Two-gun suicide by simultaneous shots to the head: interdisciplinary reconstruction on the basis of scene investigation, autopsy findings, GSR analysis and examination of firearms, bullets and cartridge cases

Suicide or Homicide? A Case of Self-Inflicted Triple Gunshot Wound by Double-Barrel Shotgun

ABSTRACT

Differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide by firearms is still a major challenge in forensic practice, especially when multiple gunshot wounds are present. A case of self-inflicted triple wound by double-barrel shotgun is presented. A 73-year-old White male patient was found dead in a wooden area. According to investigations, he had disappeared from home the day before. The corpse was covered with clothing in a prone position on a gravel road, a short distance from a car with driver-side-door open and keys in the ignition. Next to the body, a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun was found, with 3 fired cartridges and 1 unused in the left front pocket of the trousers. No signs of struggle were present. Two penetrating wounds in the upper torso were detected by postmortem computer tomography. Autopsy showed 2 near-contact entrance wounds in the pectoral region bilaterally, each associated with exit wounds in the omni lateral hip. Only organs of "delayed incapacitation" were injured. Death was determined to be a suicide. This uncommon case of self-inflicted triple wound by shotgun highlights the importance to integrate proper analysis of the scene with autopsy findings in order to avoid misinterpretation of a suicidal death as a homicide.

Medicolegal Investigations in Cases of Double Suicidal Gunshots to the Head Using 2 Different Handguns: A Report of an Unusual Case

Suicides committed by firing 2 gunshots to the head are rare events and pose a significant challenge for coroners and forensic pathologists. The evaluation of the victim's ability to fire 2 shots simultaneously, or to act after a first gunshot, is crucial for the reconstruction of the death scene and to differentiate between homicide and suicide. We report an unusual case of suicide involving 2 gunshot wounds to the head. The medicolegal investigations hypothesized that the victim had either fired 2 shots near simultaneously or he suffered from rapid incapacitation after the first gunshot but was still able to fire a second consecutive and fatal shot to the head. This article focuses on the diagnostic difficulties involved, together with analysis of the death scene and autopsy findings, in cases where the courts demand confirmation that a double gunshot to the head is in fact a case of suicide.

Rearward movement of the slide in semi-automatic pistols: a factor potentially influencing the configuration of muzzle imprint marks in contact shots

A muzzle imprint mark is a highly diagnostic finding, which indicates a contact shot. In many cases, it also provides additional information on the type of the weapon used and on the way in which it was held at the time of firing. In semi-automatic pistols, some constructional elements constituting the muzzle plane move to the rear together with the slide, which may prevent them from causing a corresponding imprint close to the bullet entrance hole. The present study comprises 30 consecutive autopsy cases of fatal contact shots to the head inflicted with semi-automatic pistols. The imprint marks accompanying the entrance wounds were compared with the muzzle ends of the respective weapons both before and after retracting the slide. It turned out that in a considerable number of cases (3 out of 30), the retractable parts were not depicted or only to a minor degree as components of the imprint mark. In order to validate the presumed correlation, experimental shots were fired to composite models using pistols in which the movable and the stationary parts forming the muzzle plane were dyed with different paints. Thus, it could be demonstrated that the muzzle imprint preferentially mirrors the front sides of the stationary parts such as the barrel end, the recoil guide, and the gun housing. Immediately after discharge, the slide and the ballooning skin of the bullet entrance site move in the same direction. The stationary parts of the weapon block the expansion of the skin bulging towards the muzzle, so that the skin gets firmly pressed against them. The dynamic interaction between the gun and the entrance region resulting in a characteristic imprint mark could be visualized by the use of a high-speed motion camera recording test shots to different composite models.

Suicide with two makes of captive-bolt guns (livestock stunners) fired simultaneously to the forehead

In humans, most fatalities from slaughterer's guns are suicides committed by persons familiar with stunning devices. The great majority of cases accounts for shots to the head, especially the frontal region. Only a small number of two subsequent cranial shots from captive-bolt humane killers have been reported up to now. In the case presented by the authors, a suicide by simultaneous shots to the head fired from two different makes of captive-bolt guns (one of them having two separate outlets for the combustion gases in the muzzle plane, the other type having no additional openings) is described for the first time. One of the shooting devices remained in firm contact with the left hand and produced patterned staining from rust corresponding to the surface relief of the gun. The medicolegal and criminalistic aspects of this unique case are discussed with reference to the pertinent literature.

A patterned abrasion caused by the impact of a cartridge case may simulate an atypical muzzle imprint mark

In contact shots, the muzzle imprint is an informative finding associated with the entrance wound. It typically mirrors the constructional components being in line with the muzzle or just behind. Under special conditions, other patterned skin marks located near a gunshot entrance wound may give the impression to be part of the muzzle imprint. A potential mechanism causing a patterned pressure abrasion in close proximity to the bullet entrance site is demonstrated on the basis of a suicidal shot to the temple. The skin lesion in question appeared as a ring-shaped excoriation with a diameter corresponding to that of the cartridge case. Two hypotheses concerning the causative mechanism were investigated by test shots: - After being ejected, the cartridge case ricocheted inside a confined space (car cabin in the particular case) and secondarily hit the skin near the gunshot entrance wound. - The ejection of the cartridge case failed so that the case became stuck in the ejection port and its mouth contacted the skin when the body collapsed after being hit.

The 'triple contrast' method in experimental wound ballistics and backspatter analysis

In practical forensic casework, backspatter recovered from shooters' hands can be an indicator of self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. In such cases, backspatter retrieved from inside the barrel indicates that the weapon found at the death scene was involved in causing the injury to the head. However, systematic research on the aspects conditioning presence, amount and specific patterns of backspatter is lacking so far. Herein, a new concept of backspatter investigation is presented, comprising staining technique, weapon and target medium: the 'triple contrast method' was developed, tested and is introduced for experimental backspatter analysis. First, mixtures of various proportions of acrylic paint for optical detection, barium sulphate for radiocontrast imaging in computed tomography and fresh human blood for PCR-based DNA profiling were generated (triple mixture) and tested for DNA quantification and short tandem repeat (STR) typing success. All tested mixtures yielded sufficient DNA that produced full STR profiles suitable for forensic identification. Then, for backspatter analysis, sealed foil bags containing the triple mixture were attached to plastic bottles filled with 10% ballistic gelatine and covered by a 2-3-mm layer of silicone. To simulate backspatter, close contact shots were fired at these models. Endoscopy of the barrel inside revealed coloured backspatter containing typable DNA and radiographic imaging showed a contrasted bullet path in the gelatine. Cross sections of the gelatine core exhibited cracks and fissures stained by the acrylic paint facilitating wound ballistic analysis.

An unusual case of "dyadic-death" with a single gunshot

The terms "dyadic death" or "murder-suicide" refer to an incident where an individual commits homicide and then takes his or her own life. These events are generally committed by men within the family network, using firearms or sharp force instruments, and make up a relatively small proportion of homicides overall. Herein, we present the application of post-mortem multislice computed tomography (CT) and micro-CT analysis to an unusual case of dyadic death, where a 38-year-old man fired a single gunshot to his own right temple, killing himself and his 50-year-old wife, lying on the bed beside him. The integration of radiological, autoptic and histological data allowed us to reconstruct the trajectory of the gunshot, the most probable dynamics of the event, and to classify the incident as a "suicide-homicide", because the female victim died a few minutes later than her husband and murderer.

A Unique Case of Attempted Two Gun Suicide with One Firearm Discharge and Two Muzzle Imprints

Two gun suicides are rare and many authors regard them a special form of “planned complex suicide.” As with all multi-gunshot suicides, two gun suicides may initially lead to an increased suspicion of a homicide. In this article, the authors describe the case of an attempted two gun suicide where a 38-year-old male used two .45 caliber weapons to shoot himself, but only one discharged. Both firearms left muzzle imprints, despite only one having been fired. This case not only represents a rare form of suicide, but the muzzle imprint from the non-fired weapon provides an illustration of the mechanism of muzzle imprint formation.

Striated abrasions from a knife with non-serrated blade--identification of the instrument of crime on the basis of an experiment with material evidence

This paper presents an experiment with a knife seized as material evidence in a homicide case. The reason for the experiment was the necessity to determine whether the injuries of the deceased could have been inflicted with this instrument since in the course of the investigation doubt arose as to the origin of linear, parallel scratches around one of the wounds and on the abdominal integuments suggesting a serrated blade. The knife found near the crime scene had a smooth blade and small serrations only on the borderline between its blade and hilt. However, the performed experiment showed that if the knife is directed towards the integuments of the body in a special way, its serrations, even though not located on the blade itself, may leave such striated marks on the body, as those found during the autopsy, suggesting their origin from a serrated blade.