Extended suicide using an atypical stud gun.
Suicides with stud guns are uncommon, but are well documented in the literature. On rare occasions, stud guns are also used as a homicide weapon. This case report describes an extended suicide in which a husband killed his wife and their two dogs, which lived on the property. The husband then committed suicide with a shot from the stud gun into his skull. He was a 70-year-old pensioner, a retired butcher, who was found by his son. He was lying in a supine position on a carpet in the living room, with the stud gun stuck in his skull. During autopsy, high concentrations of an antihistamine were found in the blood of each corpse; this drug is used as a soporific. In contrast to the literature, which mainly describes powder deposits due to the use of conventional stud guns, in this case a stud gun was used in which the expanding gases and powder escaped together with the central bolt at the front of the device; powder drains were not involved. Detailed findings of the autopsy are given with reference to this type of stud gun.
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany. Lars.Hagemeier@uni-bonn.de
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Hagemeier
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Schyma
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Madea
D000003:Abattoirs / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D004319:Doxylamine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D020197:Head Injuries, Penetrating / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000097:blood; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide
D006633:Histamine Antagonists; D004319:Doxylamine