[WA] Crystal Brame, 35, dies Saturday, seven days after husband shot her

Crystal Brame, 35, dies Saturday, seven days after husband shot her 
The News Tribune
Karen Hucks
May 3rd, 2003

Crystal Brame, 35, died Saturday afternoon, a week after her husband, Police Chief David Brame shot her. Brame, the mother of two children, died at 4:40 p.m. Her divorce attorney Joseph Lombino said late last week she was still unconscious but had been showing signs of improvement.

David Brame killed himself after shooting his wife. 

Lombino issued this statement Saturday afternoon:

"As you know, Crystal suffered a gunshot wound to the head last Saturday, April 26, 2003. The bullet entered the left side of her brain with the trajectory angling down to the base of her skull. The path of the bullet did significant damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of her brain. Initially, Crystal was in extreme critical condition and was not expected to survive. However, Crystal battled back and showed remarkable progress, especially within the last two days. This progress went beyond what even her doctors expected. 

Over the course of approximately three to four hours late last night, May 2, 2003, Crystal suffered a severe and rapid deterioration in her neurologic status. There are a number of possible reasons that may have caused or contributed to this deterioration: rapid encephalitis; possible seizure or other metabolic causes - none of which at this time have been specifically determined to be the cause.

"At approximately 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2003, tests were administered on Crystal to determine if there was any brain activity. There was none. Additional testing was administered to confirm the results of the initial test. Again, there was no sign of any brain activity. Crystal's condition was determined to be irreversible and she was declared dead at 4:40 pm. 

"Crystal's family is devastated by this tragic turn of events. They realize, however, that many people have been praying for Crystal and they wanted people to know of Crystal's condition once information became available."