The Unexplained Death of Shawn O'Brien, Part Two

Murder, She Told

Kristen Seavey

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 August 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

2006 - Cranston, Rhode Island. The case was doomed from the start. In July of 2006, when paramedics arrived at the apartment of 34-year-old Shawn O'Brien, they believed it was for a medical emergency. It wasn't until after he passed away—and the police consulted with the medical examiner—that they realized the magnitude of his injuries were not consistent with what allegedly happened: a fall from a seizure. His cause of death was blunt force trauma. By the time police got a search warrant, it had been 4 days and the crime scene was contaminated. What's worse, the medical examiner didn't have a clear story from police about how his injuries occurred, and ruled the manner of death as undetermined, beginning an uphill battle with the police (to investigate as a homicide) that continues to this day. 16 years later, the family is still asking themselves the same questions they did in 2006, and pushing even harder for the answers. His only daughter, Natalia St. Louis, remains determined to find out the truth about what happened to her father... and won't stop until she does. This is part two of the unexplained death of Shawn O'Brien. Detailed sources can be found on murdershetold.com Connect on Instagram @murdershetoldpodcast Support the show here If you have any information about the death of Shawn O’Brien, I encourage you to contact the Cranston Police Dept at (401) 942-2211. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Murder She Told, true crime stories from Maine, New England, and small town USA.
0:19.2	I'm Kristen Ceevy.
0:21.0	You can connect with the show at MurderSheTold.com or on Instagram at MurderSheTold Podcast.
0:30.9	This is part two of the Sean O'Brien story.
0:33.8	If you haven't listened to part one, I suggest going back and starting with that one first.
0:40.4	Cranston PD immediately prepared a search warrant application and brought it to a judge for approval.
0:46.4	Detective Sergeant Michael Gates wrote in the supporting affidavit, quote,
0:51.6	When police consulted with a medical examiner's office,
0:55.2	Dr. Churchoff concluded that the magnitude and extent of the trauma to Sean's head
1:00.9	was inconsistent with a fall caused by a seizure. Furthermore, police found blood evidence
1:08.0	inconsistent with a fall. Blood residue and spatter was found in areas of the dwelling
1:14.4	away from where Sean was discovered at the time of rescue.
1:18.8	If Sean didn't die from an accidental fall during a seizure, what could explain his death?
1:25.1	They brought Armand and Lynn to the station for questioning, and they later told Natalia
1:29.9	that Armand was so shaken up that they allowed Lynn to write his statement for him,
1:35.5	which he dutifully signed. Natalia later found it strange that they were interviewed together,
1:40.9	and that she was allowed to write his account for him.
1:44.0	After they wrapped up at the station, three detectives followed Armand and Lynn back to the house,
1:50.4	where another officer was already present and it secured the scene. Two of the detectives,
1:56.0	Armand and Lynn sat in the backyard together. Armand had invoked his right to counsel,
2:01.7	so the discussion was between the detectives and Lynn. Natalia later learned that Lynn didn't
2:07.2	say much, and she failed to recall many of the details that they were asking about.
	...

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