A private investigator says pictures of wrestler Brian Lawler after he was found hanged in a Hardeman County jail cell raise questions and justify a full investigation. The pictures may be too graphic for some viewers, but Jerry Lawler tells Local 24 he wants the public to see them.
Sunday, Local 24 showed you those pictures provided by Brian’s father, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler, who hired an attorney as the TBI investigates.
The private investigator weighed in one day after Jerry Lawler told Local 24, based on those pictures of Brian Lawler’s neck and hand, things don’t add up.
“It definitely raises questions in my mind. You know, typically you would see the ligature marks go all the way around the neck,” said Blackwatch private investigator Glen Buckley.
Buckley is referring to the photos taken of Brian Lawler at Regional One Medical Center last month after authorities said he was found hanging in his Hardeman County jail cell.
“It’s so hard to make a determination in looking at these three photographs, but I definitely believe it merits a thorough investigation,” said Buckley.
Before going into private practice, Buckley spent nine years as a Jackson, Tennessee, police detective investigating a number of suicides for possible signs of foul play.
“The one thing that really sticks out, again, is the lack of the ligature marks around the throat,” said Buckley. “The absence of that around the front, there could be many explanations for that… There are many explanations for that. It doesn’t necessarily suggest foul play, but it would cause me to do and initiate an in-depth investigation.”
Buckley said that’s why the ongoing TBI investigation into Lawler’s death hinges largely on one person who could clear up why the hang marks didn’t go all the way around his neck
“That person who found him is very important. You would think for instance that if he did change his mind or what you have you, his hand would still be there more than likely,” said Buckley. “The position of the body I think will answer a lot of questions… What position the body was in before they started rendering aid would probably be able to tell you the most about the situation.”
A medical examiner’s office spokesperson said the full Brian Lawler autopsy could still take two and a half months to finish.
There’s no timeline of when the TBI investigation will wrap up and the findings will be given to the Hardeman County District Attorney.
