Unusual blunt force wound produced by a gun muzzle

Most blunt force injuries produced by guns are associated with gun butts, and patterned, muzzle/sight impressions are usually produced by discharging firearms. An unusual and distinct forehead laceration produced by a blow with the muzzle end of a .32 caliber revolver is presented.     

Pulling levers focused deterrence strategies and the prevention of gun homicide

A number of jurisdictions have been experimenting with new problem-oriented policing frameworks to understand and respond to gun violence among gang-involved offenders. These interventions are based on the “pulling levers” deterrence strategy that focuses criminal justice and social service attention on a small number of chronically offending gang members responsible for the bulk of urban gun violence problems. Unfortunately, there is relatively little rigorous evaluation evidence on the effectiveness of these approaches to violence prevention. In Stockton, California, an interagency task force implemented a pulling levers strategy to prevent gun homicide among gang-involved offenders. A U.S. Department of Justice-sponsored impact evaluation suggests that the pulling levers strategy was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the monthly number of gun homicide incidents in Stockton. A comparative analysis of gun homicide trends in Stockton relative to other midsize California cities also supports a unique program effect associated with the pulling levers intervention.     

Exploring the potential of stricter gun restrictions for people with serious mental illness to reduce homicide in the United States

This study explores the potential that current efforts to limit access to firearms for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have for reducing overall rates of murder by firearm in the United States. Official arrest, court and health records provided data on personal and offense characteristics of 95 individuals with SMI and 423 without, all of whom had been convicted of murder in the State of Indiana between 1990 and 2002. Bivariate analyses examined differences between the two groups and logistic regression models examined the relationship between SMI and offense characteristics. Compared to those without, a relatively small proportion of convicted murderers had a diagnosis indicating SMI. The presence of SMI was associated with reduced likelihood of targeting a stranger and was not associated with having multiple-victims or firearm use. Focusing on access to firearms exclusively by individuals with SMI will have little impact on multiple-victim or firearm-related homicides.     

Double homicide by shooting with removal of the victims

Despite strict assault weapons laws shooting deaths are not uncommon in the Federal Republic of Germany. Especially in multiple one-stage homicides shooting is a frequently established cause of death. The described double homicide from the autopsy material of the Berlin Institute of Legal Medicine shows the difficulties in the forensic assessment of gunshot wounds. It is noteworthy under criminalistic aspects how methodically the offender proceeded in the removal of the victims and how extensive the search for the bodies was, which were only found after calling in water search dogs.     

A case of homicide by lethal injection with lidocaine

This report describes a homicide by overdosage with lidocaine. The decedent, a 32-year-old male hospitalized for a lengthy period with acute intermittent porphyria and chronic pancreatitis, suffered apparent asystole and seizure. Failed resuscitation preceded death. A forensic autopsy was conducted based upon suspicions of alleged patient mistreatment by one of the attending nurses. Toxicological analyses revealed the presence of lidocaine in blood, liver, kidney, brain, and heart at 22.2 mg/L and 43.6, 28.3, 23.1, and 13.1 mg/kg, respectively. Also present were diazepam, phenytoin, and promethazine. Both diazepam and phenytoin had been administered during resuscitation, but lidocaine had not. The cause of death was determined to be ventricular arrhythmia precipitated by lidocaine overdosage. The administered dose was calculated to have been approximately 1500 mg. The manner of death was determined to be homicide. The nurse was arrested and subsequently tried for murder by administering a lethal quantity of lidocaine.     

The future of homicide offenders. Results from a homicide project in Copenhagen

As a part of a Copenhagen homicide project, 52 released homicide offenders were followed during a mean period of 9 years. Pessimistic expectations were confirmed as post-release rates of criminality, psychiatric admission, and suicide were all very high. By logistic regression analyses, young age by release, and long stay in prison were found to increase the risk of further criminality, and previous psychiatric admission was found predictive of future admission. The problems in using logistic regression analysis on variables--all of whom may be viewed as "parallel" indicators of a common tendency to adverse behaviors--are discussed. In conclusion, the results have been used for a tentative division of homicide according to the offender-victim relationship into intra-family homicide and extra-family homicide. In intra-family homicide the most important dimension seems to be the psychic state of the offender, in extra-family homicide more impact should be attributed to the social dimension.     

Unusual basal skull fracture in a vehicle equipped with an air bag

A woman who was the lap/shoulder belt-restrained driver of a car equipped with a full-size air bag was involved in an oblique frontal collision with a tractor-trailer combination. She was extremely out of position, i.e., witnessed to be slumped over the steering wheel before impact. This preimpact positioning led to fatal injuries resulting from the inflating air bag. Postmortem examination showed an unusual partial ring fracture of the base of the skull, which to the authors' knowledge has not previously been reported.     

Work-place homicide by bow and arrow

Arrow wounds represent an unusual class of wounds rarely seen by most forensic pathologists. In this paper we present a case of homicide by bow and arrow and the characteristics of such injuries. The essential characteristics of the lesions obtained from conically-tapered field points and from hunting broadhead tips are described and discussed in relation to injuries caused by firearm bullets. In the present case, three arrows struck the victim, and the order in which the injuries were sustained are analyzed. We also discuss the possibilities of localizing the shooter relative to the victim by analysis of the trajectories.     

Country made scare gun vs. air gun--a comparative study of terminal ballistics using gelatine blocks

Country made scare gun also called as bandook in the vernacular language designed with an intention of scaring away the menacing animals is not only unique and effective but also potentially lethal and has found wide spread usage in the rural parts of India. Here an attempt has been made to study the characteristic features such as physical dimensions, mechanism of action of this weapon and to compare its penetrating ability with that of air gun, whose potential lethality is a well-documented fact, using the ballistic gelatine blocks at various ranges. It is hoped that keeping the existence of such firearms in mind by the forensic experts might help to solve the unexplained and bizarre firearm injuries encountered in day to day practice.     

Case report of a homicide by a shotgun loaded with unusual ammunition

Reported is the case of a man killed by a neighbor with a shotgun loaded with a unusual ammunition. The cartridge contained several shots chained together by metallic wires. Such ammunition has been used for hunting purposes but is now banned, so it can be handmade only. The joined pellets produce a wound with features that are different from those of a wound made by a regular load of pellets. Several interpretive problems are caused by the unknown number of pellets contained in the shell and the effects of the wire holding the shot together.     

An unusual homicide case with subsequent suicide

In the medicolegal literature reports on homicides followed by suicide, especially in elderly people, are rare. In the present case, the victim, a 79-year-old woman, showed a rather unusual injury pattern: 3 gunshots to the head (with only 2 entrance wounds and 3 intracranial projectiles) and 2 stabs from a knife. The tools used for inflicting the stab wounds (a hunting knife and a double-edged dagger) were left in the victim's body after the offense. The 89-year-old husband hanged himself with an aerial cable after killing his wife. The police investigations and the autopsy findings suggested a combined homicide-suicide. The motive for the offense could be a so-called delusion of poverty associated with symptoms of depression.     

Dementia as a risk factor for homicide.

We report a patient with dementia due to B-12 deficiency and syphilis who presented to a forensic hospital after killing his ex-wife with a gun. Despite current awareness on the occurrence of aggression and violence in patients with dementia, there has been no report discussing dementia secondary to an infectious or nutritional origin causing homicide or severe violent behavior. We discuss possible mechanisms and several predisposing factors for violent behavior in the elderly. We also discuss use and access of a gun in demented patients and its complications. We recommend availability of neuropsychiatric assessments in the elderly, limitation of gun access to demented patients and inquiry about weapon possession in the elderly.     

An investigation into pellet dispersion ballistics.

Existing works on pellet dispersion ballistics are confined to some data-based models derived from statistical analysis of observed patterns on targets but the underlying process causing the dispersion lacks due attention. The present article delves into the relatively unexplored areas of dispersion phenomena, and attempts to develop a theoretical model for general application. The radial velocity distribution of pellets has been worked out by probing into the physical process of dispersion based on transfer of momentum from undispersed shot mass to dispersed pellets. The ratio 2u/v0 (u = root mean square (r.m.s.) radial velocity and v0 = muzzle velocity of the pellets) is found to be fairly constant for a fixed gun-ammunition combination and has been suitably designated as 'Dispersion Index' (DI) characterising its dispersion capability. The present model adequately accounts for pellet distribution on targets and it appears that 'Effective Shot Dispersion' (ESD) as introduced by Mattoo and Nabar [ESD = [(4/N0)sigma Ri2]1/2, where N(0) is the total number of pellets and Ri is the radial distance of the i-th pellet from centre of pattern], gives a faithful numerical measure of overall dispersion at a given distance. A relationship between ESD and firing distance, incorporating the effects of air resistance and gravity has been worked out, which reveals that DI controls the dispersion at a given distance. For small distances (less than 20 m) the relation reduces to a linear one, as already observed empirically and looks like ESD = E0+DI x firing distance, E0 being a parameter dependent on gun and ammunition. The present model, unlike earlier ones, is versatile enough to explain the natures of the dependence of dispersion on firing distance as well as on gun-ammunition parameters, which are essential for a faithful reconstruction of a crime scene. The model has been tested with such experimental data as are available and reasonable agreement is observed.     

Cross-national comparison of homicide: Age/sex-adjusted rates using the 1980 U.S. homicide experience as a standard

Cross-sectional studies of crime have typically relied on crude crime rates when making comparisons between countries. Crude rates control for population size but implicitly assume that all members of the population are equally at risk. Empirical studies have shown that, cross-nationally, risk varies by age and sex. Standardization of crime rates removes the confounding effects of variable age and sex population distributions. Since age/sex-specific crime rates are generally unavailable for many countries, the method of indirect standardization is the most desirable technique. Age/sex-adjusted homicide rates for 76 countries are presented, and two comparative measures are suggested. It is shown that while the United States has a higher homicide rate than all but 15 countries; in most cases, the magnitude of the difference, not controlling for age/sex differences, is overestimated. Crude rates underestimate differences between the United States and countries with higher rates of homicide.     

Psychopathic traits in Finnish homicide offenders with schizophrenia

There is a paucity of studies examining psychopathy in comparable samples of violent individuals with and without psychotic illness. The main goal of the study was to assess the prevalence and nature of psychopathic traits as measured by PCL-R among Finnish homicide offenders with schizophrenia. Further, the impact of co-morbid psychopathy on the homicidal incidents, as well as the associations of psychopathy and offender background factors, among offenders with schizophrenia was investigated.A retrospective study was performed using extensive forensic psychiatric evaluation reports and crime reports as sources of information. The sample consisted of 72 homicide offenders with schizophrenia and 72 controls without psychotic illness.Psychopathic features were prevalent among Finnish homicide offenders with schizophrenia, although for the most parts to a lesser extent compared to other homicide offenders. Like non-mentally ill psychopathic offenders, offenders with schizophrenia and many psychopathic traits are likely to present early starting problems in many areas of life and they also commit homicides that resemble other psychopathic offenders' in their choice of victims, intoxication and post-offense behavior.The observed prevalence of psychopathic traits highlights the importance of psychopathy assessment among violence-prone individuals with schizophrenia. In most respects, offenders with schizophrenia and high levels of psychopathic traits seem to be similar to psychopathic offenders without psychotic illness, which has implications for early intervention and management.     

Disseminated fungal infection with renal infarction simulating homicide

Renal infarction is an uncommon finding at autopsy most often related to occlusive thromboembolism or to trauma. A 42-year-old woman is reported who presented with persistent right flank pain after an alleged assault with injury to the area 3 weeks previously. Renal infarction necessitated a right nephrectomy that was followed by multiorgan failure and death. Given the possible link between the assault and the renal pathology, a homicide investigation was initiated. Although renal infarction had been confirmed by hospital pathologists, microscopy with special staining of both kidneys and the heart after autopsy revealed multifocal areas of angioinvasion by fungi having morphologic characteristics of mucormycosis. The only other finding of significance was alcohol-related micronodular cirrhosis of the liver. Renal infarction had therefore been caused by an angioinvasive fungal infection predisposed to by immunocompromise associated with alcoholism and not by trauma-induced arterial dissection. This case demonstrates that careful histological assessment of tissues from medicolegal autopsies may occasionally identify unexpected and rare disorders that have been confused with the sequelae of inflicted injury.     

Variations in wounding by relationship intimacy in homicide cases

There are numerous examples in the homicide literature of a presumed connection between the victim-offender relationship and the manner, extent, and body location of wounds inflicted in homicides. The current study examined variations in wounding patterns according to the intimacy of the victim-offender relationship in a sample of urban homicides to explore the investigative utility of this information in an average homicide event. The findings demonstrated that victims who had a current or former intimate relationship with their offender were more likely to receive wounds to the face and be injured with a weapon from the scene compared with all other relationship groups, whereas injury to the head and use of manual violence were more likely among intimates and family/friends compared with acquaintances or strangers. However, the groups did not significantly differ in terms of the overall amount of wounds inflicted. Implications of the findings and suggested areas of future research are discussed.     

Accidental death with tear gas pen gun: a case report.

A case of accidental death resulting from a dropped tear gas pen gun is described. Tear gas pen guns can be easily altered to fire regular ammunition and can accommodate a variety of ammunition. Other similar pocket-sized weapons are mentioned.     

Forensic entomology exemplified by a homicide. A combined stain and postmortem time analysis]

The combined analysis of both ant and blow fly evidence recovered from a corpse, and from the boot of a suspect, suggested that an assumed scenario in a high profile murder case was likely to be true. The ants (Lasius fuliginous) were used as classical crime scene stains that linked the suspect to the scene. Blow fly maggots (Calliphora spec.) helped to determine the post mortem interval (PMI) with the calculated PMI overlapping with the assumed time of the killing. In the trial, the results of the medico-legal analysis of the insects was understood to be crucial scientific evidence, and the suspect was sentenced to 8 years in prison.