Originally posted by NotBlamedForNothing
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I believe that Stride suffered from Cadaveric Spasm.
It's a rare phenomenon that occurs at the exact point of death; when the extremities of a murder victim seize up instantly and become locked or frozen in place.
It's a controversial topic, because it has often been dismissed, yet there are documented cases whereby someone has been murdered and their hands have constricted and grasped whatever was in their hands at the point they were killed.
Cadaveric Spasm only occurs in cases of extreme stress, shock and/or violence.
It's an automated response from the brain at the moment it ceases to relay signals to the body i.e. when the brain stem has been severed.
It also occurs in cases of drowning and hanging.
Cadaveric Spasm lasts until the onset of Rigor Mortis, after which time it stops.
Unless the killer placed the Cachou in Stride's hand postmortem, then at the exact point Stride was murdered, she was holding some Cachou in her right hand.
But crucially, Cadaveric Spasm occurs in cases of extreme violence and when a struggle has ensued.
This would indicate that Stride fought for her life in the few seconds that she was aware she was about to die.
A reference perhaps to the alleged Ripper letter concerning the double event, in which the author talks about the first one "squealing a bit" etc...
There is another tantalisingly interesting aspect associated with the Cadaveric Spasm phenomenon, in that while it almost always affects the hands, it can also impact on the arms and legs.
it therefore begs the questions...
How would the killer react to observing Stride's arms being locked into spasm?
And would it make his intention of post mortem torso mutilation almost impossible?
There's no evidence that this occurred with Stride's arms, but the fact that she WAS still holding something in her hand after being savagely murdered, is supportive of the idea that Stride suffered from Cadaveric Spasm, and that she was holding Cachou at the exact point the killer almost decapitated her with one cut.
There's a misconception with Stride's murder in that because she wasn't mutilated, that she didn't suffer as much, but if Cadaveric Spasm was indeed present and a feature of her death, it proves that she felt immense stress and fear at the point she was being murdered, and that she was aware of what was happening to her within the few seconds between the killer attacking and her laying dead on the floor.
The fact that Stride didn't drop the Cachou is one of the most overlooked clues in the entire case.
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