Homicidal Paraquat Poisoning

Paraquat poisoning usually results from suicide, occupational, or accidental exposure. Herein, we report a rare fatal case of homicidal paraquat poisoning. A 58‐year‐old man was poisoned by taking paraquat‐mixed medicine and wearing paraquat‐soaked underwear. In the absence of a history of paraquat exposure, the patient was misdiagnosed with pulmonary infection and scrotal dermatitis and died of respiratory failure 24 days after the initial exposure to paraquat. Ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) was applied to detect and quantify paraquat in postmortem specimens. The concentration of paraquat in postmortem specimens from high to low is lung (0.49 μg/g), brain (0.32 μg/g), kidney (0.24 μg/g), liver (0.20 μg/g), cardiac blood (0.11 μg/mL), and stomach wall (<LOQ). Identification of homicidal paraquat poisoning is not easy for a clinician or a forensic pathologist, it is important to consider the possibility of paraquat poisoning when patients suffer from rapidly aggravating pneumonia of unknown origin.     

Aggressive hybristophilia in men and the affect of a female serial killer

A case is presented of hybristophilia – attraction and sexual arousal to the criminal acts of another – in men which, to date, is a phenomenon that has not been documented. A sexually motivated female serial killer recruited the help of three male accomplices to aid her in her crimes and avoid police detection. The men became enthralled by the killer, falling ‘under her spell’, and willingly aided her, in varying degrees, in locating and disposing of victims. The behaviour of those men is explored here and the scant literature base on hybristophilia is expanded.     

Unplanned Complex Suicide—A Consideration of Multiple Methods

Detailed death investigations are mandatory to find out the exact cause and manner in non‐natural deaths. In this reference, use of multiple methods in suicide poses a challenge for the investigators especially when the choice of methods to cause death is unplanned. There is an increased likelihood that doubts of homicide are raised in cases of unplanned complex suicides. A case of complex suicide is reported where the victim resorted to multiple methods to end his life, and what appeared to be an unplanned variant based on the death scene investigations. A meticulous crime scene examination, interviews of the victim's relatives and other witnesses, and a thorough autopsy are warranted to conclude on the cause and manner of death in all such cases.     

The historical criminal statistics of Finland 1842–2015 – a systematic comparison to Sweden

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the article is to provide an overview to the trends in crime and crime control in Finland and Sweden during the past 150 years, systematically comparing the two countries. The secondary objective of the study is to introduce a Nordic data collection project aiming to compile coherent comparative criminal justice time series from the early nineteenth century to the present, and to present the first collection of data, the Finnish justice statistics 1842–2015. The study examines the long-term development of homicide, assault, rape, defamation, prison population, and penal severity. Historical statistics provide opportunities to examine the crime trends and the society’s responses to them keeping in mind that the statistics do not necessarily reflect changes in total criminality. As such, the study does not provide conclusive explanations on the development of crime and punishment but rather opens new questions to be answered in future research.     

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminal Extremity: New Evidence for Sexual Homicide

Adverse childhood experiences are associated with a wide range of behavioral, health, and psychiatric deficits and have recently been used to study the development of serious offending careers. Unfortunately, this research paradigm has largely ignored forensic populations. This study utilized the adverse childhood experiences framework to examine the associations between exposure to violence, victimization, and total adverse childhood experiences on sexual homicide using a sample of 616 incarcerated adult male sexual offenders from Canada 85 of whom committed sexual homicide. Epidemiological tables of odds revealed that a gradient of adverse childhood experiences was associated with sexual homicide, but that the most significant risks were for offenders who had the most extensive abuse histories. In adjusted models, exposure to violence, victimization, and total adverse childhood experiences increased the odds of sexual homicide by 334%, 249%, and 546%, respectively. These effects intensified in models adjusted for childhood enuresis, cruelty to animals, parental abandonment, deviant sexual behaviors, poor self‐image, and sexual problems to 559%, 326%, and 849%, respectively. The adverse childhood experiences framework is a systematic way to organize the criminogenic developmental sequela in sexual homicide.     

对73起重大疑难命案的实证分析——从刑事证据的收集、固定、审查判断和运用的角度

命案中的证据收集瑕疵表现为重嫌疑人有罪供述,轻物证、书证;重有罪证据,轻无罪辩解;勘查现场不及时、不细致;非法取证等。证据固定瑕疵表现为靠重复讯问固定证据;不善于运用录音录像固定证据;物证检验不及时;刑事技术鉴定结论不明。证据审查判断和运用瑕疵表现为轻信鉴定结论等科技证据;忽略物证证明的间接性;依赖口供又不会运用口供;不能正确对待嫌疑人的辩解;不能正确认识证据数量和证明力的关系;不善于排除证据矛盾。造成这些瑕疪的原因在于不能准确把握"命案必破"的内涵;办案思维方法不正确;不会把握证据确实、充分的定罪标准等。建议强化责任意识;增强人权意识;强化证据意识;正确运用有罪口供;建立切实可行的非法证据排除制度;制订科学合理的考核办法。     

全球化时代的跨国有组织犯罪研究

跨国犯罪指涉及两个以上的国家并触犯了它们的刑事法律的行为,绝大多数是由有组织的犯罪集团所为,故跨国犯罪也即跨国有组织犯罪。当前,我国跨国有组织犯罪日趋严重。要有效地打击这类犯罪,必须遵循巴勒莫公约,加强国际合作,并采取其他措施。     

A Comparative Study of Children and Adult Homicide Rates in the USA and the Major Western Countries 1974–1999: Grounds for Concern?

The aim of this study is to examine the changing patterns of child homicide in the USA and the other 9 major Western countries between 1974 and 1999. On the basis of standardized WHO mortality data, 5-year mean rates of Baby (<1 year), Infant (1–4), Child (5–14), and General Population Rates for Homicide (GPRH) were analyzed for 1974–78 and 1995–99 for the USA and major Western countries. The analysis provided ratios of change for children's homicide between 1974 and 1999 and ratio of ratios between adult' and children's homicide. Over the period USA male Baby homicide rose by 78% and Females 44% with a combined rise in All Children [0–14] homicides of 45%, within the context of a declining adult GPRH. In the 1970s, 3 major Western countries had either higher or similar children's homicide rates to the USA, but by the late 1990s none did. Moreover, between 1974 and 1999, the USA had the biggest rise in Baby (<1) and All Children's deaths, and only France had substantial increases, whereas Baby homicide rates fell significantly in 6 other countries. The findings indicate a worrying deterioration in U.S. child homicides. Possible links with child abuse and explanations for the results are briefly discussed. Urgent case-specific research is required to determine the cause/s for and how to reverse the worsening child homicide situation in the USA.     

Pediatric homicides related to burn injury: a retrospective review at the medical university of South Carolina

Many burn injuries are mistakenly referred to as "accidents" because they occur suddenly and seem unpredictable and uncontrollable; however, injuries often occur in predictable patterns. We reviewed all pediatric forensic cases referred to the Medical University of South Carolina Forensic Pathology Section over a 28-year period from January 1975 to December 2002. There were 124 cases with 121 fire-related fatalities and three scald fatalities. Ninety of the burn victims were in the 0-5-year age group. The manner of deaths showed 108 accidents and 12 homicides (four undetermined). Eleven of 12 burn-related homicides occurred at the home with all of the victims in the 1-8-year age group. The perpetrator of the home fire homicides was the mother in five cases and the sister in one case (two undetermined). Homicide involved a vehicle fire in one case in which the father caused an explosion with an accelerant. The three scald death perpetrators were the father, mother's boyfriend, and an aunt.This retrospective study and review of the literature may reveal patterns useful for evaluation of manner of death. By recognizing scene characteristics, potential perpetrators, and children at risk, we can better classify pediatric burn-related fatalities.