Murder Mystery

[Amb]

A man has been found dead in a burnt out car in a remote area. Your job is to ask questions until you can determine if the man was killed, if it was a suicide, or if it was an accident. If there was foul play, either on his part or someone elses, then you want to find out what it was and what the motivation was. If the event was an accident, you want to determine if anyone else was involved and why they arent anywhere to be seen.

I'll let you all know once you have enough of the back story.

You can only ask questions that can be answered: Yes, No or Irrelevant or Unknown.

(Unknowns will be things like "Did the victim drink water just before he died" - where for whatever reason I deem the question to not actually be irrelevant)

[Zag]

Was it his car?
Was he in the driver's seat? Front passenger's seat? back seat?
Is the type or make of the car relevant?
Is he (and the car) on Earth?

[ralphmerridew]

Is the burnt out car the sort of car that is driven on highways?
Was he in the car when it caught fire?
Is the apparent cause of death fire-related?

[Jack_Ian]

Did he die in the car?
Was he restrained in any way?

[Internet Stranger]

Other than the obvious fire damage. Was the car visibly damaged? (as in, it hit a tree and was crumpled in the front, etc)
_________________
"I didn't know she was your sister I swear!"
www.InternetStranger.com

[groza528]

Was the man killed?
Was it a suicide?
Was it an accident?



(Feel free to bypass these questions-- it seems almost cheaty)

[Jack_Ian]

Did he commit suicide, in a way to defraud the Life Insurance Company so that his wife and children would be left with millions after he lost his job, by locking himself into the boot of his car and leaving the keys in the ignition in an area where he knew his car would be stolen and brought for a joy-ride after which, as is traditional, the car is driven to a remote area and set alight?

[MNOWAX]

[Undercover Monk]

Did the death of the man and the burning of the car happen simultaneously?
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Amb]

Was it his car? No

Was he in the driver's seat? Yes

Front passenger's seat? No

back seat? No

Is the type or make of the car relevant? Possibly, but im leaning to no

Is he (and the car) on Earth? Yes

Is the burnt out car the sort of car that is driven on highways? Um
Arent all cars able to be driven on highways?

Was he in the car when it caught fire? Yes

Is the apparent cause of death fire-related? No

Did he die in the car? Yes

Was he restrained in any way? Yes

Other than the obvious fire damage. Was the car visibly damaged? (as in, it hit a tree and was crumpled in the front, etc) No

Was the man killed? Obviously since he is dead

Was it a suicide? No

Was it an accident? No

Did he commit suicide, in a way to defraud the Life Insurance Company so that his wife and children would be left with millions after he lost his job, by locking himself into the boot of his car and leaving the keys in the ignition in an area where he knew his car would be stolen and brought for a joy-ride after which, as is traditional, the car is driven to a remote area and set alight? No

Was he a member of the mob? No

Did the death of the man and the burning of the car happen simultaneously? No

[Zag]

[Undercover Monk]

Just to be sure:

Was he murderd?

If so:

Did he know the murderer personally?
Did the murderer start the fire as well?
Is the cause of the fire important? (i.e. matches, kerosene, faulty spark plug)
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Jack_Ian]

Was the fire caused by the dead man?
Did the dead man drive the car?
Was his death unexpected?

[Internet Stranger]

Was he restrained by rope? handcuffs? or just the seatbelt?
_________________
"I didn't know she was your sister I swear!"
www.InternetStranger.com

[Amb*]

Not all dead people were killed. Some die on their own -- in fact, most.
Noted

Was the man dead for more than 1 minute when the fire started? More than 10 minutes? More than an hour? a day? a week? a year?
For arguments sake, lets say 20 minutes

Was the man shot?
Yes
poisoned? suffered blunt force trauma? strangled? asphyxiated?
No

Was he murderd?
Yes

Did he know the murderer personally?
No

Did the murderer start the fire as well?
Yes

Is the cause of the fire important? (i.e. matches, kerosene, faulty spark plug)
No

Ah youtube, that great crusher of higher education
Yes

Was the fire caused by the dead man?
No

Did the dead man drive the car?
Yes

Was his death unexpected?
Not really
I assume you are talking about the perspective of the murderer

Was he restrained by rope?
No

handcuffs?
No

or just the seatbelt?
Yes

[Internet Stranger]

Was the bullet wound in the head? the chest?
Is there any glass on the ground? (assuming most should be melted)
Was the car tricked out? (spinners, dropped low, neon lights*, etc)
Was it an utility vehicle? (hearse, cement truck, exterminator van, etc)
Or was it a pedestrian vehicle?
Did the corpse wear glasses?
Were his pants off or undone?
Did he have shoes on?
Can you even tell? How crispy is he now?






*I wish neon lights underneath the car made a comeback
_________________
"I didn't know she was your sister I swear!"
www.InternetStranger.com

[Icarus]

Did the victim drive the car to the final resting place?
Was the victim shot while sitting in the driver seat?
If yes:
From the back of the head?
In the chest?
In the face?
From the side of the head?
From inside the car?
From outside the car?
Was the victim shot in such a way that the shooting itself made identification of the body impossible?
Was the burning of the car meant to make identification of the body difficult?
Or was the burning of the car meant to destroy any evidence of who the killer was (finger prints, hair, fibers, etc)?
Did the victim know he was going to be killed?
Was the victim involved in any criminal activity (let's include borrowing money as illegal activity)?
Was the victim a witness to another crime?
Should we feel sorry for the victim? Or was the victim really the bad guy?

[Amb]

Was the bullet wound in the head? the chest?
Irrelevant

Is there any glass on the ground? (assuming most should be melted)
Irrelevant

Was the car tricked out? (spinners, dropped low, neon lights*, etc)
No

Was it an utility vehicle? (hearse, cement truck, exterminator van, etc)
Yes

Or was it a pedestrian vehicle?
No - I think. What do you mean by 'pedestrian vehicle'? Like a flintstones car?

Did the corpse wear glasses?
Irrelevant

Were his pants off or undone?
No

Did he have shoes on?
Yes, but irrelevant

Can you even tell? How crispy is he now?
Irrelevant

Did the victim drive the car to the final resting place?
Yes

Was the victim shot while sitting in the driver seat?
Yes

From the back of the head?
In the chest?
In the face?
From the side of the head?
Irrelevant, but for arguments sake lets say the side of the head

From inside the car?
Yes

From outside the car?
No

Was the victim shot in such a way that the shooting itself made identification of the body impossible?
No

Was the burning of the car meant to make identification of the body difficult?
No

Or was the burning of the car meant to destroy any evidence of who the killer was (finger prints, hair, fibers, etc)?
Yes

Did the victim know he was going to be killed?
No

Was the victim involved in any criminal activity (let's include borrowing money as illegal activity)?
No

Was the victim a witness to another crime?
Yes

Should we feel sorry for the victim?
Yes

Or was the victim really the bad guy?
No

[Icarus]

Was the victim killed because he was a witness to another crime, and a hit was ordered to eliminate the witness?

Do we need to figure out what he witnessed?

Did the victim drive out alone?

Is the victim's occupation one that he normally would respond to a call?

Did the murderer greet the victim, or did the murdered hide, almost like setting a trap?

Are there tire tracks from another vehicle? Footprints?

Do we need to determine how the murderer got in/out?

[Undercover Monk]

Did the victim know the murderer was in the car?

Was the murderer in the passenger seat while the victim drove to the kill spot? the back seat?

Did the murderer and the victim enter the car at the same time? same place?

Was the murderer a hitchiker the victim picked up?

Was the murder weapon burned up in the fire?

If so,

Was that the only piece of physical evidence burned up that could incriminate the murderer?
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Amb]

Was the victim killed because he was a witness to another crime, and a hit was ordered to eliminate the witness?
Specifically no

Do we need to figure out what he witnessed?
Yes

Did the victim drive out alone?
No

Is the victim's occupation one that he normally would respond to a call?
No

Did the murderer greet the victim, or did the murdered hide, almost like setting a trap?
No

Are there tire tracks from another vehicle? Footprints?
No

Do we need to determine how the murderer got in/out?
No

Did the victim know the murderer was in the car?
Yes

Was the murderer in the passenger seat while the victim drove to the kill spot?
Yes

Did the murderer and the victim enter the car at the same time? same place?
No

Was the murderer a hitchiker the victim picked up?
No

Was the murder weapon burned up in the fire?
No

[Icarus]

If the vehicle didn't belong to victim -
Did the vehicle belong to the company the victim worked for?
Did the vehicle belong to the murderer?
Did the victim steal the car?
Did the murderer steal the car?
Did the victim willingly get into the drivers seat? or was he forced?

At the time the murderer first entered the vehicle -
Was the (living) victim already in the vehicle?
Did the murderer know of the victim before driving out, or was their meeting purely one of chance?
Did the murderer enter the vehicle with the intention of killing the victim?
Was the killing of the victim the plan all along? or just the result of something else that took place after the two met?

Did the murderer specifically seek out the victim? or would any random individual have encountered the same fate?

[Amb*]

Did the vehicle belong to the company the victim worked for?
yes

Did the vehicle belong to the murderer?
No

Did the victim steal the car?
No

Did the murderer steal the car?
No, sort of

Did the victim willingly get into the drivers seat?
yes


At the time the murderer first entered the vehicle -
Was the (living) victim already in the vehicle?
Yes

Did the murderer know of the victim before driving out, or was their meeting purely one of chance?
Yes

Did the murderer enter the vehicle with the intention of killing the victim?
yes

Was the killing of the victim the plan all along?
no

or just the result of something else that took place after the two met?
technically no

Did the murderer specifically seek out the victim?
Yes

or would any random individual have encountered the same fate?
In the same situation as the victim, yes

[Zag]

Were murderer and victim related? siblings? married? parent/child?

Is the age of the victim relevant?

Did the murderer also commit the crime that the victim witnessed?

Did the victim blackmail or attempt to blackmail the person who committed the earlier crime?

Was the victim the only witness of the earlier crime (other than the perpetrator)?

[Icarus]

[Amb]

I'm going to revisit a question:
Was the victim a witness to another crime?
Yes
And replace it with No - he didnt specifically see another crime being committed. But he was in close vicinity.

Were murderer and victim related? siblings? married? parent/child?
No

Is the age of the victim relevant?
No

Did the murderer also commit the crime that the victim witnessed?
Yes, bearing in mind the correction above

Did the victim blackmail or attempt to blackmail the person who committed the earlier crime?
No

Was the victim the only witness of the earlier crime (other than the perpetrator)?
Technically yes, he was the only living person in the vicinity

Did the murderer know of the victim before driving out, or was their meeting purely one of chance?
Yes

So I'll take this as "yes" to both parts of the question - therefore:
Why? It's not an "And" question

Was the victim going about his normal routine, and just happened upon the killer committing another crime?
Yes, see note at top of post

Did the killer therefore notice the victim as the only witness, and at that moment determined he had to get rid of the only witness?
Yes, sort of

So the first crime - was it a murder? Yes


Story so far: The victim drove some kind of utility vehicle owned by his employer. He didn't witness any crime directly but was near the location that a murder happened. Somehow, for some reason, the murderer ended up in the passenger seat and they drove out to a remote location. The driver was shot, the vehicle torched with the driver dead inside. The murderer was a complete stranger to the victim in every sense. {This is a very quick summary, so if I skipped a 'Yes' question, its because i didnt spend ages collating all the yesses}

I also skipped one question on being asked to do so by the asker.
" If so, Was that". That particular question may or may not be important, but its probably a good idea not to give me the chance to ignore anything

[Internet Stranger]

Was the utility vehicle a mail truck?
_________________
"I didn't know she was your sister I swear!"
www.InternetStranger.com

[Undercover Monk]

Did the victim know that a crime had been commited?

Was the victim a Taxi Driver?

Were there any other passengers in the vehicle?

If he had not burned the vehicle would the murderer have been aprehended?

Is the occupation of the murderer important?
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Amb]

Was the utility vehicle a mail truck?
No

Did the victim know that a crime had been commited?
No

Was the victim a Taxi Driver?
No

Were there any other passengers in the vehicle?
No

If he had not burned the vehicle would the murderer have been aprehended?
Yes, in all likelihood

Is the occupation of the murderer important?
No

[Zag]

Was the utility vehicle a delivery vehicle of any sort? A police car? any kind of government-owned vehicle?

[ralphmerridew]

Did the burned vehicle contain something that was evidence against the killer?
If so:
- Was that evidence a physical object added during / after the crime? (Example: a bullet from the gun lodged in the car)
- Was that evidence something in the vehicle that was modified during / after the crime? (Example: a recorder that captured the crime)

[MatthewV]

Did this event take place at night? Evening? Morning? etc

Was the second murder done to help hide the first? (Besides eliminating a witness)

Was there something in the truck to make it burn more than a normal car? (fuel truck, gas or something)

Was there more than one "bad guy" involved?

Was our victim forced in someway to drive to the remote location?

[Amb]

Was the utility vehicle a delivery vehicle of any sort?
No
A police car?
No
any kind of government-owned vehicle?
No

Did the burned vehicle contain something that was evidence against the killer?
Yes

If so:
- Was that evidence a physical object added during / after the crime? (Example: a bullet from the gun lodged in the car)
Yes, sort of, see next question

- Was that evidence something in the vehicle that was modified during / after the crime? (Example: a recorder that captured the crime)
Yes

Did this event take place at night? Evening? ? etc
No
Morning
Yes

Was the second murder done to help hide the first? (Besides eliminating a witness)
Yes

Was there something in the truck to make it burn more than a normal car? (fuel truck, gas or something)
No

Was there more than one "bad guy" involved?
No

Was our victim forced in someway to drive to the remote location?
Yes

[ralphmerridew]

Was there only a single piece of evidence in the car?

My last two questions were supposed to be exclusive; for a recorder, the question about being added during/after the crime would be answered no; for a bullet, the modified question would be answered no.

Was the car burned because the killer was unable to find the evidence while searching?

Did the victim work for Google Street View?

[Zag]

The evidence that was destroyed, was it an audio recording? A video recording? Photographs? Photographic film? Digital storage of video and/or audio and/or photographs? Some other digital artifact? Legal documents? Something else that is made of paper?

Is the type of the utility vehicle important? Is it one that would be identified with someone's occupation (like a HVAC van or a hearse)? Does it have a visible logo or company name?

[Jack_Ian]

Did the vehicle have a Tachometer or Tachograph installed?
Was there a GPS device installed in the vehicle.
Was the vehicle designed to transport people as its main function?

[Amb]

I'll answer the one for now, and get the rest later

Did the victim work for Google Street View?
Yes

Thats a major catch on

[Undercover Monk]

Was the body of the first victim disposed of before the crime? Is so by burning? Was the body in the trunk of the vehicle?

Was the burned item a computer of some sort?
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Amb]

Was there only a single piece of evidence in the car?
Yes

Was the car burned because the killer was unable to find the evidence while searching?
No

Did the victim work for Google Street View?
Yes

The evidence that was destroyed, was it an audio recording?
No

A video recording?
No

Photographs?
Yes

Photographic film?
No

Digital storage of video and/or audio and/or photographs?
Yes

Some other digital artifact? Legal documents? Something else that is made of paper?
No

Is the type of the utility vehicle important?
Yes, see the google question

Is it one that would be identified with someone's occupation (like a HVAC van or a hearse)? Does it have a visible logo or company name?
Yes

Did the vehicle have a Tachometer or Tachograph installed?
Um, will have to look up what they are later

Was there a GPS device installed in the vehicle.
I would assume so

Was the vehicle designed to transport people as its main function?
No

Was the body of the first victim disposed of before the crime?
No

Was the body in the trunk of the vehicle?
No, assuming you still mean the first victim

Was the burned item a computer of some sort?
Yes

A story update will follow hopefully in the next 24 hours or so.

[ralphmerridew]

Did the car's camera capture something incriminating the killer in the first crime? (Such as the killer, or even the killer's car being present at the scene of the crime close to the time of the crime?) If not, did the killer fear it might?

Was the killer's purpose in killing the driver and burning the car to destroy that photograph?