Please bear with me as I phrase this question. My best friend was murdered by an 18 year old male in Montgomery. She walked in on him while he was robbing her home. After her funeral I learned that the mark on her forehead was a bruise and that she'd received when he jumped her at the door. She was found tied to her bed. Three electrical appliance cords had been removed from three of her appliances, two were used to tie each of her hands (cross style) while the third was used to tie her by the neck to her bed. It took talent to disguise the ligature marks but not the obvious length of time it took for her to die from asphyxiation & strangulation/suffocation. Guestimates put the time line from being tied to dying at 16 hours, in part due to the tension of the cords. What did she go through? How long was she aware of what was happening? How painful was it, how much did she suffer? Thank you for answering my first question, and for being their for all of us. It is very appreciated.
Unfortunately, my response is not pleasant and not what you want to hear. Death by strangulation results in pain and suffering. The suffering occurs because the victim is temporarily conscious and aware of impending death. The longer the period of consciousness and awareness, the greater the length and severity of suffering. The pain comes from the pressure from strangulation upon the anatomy of the neck. Once the victim becomes unconscious, pain and suffering cease. Brain death usually results in three to five minutes following unconsciousness. Cardio-respiratory arrest occurs soon thereafter.
Since your friend was completely restrained to her bed, with electrical appliance cords around her hands and neck, death did not occur in a brief period of time. The guestimate of 16 hours may be difficult to prove, but could very well be accurate. In such a situation, there was extensive pain and suffering. There would have been pain experienced around her hands and wrists, as a result of pressure and a lack of circulation. There also would have been pain in the neck area, as a result of the same reason. She was aware of what was happening. Consequently, she experienced pain and suffering. It would be impossible to quantify how much pain and suffering she experienced, but my guess is it was extensive.
I'm sorry to provide such a response. I want to remain as honest as possible.
- Robert D. Aranosian, D.O.