Skull Discovery Could Mean Fugitive Didn't Fake Suicide After All

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A skull retrieved from the water by a fishing boat was identified yesterday as that of a woman believed to have faked a double suicide with her husband just hours after he was convicted of murder last year.

The skull was identified through dental records and X-rays, but there was no obvious cause of death, said medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Laposata.

Adam and Elena Emery disappeared Nov. 10 after he was convicted of stabbing 20-year-old Jason Bass to death in August 1990. Adam Emery, 30, had been free on bail pending sentencing; he faced 10 years to life in jail.

The Emerys' car was found on a bridge over Narragansett Bay several hours after the couple bought 80 pounds of weights from a sporting-goods store.

Divers scoured the area and found nothing. Police believed the Emerys faked the suicides and fled.

Elena Emery's brother, Domenic DiRocco, said he hoped police would now realize that the suicides were real.

Adam Emery is still considered a fugitive, police Detective Kevin Hopkins said. But Emery's attorney, John Cicilline, said his client isn't alive.

"Everybody knows that they're at the bottom of the ocean, and this confirms it," Cicilline said.

Adam Emery killed Bass after chasing his car two miles, mistakenly believing it to be one that struck his at an amusement park.

Emery said he stabbed Bass in the chest in self-defense after Bass put his car in reverse and dragged Emery as he held onto the steering column.

Family members said Elena Emery blamed herself for the murder because she implored her husband to pursue Bass.