Re: Boobytraps and the American Legal System

[jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>]

At 04:13 PM 7/23/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote:

>No, a better solution it seems to me is to dispose of the body so there is
>only a "disappearance," with nothing to link the perp to one's self.
>(Unless the perp left records or told someone...)
>
>My place is pretty isolated, so I wonder if my proposed solution is enough:
>process with my 10 h.p Troy-Bilt chipper/shredder, treat output with 2
>sacks of quicklime, hose resulting product into ravine dropping down to
>valley floor below. (Probably too much DNA-carrying crud left around,


Contrary to all the old stories, quicklime (calcium hydroxide) actually 
PRESERVES bodies, it doesn't assist their decomposition. (It probably 
inhibits bacteria growth by raising pH, yet its alkalinity doesn't attack the organic 
material.)   What you want is a few gallons of concentrated sulfuric acid, 
which will hydrolyze the fats, the proteins, dissolve the calcium in the 
bones, as well as erase any traces of DNA left in the mixture.

Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com