EX-MEDICAL EXAMINER DIES
H. Wayne Carver II, who served as state’s chief examiner, has died at the age of 67.
H. Wayne Carver II, who served as Connecticut’s chief medical examiner for 24 years, working on investigations into some of the state’s most serious crimes, including the Sandy Hook school shootings, has died. He was 67.
Carver died Thursday night at Middlesex Hospital of natural causes, Dr. James Gill, who replaced Carver as the chief state medical examiner, said Friday.
An Old Saybrook resident, Carver retired in May 2013 after more than three decades in the medical examiner’s office. He started working there July 1, 1982, and took over as chief in March 1989 following the controversial exit of Catherine Galvin, who left after it was revealed she took her pet dog into rooms where autopsies were being conducted.
Carver was on the scene in Newtown the day of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Using a portable facility provided by the New York City medical examiner, Carver and his staff performed the autopsies on the 20 first-graders and six educators who died that day. He called it the worst day of his career.
He worked on other highly publicized criminal cases, including the Richard Crafts “wood chipper murder,” the Cheshire home invasion murders and the mass shooting at Hartford Distributors in Manchester that claimed the lives of eight workers.
“Dr. Wayne Carver dedicated three decades to serving the people of Connecticut,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a written statement Friday. “As former Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Connecticut, Dr. Carver oversaw some of our state’s most challenging, tragic and complex cases. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult loss.”
Former Litchfield State’s Attorney David Shepack recalled Friday that he had worked with Carver on many cases. “He was always a strong advocate for the victim,” Shepack said. “And extraordinarily knowledgeable in his profession. He was a pleasure to work with.”
Hartford State’s Attorney Gail Hardy said she’ll miss the “out of the blue” calls she would get from Carver.
“I am shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Carver,” she said. “He called me one month ago to see how I was doing, and we spoke about the Hartford circus fire hearing and exhumation. He shared with me what his sons were doing — as he always did — and we spoke about his health. He was upbeat, joking and enjoying his retirement.”
William V. Dow III, a well-known New Haven defense attorney, said Carver was a good witness for the state and the defense.
“He was a colorful guy who enjoyed testifying and I think, candidly, enjoyed being the center of attention when he did testify,” Dow said. “He had a certain informality that jurors liked and made him an effective witness for the state, or for the defense. He wasn’t afraid to present an accurate picture even though it might not be exactly what the state wanted.”
Huge Keefe, another well-known New Haven defense attorney, said Carver was effective with juries because he did not take himself too seriously.
“What I liked about Wayne is he wasn’t pompous,” Keefe said. “He was just a regular guy and that’s why the jury liked him — because he was one of them.”
Keefe said he handled many cases over the years where Carver was a witness. On one occasion, Carver invited him to his Farmington office to observe an autopsy. Keefe declined, but said it showed how Carver viewed his job.
“He was always fair,” Keefe said. “He called it as he saw it and that’s all you can ask for as a defense attorney.”
Kevin Kane, who recently retired as chief state’s attorney, worked with Carver on several highprofile cases during his time as a prosecutor in New London. In one case, a man convicted of killing his wife left her body in an airconditioned room to slow the decay of her body, then went on a sailing trip with several friends to try to establish an alibi. Carver helped establish a time of death by examining the contents of the woman’s stomach and comparing it to when she last ate. Time of death was “a key issue” in solving the case, Kane said Friday.
“He was dedicated and realized the importance of forensics science,” he said.
Carver had a way of relating to juries, Tolland State’s Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky said. “I think juries respected him and trusted his opinion,” he said. “He was a well-respected authority. He was a valuable resource.” Carver was good at juggling a heavy caseload and knowing what cases had to be prioritized, Gedansky said.
Former state forensic scientist Henry Lee, who started the state forensic lab, worked closely with Carver over the years, including on the wood chipper case.
“Everybody when they see Wayne they think he is a tough guy because he was so big but he really was a very gentle person,” Lee said. The two met at a conference in Chicago before Carver arrived in Connecticut.
Crafts was convicted of murdering his wife Helle Crafts even though her body was never found. Bone and fingernail fragments were found where Crafts put his wife’s frozen body through a wood chipper. Carver was a key witness because he had to declare Helle Crafts dead.
Carver put a frozen pig through a wood chipper to determine what the bone fragments would look like. The markings were similar to those on the bone fragments from Helle Crafts, strengthening Carver’s belief that Crafts disposed of his wife’s frozen body through a wood chipper. A jury convicted Crafts. It remains one of the few cases in state history where prosecutors won a murder conviction without a body.
“He was a wonderful person, always curious and willing to learn,” Lee said. “It is a great loss for forensic science and the state of Connecticut.”
Carver had an irreverent sense of humor and often joked that he was aptly named for his job. He had been experiencing a variety of health issues in recent years, and health concerns played a role in his decision to retire.
Carver expressed heartache over the toll of gun violence he saw through his work and throughout the nation. When someone sent Carver a T-shirt from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where 17 were killed and 17 wounded during a mass shooting in February 2018, he said that “When I pulled it out of its mailing envelope I held it to my chest and wept.” He added the T-shirt to what he called his “unfortunate collection.”
Courant staff writer Daniela Altimari contributed to this story.
Dave Altimari can be reached at daltimari@ courant.com.