On the eve of November 30th, Norton McCarthy was found by his wife murdered in his home at approximately 9:15 P.M. He suffered thirteen knife wounds and was hit on the head with a blunt object. It was Simon Fletcher, the brother-in-law of Norton McCarthy, who was being accused of the murder. However, with a timeline supporting Fletcher’s whereabouts on November 30th, an unclear motive, and a lack of evidence supporting Fletcher’s guilt; it was implausible Simon Fletcher killed Norton McCarthy.
On November 30th, most of Simon Fletcher’s day was occupied with work, starting from around 12:03 P.M., when he made a phone call to one of his clients from his desk. Although Simon Fletcher’s morning before the phone call was unaccounted for, McCarthy made a phone call at 12:30 P.M. to his publisher, proving he was still alive. Normally, from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M., Fletcher normally had his lunch break; on November 30th, he went to Burger King, alone, and had the trash of his meal as evidence supporting his claim. After his lunch break, Fletcher attended a business meeting from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Following the meeting, Fletcher remained at work for approximately two hours, last being seen by a fellow coworker, William Parnell, at 4:35 P.M. Parnell stated Fletcher “was busy” and “he didn’t look like he was about to leave anytime soon.” Fletcher’s boss also stated most workers leave at 5:00 P.M. Fletcher arrived home at around 5:50 P.M., a little later than usual; but if Fletcher left work a little late, than it is probable he got stuck in rush-hour traffic, extending the usual twenty minute drive from his workplace to home. He also returned with a lottery ticket and a gallon of milk, confirming he made a stop at a local convenience store. After arriving home, Simon Fletcher spent the entire night with his wife and daughter, and does not leave the house the entire night, according to Mary Fletcher.
With a wife and a child, a concrete job at the prestigious Rinaldi Enterprises, and the fact Norton McCarthy was family-related; it was highly unlikely Fletcher would risk his career and future to commit a devious crime such as this horrific murder with no real motive. Now although one might take into consideration that Fletcher has a previous record showing a history of a domestic incident after a bar fight on May 13th, Fletcher showed no real signs of violence and no charges were filed from that night. It is also important to know that although a minor fight broke out two nights before, there was no reason for violence to play a role in an argument regarding “hunting rights.” First of all, it was most likely that both Fletcher and McCarthy had alcoholic beverages on that Thanksgiving evening, which probably fueled the argument. Secondly, the subject of the fight did not give a solid reason why Fletcher would murder McCarthy. Finally, although both wives agreed the fight got quite heated, they did not seem worried about physical force being used during or after the argument.
