The Navy reservist shot in Raleigh's Millbrook Exchange Park in December died from a gunshot wound to the head but also was stabbed near his right ear, according to a newly released autopsy report.

Paul Berkley, 46, of Clayton, died Dec. 18 at WakeMed Raleigh Campus. Soon after his death, police arrested his 26-year-old widow, Monique, and charged her with murder. They also charged Monique Berkley's lover, Andrew Canty, and his friend, Latwon Johnson, both 18, with murder.

Police and prosecutors have not mentioned that Berkley was stabbed as well as shot. They declined to answer questions about the stab wound or who might have been responsible.

All three people charged in Berkley's murder could face the death penalty, prosecutors said. The first trial will begin in January at the earliest.

According to the state medical examiner's report, Berkley was shot with a .45-caliber handgun. The bullet entered the right side of his scalp near his temple.

Medical examiners also found evidence of a 1-inch-deep stab wound on Paul Berkley's right ear and temporal scalp, according to the autopsy. The stab wound injured the brain and skull.

Investigators said Monique Berkley confessed to luring her husband to the North Raleigh park on a frigid night so Canty and Johnson could shoot him and the trio could split money from Paul Berkley's insurance policy.

Investigators said Paul Berkley knew about his wife's affair with Canty, who had moved into the family's home while Paul Berkley was gone.

When he returned from the Middle East in December, Paul Berkley told his teenage daughter that he wanted a divorce. His daughter, Becky Berkley, immediately told her stepmother about her father's plans, police said.

Johnny Gaskins, Monique Berkley's attorney, has said his client did not participate in the plot to kill her husband but knew that Canty and Johnson had discussed slaying Paul Berkley.

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