Suicide with a Butcher's Bolt (original) (raw)
Related papers
Acta neurochirurgica, 2002
The captive bolt gun (slaughterer's gun) is a tool used in the meat industry for "humane killing" of animals. Used with the intent of suicide, the captive bolt gun causes very serious injuries. We analysed 19 self-inflicted head injuries with captive bolt gun during the past 20 years. Autopsy of 20 pigs killed by this method was also performed. All 19 cases were middle-aged men from rural areas, with low level of education, and without a previous psychiatric history. Five of them used the captive bolt gun daily in their professional activities, while the remaining 14 handled it only sometimes. In seven cases suicide was primarily successful, while in five patients, despite intensive medical care, serious craniocerebral injuries eventually resulted in death. Total mortality was 63.2%. The clinical appearance of the entrance wound and the imaging characteristics of the cranial trauma are very specific, and can be easily differentiated from firearm or other penetrating in...
The Characteristics of Head Wounds Inflicted by "Humane Killer" (Captive-Bolt Gun)?A 15-Year Study
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2007
The ''humane killer'' or captive-bolt gun, is the tool ⁄ weapon widely used in meat industry and private farmer households for slaughtering animal stock. Out of 17,250 autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Novi Sad during the 15-year period (1991-2005), 29 cases of suicides and two homicides were committed by captive-bolt pistols. Wounds inflicted by captive-bolt guns have specific morphological features, distinctive from wounds made by other kinds of hand firearms. Selected features of the captive-bolt wounds (punched round entrance and a double pattern of smoke soiling) depend on distance and angle of instrument at the time of firing. Autopsy findings were compared with an experimental model consisting of 20 domestic pigs. Obtained results confirmed that the appearance of the entrance hole and soot deposits, along with differences in shape, location, extent, and density of soot blackening, could be useful in identification of weapon, direction of discharge, shooting distance, and angle of the muzzle to the frontal and sagittal planes of the head at the moment of fire.
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2017
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.
Suicide with two shots to the head using a rare ‘Velo-Dog’ pocket revolver
Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, June 2013, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp 265-269
A 64-year-old woman was found lying lifeless on a sofa in her apartment with blood coming from her head. The woman was taken to hospital but died approximately 7 h later despite intensive care. When she was found in the apartment, her face was covered with a folded towel which exhibited two separate penetrating holes, each 5-6 mm in diameter, with adjacent soot and blood deposits. A 'Velo-Dog', .25 (6.35 mm) caliber revolver ( was found next to the body. The revolver cylinder contained three spent cartridges and two unfired rounds. A deformed projectile was discovered on the sofa where the body of the woman was lying. Police investigations could not determine how she had obtained the revolver. Relatives reported that she suffered from diabetes mellitus and alcoholism. No history of psychotic disorders or previous suicide attempts was reported. A suicide note was left on a table near her body in the apartment.
Committing Suicide With Handgun Wounds in the Head Using a Defective Firearm
American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2020
We report 2 unusual autopsy cases with head handgun wounds using defective firearms in a suicidal context. In the first case, a 78-year-old man was found hanged from a tree, with a Lefaucheux revolver lying on the tree. In the right temporal region, there was an entrance wound with a bullet still in place, responsible for a mild cerebral contusion, without bone defect. The main cause of death was hanging. In the second case, a 60-year-old man died at home after shooting himself in the head several times with a 22-long rifle revolver. The autopsy showed 13 entrance wounds on the scalp. Most of the bullets remained along the skull vault. In each of 2 cases, the manner of death, the feasibility of suicidal gesture, and the consequences of a brain injury on the time to the occurrence of incapacity were questioned. These unusual autopsy cases underline how important it is to take into account the defective nature of firearms.
A Rare Case of Suicide by Multiple Gunshot Wounds to the Head
Medico-Legal Update, 2019
Firearm injuries represent a significant topic of forensic pathology. The literature in this regard is innumerable, and can seem to have extensively covered the topic of this paper. However, the biological reality and the unpredictability of the concrete cases, continue and will always continue to present unusual circumstances that are worth examining for forensic pathologists. In this case report, we performed a comparative analysis between a particular case and the scientific literature. The case in question concerns suicide by single-shot short firearm, in which the subject shot himself three times on two sides of the head, without affecting the brain during its self-suppressive intent. Cases similar to this are always cause for reasonable doubt, which can only be solved with the contribution of forensic pathology and in-depth research.
An unusual case of crossbow homicide
Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, 2007
The authors report the case of a man found unresponsive in a wooded area with injuries on the face, eyes, shoulders and back, probably produced by caustic agents. A penetrating wound was noted in the left occipital region. Four days after admission to an Intensive Care Unit he died. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Autopsy revealed an occipital bone defect in the wound area, and cerebral haemorrhage in the left hemisphere in the absence of an exit wound. Immunohistochemical staining of brain samples for b-APP were critical establishing the extent of the injury. The peculiarity of the wound and the lack of circumstantial evidence made it necessary to conduct a careful investigation to identify the weapon. Firing tests performed on experimental cranial models established the use of a crossbow weapon as a cause of the observed wound.
J Forensic Sci, 2010
Planned complex suicides are committed by using two or more previously planned methods simultaneously to make sure that death will occur even if one method fails. Herein, we presented a case of occupation-related planned complex suicide, committed by captive-bolt gunshot and hanging. A 29-year-old man, who worked as a butcher, was found dead in the stable, hanging by the neck with a captive-bolt gun embedded in the forehead region of his head. The hanging was complete. Along the bolt canal were bone fragments, and at the end of the path was the punched-out fragment of the skin and soft tissue. There were no fractures of the hyoid bone and laryngeal cartilages, and a superficial hemorrhage was present in the right sternocleidomastoid muscle. Our case underlines the utility of forensic autopsy and death scene investigation in reconstructing the mechanism of death, as well as the dynamics of the event.
Fatal firearm wounds: A retrospective study in Bari (Italy) between 1988 and 2003
Forensic Science International, 2007
Fatal gunshot injuries are routinely encountered by forensic pathologists practicing in Southern Italy. Bari, the capital city of the Italian region known as Apulia, is a leader with regard to the number of firearm deaths in Italy. This is mainly attributable to local organized crime groups which control a variety of illicit activities. This retrospective study analyzes autopsy data related to fatal firearm wounds, handled by the Institute of Legal Medicine [University of Bari], between 1988 and 2003. A total of 717 cases were selected and classified as follows: firearm homicides ; suicides (82); and accidental death (1). A significant number of variables have been reviewed such as: month in which the violent event took place; the victims' nationalities; gender and age of victims; site and number of entrance wounds; weapon type used; and manner of death (i.e. homicide; suicide; accidental). Analysis has revealed a homicide versus suicide ratio of almost 8:1. Victims were mostly male with a lower mean age than in other similar studies. Homicides with multiple gunshot wounds were more common than ones with single entrance wounds. For example, in one case, 30 entrance wounds were identified in the murder of a gang boss. Four suicides with two entrance gunshot wounds were identified. Handguns were the most frequently used weapon in all groups (i.e. homicide, suicide, and accidental), with 7.65 mm and 9 mm being the most common calibres.
Side Arm Homicide in the Italian Province of Trieste between 1953 and 2002
The authors present a complete overview of the phenomenon of side arm homicide, basing the study on the data collected at the Forensic Pathology Unit of the University Of Trieste School Of Medicine. Side arms are the most frequently used homicidal method in the town and province of Trieste in a considered study period of 50 years from 1953 to 2002. The analysis of the collected data shows that the town and province of Trieste are communities still very well disjoined from a reality in which crimes against life are yet very uncommon occurrences. This conclusion is well supported by the fact that it has not been possible to define a category of potential victims, which is on the contrary quite easy among societies where organized crime is consistent and widespread. The popularity of side arm as homicide method in our province supports the hypothesis that these crimes are often not aforethought murders, perpetrated by subjects often afflicted by recorded mental health problems, acting ...