Homicide

Question 1

What is homicide?

Answer 1

Death caused by another person, regardless of intention or circumstances

Question 2

Name three legal homicide terms

Answer 2

• murder
• manslaugther
• causing another’s death

controlled by the degree of intent etc.

Question 3

Which are the dominating homicide methods?

Answer 3

• stabbing
• shooting
• blunt violence
• asphyxiation

Question 4

some homicide in Sweden data

Answer 4

• approx 90% of perps are men
• in approx 85% of cases the victim knows the perp
• knives most common in relationship crimes
• weapons used in 75% of the cases (40% of them a knive)

Question 5

What is filicide?

Answer 5

A parent killing their own child

Question 6

What is infanticide?

Answer 6

Sometimes defined as homicide carried out by the mother, where the child is a maximum of 1 year old

Only in some countries existing

Question 7

what is neonaticide?

Answer 7

Killing within 24h of birth

Question 8

“Kinds” of filicide

Answer 8

• physical abuse/disabuse without intention to kill
  (commonly (step)father, mother)
• expanded suicide (almost always father)
• “altruistic motive”: parents want to save child from evil world, may also be cultural
• neonaticide: usually young mother with unwanted child

Question 9

Describe the role of the pathologist in homicides

Answer 9

He has to determine the cause and time of death.

• If shot: shooting range, angle, type of weapon
• If stabbed: type of weapon, one-edged/two-edged, lenght of blade etc.
• If assaulted: hit, kick, weapon, falls with hits
• If strangled: by hand - how, other way

Question 10

Vital signs for hanging or manual strangulation

Answer 10

• Petechia: more common with manual strangulation
• Bleedings of the straight neck musculature: typical for hanging
• Bleeding/fibrin… breaking of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage (more pronounced in manual strangulation, but common also in hanging)
• simons tecken (inte endast häng)
• air under muscle fascies - CT needed (maybe only hanging)

Question 11

Name three kinds of hanging

Answer 11

• incomplete hanging: person touches the ground
• typical hanging: knot in the back
• atypical hanging: knot in the front/side - most common

Question 12

Difference between suicidal shot and being shot by somebody else

Answer 12

• shooting: several wounds (hard to create yourself)
• suicidal shot: typical blood staining pattern on your hand plus “dirt” from the gun