Debris, Not Bullet, May Have Killed Woman in Car

A preliminary autopsy on the body of a Northridge woman killed while riding in a car on a freeway in San Dimas showed Monday that she may have been fatally struck by road debris--not by a bullet, as investigators had originally theorized.

The examination by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office proved conclusively that Winona Williams-Burns, 60, was not killed by a bullet, but perhaps by some other projectile that shattered the windshield of her friend’s car as the two drove to Pomona on Friday evening, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

“They (coroner’s officials) were unable to find any type of gunpowder, or bullet fragments,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Dean Scoville. “They are looking at the possibility that it may have been a bolt or something that fell off of a truck or some debris. They are practically 100% sure that it wasn’t a bullet.”

Scoville said investigators originally thought Williams-Burns had been shot because damage to both her and the automobile were similar to that usually created by gunshots.

“I am a bit mystified by it,” Scoville said of the apparent accident.

The driver of the car, who asked not to be identified, said the projectile left a gaping hole in the front windshield and completely destroyed the rear windshield.

“I don’t think I (dislodged) anything that could have struck my car and done that,” said the woman, a friend of the victim’s since the 1950s. “We were surrounded by cars, but I don’t know if any of them struck anything that could have done that either.”

The woman said that she and Williams-Burns had left California State University, Northridge, where the victim taught early childhood development courses, and were driving to her apartment in Pomona.

“She (Williams-Burns) just needed someone to talk to,” said the woman, who suffered minor cuts when struck by glass. “She had some things on her mind and she had to speak with somebody she’d known for a long time.”

College Friendship

The woman said she had known the Jackson, Miss., native since their college days at the University of Southern Illinois, and Friday marked their first reunion in three years.

“We were good friends,” she said. “I didn’t see her much, but we always talked on the phone. I can’t understand this. I was just trying to do a good deed for a good friend by picking her up.”

Williams-Burns’ colleagues expressed shock at the news of her death.

“She was very well liked and well respected by her students,” said Diane Philibosian, associate dean of the school of communications and professional studies. “She cared very deeply for students and for their needs. She was an inspiration for us and will be more than missed. But her inspiration will linger on.”

Memorial Service

Ann Salisbury, a spokeswoman for the university, said a memorial service for Williams-Burns will be held in the student union at 1 p.m. Friday.

“She’d only been with us for a year and she’d already made her mark,” Salisbury said.

She said Williams-Burns had published several articles on children’s behavior before accepting a teaching job at the university, and was a well-respected scholar.

She said the instructor was preparing to write a biography on Jane Ellen McAllister, one of the first black women to receive a doctorate in education.