A crime scene reconstruction expert claims a mum who was found dead in her bedroom could not have killed herself despite police concluding her death a suicide.
Western Australian mum-of-two Amy Wensley, 24, was found slumped behind her bedroom door at her home in Serpentine, about 55km south of Perth, in 2014.
Ms Wensley’s body was found with a fatal gunshot wound to her head, which was inflicted at close range.
Her belongings and her two daughters were in found inside a car in an apparent sign she was leaving the home she shared with her partner David Simmons.
However, despite the position of her body and the suspicions of police who were the first on the scene, investigators ruled her death a suicide.
Western Australian mother-of-two Amy Wensley (pictured) was found slumped behind her bedroom door with a close-range fatal shotgun wound to her head in 2014
Following an inquest in 2021, a coroner found she could not rule out foul play and declined to record the 24-year-old’s death as a suicide.
Journalists Liam Bartlett and Alison Sandy launched their own intense investigation into the case in their multi-part podcast The Truth About Amy.
In the podcast’s first episode, which aired on Sunday, the team enlisted the help of forensic firm Evidence Room’s boss Scott Roder.
The US-based firm has previously consulted in high-profile trials including in Derek Chauvin’s case – the officer convicted of killing George Floyd – and murder allegations against Paralympian Oscar Pistorious.
Mr Roder used his expertise to recreate the room where Ms Wensley was found dead and employed a body double with almost identical physical traits to the 24-year-old.
Based on his findings, Mr Roder claimed Ms Wensley’s death was ‘100 per cent not a suicide’.
Mr Roder recreated the scene from information shared in the 2021 inquest into Ms Wensley’s death, which outlined the room and the position of her body in detail.
Ms Wensley’s body was found in a seated position sitting on her right hand, with her left foot against the door and her left hand on her lap.
Police immediately saw two firearms – a shotgun on the floor splattered with blood and a pink .22 calibre rifle leaning against the wall.
The police officer who arrived first at the scene claimed it was ‘very rare and unconventional’ for a person to shoot the style of shotgun with just one hand.
The multi-part podcast The Truth About Amy enlisted the help of world-renowned crime scene reconstruction expert Scott Roder. He, along with his team, reconstructed the room Ms Wensley was found dead and the exact details of her positioning (pictured)
Mr Roder said the case had a number of things that troubled him, including the position of Ms Wensley’s body and the placement of the guns.
‘The left hand can’t pull the trigger, the right hand can’t pull the trigger. And as an investigator … it’s becoming pretty obvious,’ Mr Roder told 7News Spotlight.
‘She didn’t pull the trigger. Not in the manner that is consistent with the wound and the other evidence.’
Mr Roder said another troubling aspect of the case was the position of where the shotgun was found.
The inquest was told the blood-spattered shotgun was found by the side of the bed about 1.5 metres away from Ms Wensley’s upright body.
The evidence also found the blood on the shotgun barrel indicated the weapon was close to Ms Wensley’s head when it was fired.
‘Well, the answer’s very simple. The gun did not end up like that. The gun was placed like that. Or if somebody just said the gun was like that,’ Mr Roder said.
Mr Roder added he travelled to Australia solely to recreate Ms Wensley’s case as he believes the findings were ‘so inexplicably wrong’.
Mr Roder (pictured) claimed the case was ‘inexplicably wrong’ and that evidence suggested Ms Wensley’s death was ‘100 per cent not a suicide’
The team behind the podcast claim to uncover astonishing revelations in their investigation of Ms Wensley’s death.
Episodes include interviews with Ms Wensley’s friends, family, her two daughters and police who attended the scene.
Lawyers and advocates are also questioned about the evidence gathered from the scene and evidence not collected.
The friends and family of David Simmons are also interviewed, with the team challenging the discrepancies in the recollections provided by one person who was at the home the night of her death and another who was not.
Mr Bartlett also tracks down David Simmons, who has adamantly denied being involved or pulling the trigger.
