Suicide, accident? The importance of the scene investigation.
We present the as yet unresolved case of the death by gunshot wound of a 21-year-old student from a recent local inspection. It was reported that the daughter of the house had been shot through the window while she was washing the dishes. Slight discrepancies were noted in the statements of the family, who are very religious. The firearm, projectile and cartridge have not been found despite an intensive search. The daughter and the mother tested positive for traces of gunpowder on their hands, while in the case of the son traces were found on his hands and on his vest. That the trajectory of the projectile was from the kitchen outwards was established on the basis of a small hole in the inner pane of the kitchen window and a larger hole in the outer pane. The shot passed through the victim's cheek and the neck. The entrance wound (aditus) on the right cheek had complementary features characteristic of a gunshot from a short-barrelled firearm at relative proximity. The shot passed through the left jugular vein and the left internal carotid artery. The exit wound (exitus) was slightly larger and of irregular shape. The family chose a traditional burial. The mother and son did not present themselves for polygraph testing. A charge was filed against the mother of the deceased. Emphasis was placed on the scene investigation. A covered-up suicide? An accident (a scuffle when trying to prevent suicide)?
Ermenc
B
B
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. ermenc@mf.uni-lj.si
Prijon
T
T
D000059:Accidents; D000328:Adult; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D044709:Forensic Ballistics; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012067:Religion; D013405:Suicide; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*