What a World Cup. And I say that as a cricket neophyte.
Stunning upsets, out-of-control fans, stocks in effigy companies spiking…and murder?
Bob Woolmer, 58, is dead. They found the unconscious coach of Pakistan’s team in his hotel room this weekend and he died soon after that at a hospital. At first, I was told by my cricket tutors that it was probably a heart attack; after a bruising defeat, it seemed entirely plausible. Woolmer’s family seemed to agree, from various reports that I had read. But what really happened to him? Did he die of unnatural causes (Thanks WGiiA, Anon and Anil)?
Police are now treating Bob Woolmer’s death as suspicious, Mark Shields, the deputy commissioner of police, told a news conference in Jamaica. A full-scale investigation has been ordered.
…”Having met with the pathologists, our medical personnel and investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious.”
However, unconfirmed reports suggested Woolmer might have been murdered because marks were found around his neck. [Link]
Hmmmm. I’ll keep you posted. Well, you’ll probably keep ME posted, but you know what I meant. The education of this dilettante cricket fan continues…and really, it doesn’t need to be THIS interesting.
Its now claimed his neck was broken and they are treating it as homicide
http://in.rediff.com/wc2007/2007/mar/22woolmer.htm
Damn, the cat is out of the bag. It seems he was strangled!!
There’s no point feeding the rumour mill while the investigation goes on. The media have been going a bit batty on this one.
Yeah I agree SP it’s gone crazy — chances are it was still natural causes.
I hope.
Though I have to say it’s looking worse and worse. Ugh.
ABCDs: American Born Cricketing Dilettantes. You make me warm and fuzzy. Velcome to the mothership. Soon my babies will be all grown up and burning made in China effigies. Sniff.
Just saw this on the Guardian site, breaking headline:
BREAKING NEWS … Jamaican police sources tell Channel 4 News that Bob Woolmer was ‘murdered and had a broken neck’. More to follow …
Channel 4 News are very reputable.
From the Guardian
++++
Reports claim police are set to open murder investigation.
The Jamaica Gleaner revealed that an unnamed “high-ranking police officer” had confirmed that fresh evidence has surfaced suggesting that Woolmer was strangled in his room at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
++++
Speechless…..
Red Snapper, thanks for the links and updates. I can’t stop thinking about his family…
Just in !!! Bob Woolmer was strangulated !!! FUckinn hell !!!!
this is so sickening. unbelieveable.
In retrospect, this is something the authorities (police and cricket) almost certaintly knew within minutes of finding his body. One would hope serious police work was conducted in the interim.
Whoaa…Main news on CNN!! Un freaking believable!!!
I’m speechless. I can’t believe it — it’s like a bad movie or something.
At a press conference a Lucius Thomas, the Commissioner of Police for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said that a pathologists report had found that he had been strangled to death.
He said: “It would take some force, because Bob was a large man, It would have taken some significant force to subdue him, but of course at this stage we do not know how many people were in the room at the time.
“It could be one or more people involved in this murder.â€
Mr Shields confirmed Woolmer had shown no signs of life when he was found in his hotel room, and said there had been no signs of a struggle. link
They said that the vomit spatter was inconsistent for Bobs height and anyways its the sphincter which gives up and not other way.
So now there will be a lot of conspiracy theories and here is mine..
I have a feeling its a crime of passion, some argument really got out of control and got physical. Somebody might not have realized the effect of their strength on an old man and could have lead to Bob’s demise. After realizing what he has done, he might have thrown up. From the spatter, it looks like some one tall…hmmm who can it be ???? Forensics wise, I guess they will be examining the evidence soon and might be asking the what everybody had for dinner that day!!
I keep having bad thoughts about who did this that I don’t want to utter! But my mind is wandering everywhere!
well, this is disturbing. i don’t see that a random person can walk up to the coach’s room and strangle him. i would think this sordid story is about to get far worse.
BBC just dedicated the full 30 minutes of the World News to this story. They seem to suggest that gambling was involved.
Kind of depressing. As an amateur pugilist I have become somewhat disillusioned w/ the corruption surrounding my sport. I only just started closely following Cricket. But from a distance it always seemed like a gentleman’s sport.
Hmm I am seeing possibility of more such deaths and millions of suspects. Cricket has gone mad.
Whatever the truth is, whoever is guilty, this is the lowest point and the darkest day for cricket.
Just back from a session at the Blue Ginger in Iselin.
Sri Lanka played terrific cricket and have great sense of team about them. Every Sri Lanka player had charisma. Every move was purposeful. They were nimble. They were strong. They were chessmasters. They were artists. They were machines. Every zinced face was memorable and every name resonated: Thearanga. Fernando. Silva. Arnold. Malinga. Jayasuriya. Dilshan. And the ubiquitous Muralitharan. I cannot wait to watch them play cricket again.
The Indian players seemed to be there to make up the numbers; the gormlessness of some of their chiselled, handsome faces smacked of a sad contradiction or dual role they could not manage. With one hair out of place, they seemed to individually lose the plot, one by one. Who are these characters exactly? These so called cricketers.
Meanwhile, back to the lowest point and darkest point in cricket’s history. I was reminded today of what I had the considred lowest point in cricket until Woolmer’s murder. It was when Woolmer and other so called cricketers went on immoral tours to South Africa during the days of Apartheid. I think Steve Biko was strangled also, among techniques of mega-death employed by his racist murderers. Steve Biko’s bloody end didn’t see to bother good old Bob Woolmer back then did it?