Suicidal decapitation by guillotine: case report.
A recently widowed man constructed a guillotine in the entrance to his cellar, having previously announced his intention to decapitate himself. A neighbor who saw the device from her house alerted the police. The deceased was found completely decapitated, still holding a pair of pliers that he had used to activate the mechanism. The findings of the resulting investigation are described, and the mechanism of suicidal decapitation is reviewed.
Shorrock
Kenneth
K
Forensic Pathology, University of Sheffield, The Medicolegal Centre, Sheffield, UK. K.Shorrock@sheffield.ac.uk
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D013405:Suicide