piece of furniture. Have also heard if someone is struck hard enough in the chest, their heart can go into arrythmia, or a blood vessel can rupture and they can bleed to death. (Princess Diana had a concussion, which was no big deal--the ruptured blood vessel was what caused her death--but if a person had hit someone in both the head and the chest, they'd probably assume the head injury was the fatal one and stage it accordingly.)
Staging the accident: I'd stick her shoe in her petticoats and make it look as if she tripped and struck either her head or chest against a bedpost, but her husband is very devious and theatrical. What about the staging of the accident could be overdone just enough to make people suspicious, but not so suspicious as to provide evidence it was not accidental? It takes place in an extremely upscale 1850s bedroom (she and her husband were in a bad enough state that they had separate rooms) so there'd be at least a very ornate, probably carved wooden, bed. There could be some object missing which was damaged in being used to hit the victim, and whose absence is not noticed till much later--after lots of people have been in the room.
Any suggestions or observations welcome, thanks.
