Georgia v. John Metcalf and Kimberly Post—The Lost Guitar

This chapter recounts the case of John Metcalf and Kimberly Post, who were wrongly accused of murdering John's wife, Robin, who died of smoke inhalation in a house fire. The fire investigators initially suspected John of setting the fire to eliminate Robin, citing alleged evidence such as flammable liquid patterns and a missing guitar. John and Kimberly were arrested based on chemical analysis of their “clothing,” which reportedly contained flammable substances. The author was retained by the defense and systematically disproved key elements of the prosecution's case. He found that the back door was closed during the fire, contrary to the investigators’ claims. The alleged “pour patterns” were actually caused by radiant heat. The “missing” guitar was found in the debris exactly where the defendant said it was. The chemical evidence on the defendants’ clothing was shown to be from their shoes, not from foreign ignitable liquids. Despite the prosecution's persistence, the jury acquitted both defendants after a week-long trial. The author concludes that Robin likely set the fire herself and became trapped. The case highlighted investigative oversights, misinterpretations of evidence, and ethical concerns in prosecution. It also led to improvements in fire debris collection, packaging, and analysis practices.