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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Body models in forensic ballistics: reconstruction of a gunshot injury to the chest by bullet fragmentation after shooting through a finger.

Forensic science uses substitutes to reconstruct injury patterns in order to answer questions regarding the dynamic formation of unusual injuries. Using a case study, an experimental simulation of a finger was designed, for the first time with a combination of hard wood and glycerin soap. With this model as an intermediate target simulation, it was possible not only to demonstrate the "bullet-body (finger) interaction", but also to recreate the wound pattern found in the victim. This case demonstrates that by using ballistic models and body-part substitutes, gunshot cases can be reproduced simply and economically, without coming into conflict with ethical guidelines.

Finger Injuries↗
PubMed1981

[Forensic and ballistic examination of the surface of gunshot wounds].

When investigating a gun-shot wound the forensic scientist gets the largest number of informations from the examination of the surface of it. After summarizing classical methods of the fire-arms examiner, authors report findings of the scanning electron microscopic examination of the entrance wound and the damaged clothing. Various alterations found characterize different factors of the shooting. Their presence and relation to each other may help to determine the fact of the shot itself and estimate the range at which the weapon was fired.

Foreign Bodies↗
PubMed1985

Murders for profit. The case of John Donald Merrett.

Forensic cases may be of historical interest because of their rarity, unique characteristics and conclusions, and potential for educating forensic scientists. The case of John Donald Merrett, who committed multiple murders for profit in Great Britain in 1926 and in 1954, is a notable example of a case in which both police and forensic scientists made serious errors, these errors leading to Merrett's acquittal when he was tried in 1927 for the shooting death of his mother. Imprisoned for forgery, Merrett was released only to resume a life of crime culminating in 1954 in the brutal murders of his wife and mother-in-law. Pursued by the police, he committed suicide. The Merrett case was of great benefit to forensic medicine in emphasizing the necessity for close teamwork among police and forensic scientists and in furthering the development of forensic ballistics.

England↗
PubMed2004

Crossbow homicides.

A total of eight cases of homicide by crossbow are reported, including six intentional, assault-like killings and one hired killer. The bolts showed a high penetration capacity despite the rather low kinetic energy (<100 J): a field-tip traversed one upper arm and the thorax (36 cm) and two broadheads caused perforating injuries of the thorax (25-26 cm). This was due to the high sectional density and the split-like penetration mechanism. Wound morphology was especially important if the perpetrator had extracted the bolt, which occurred in half of the cases. The shape of the entrance wound depended on the type of arrowhead: broadheads produced star-shaped to triangular wounds, field-tips caused circular, oval or slit-like injuries. Foreign material from the arrowhead was found inside two injuries. In assaults, the crossbow was used to hunt the victim down from a short distance which does not require practice but still has the advantage of a distance weapon. However, immediate incapacitation occurred rarely so that additional violence was frequently applied. The noiseless character of the weapon explains why many victims were taken by surprise and why the corpses initially remained unnoticed. Crossbows can therefore be considered ideal weapons for man hunting and some were bought for the very purpose of the killing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

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)?

Accidents↗
PubMed2005

A probabilistic approach to the joint evaluation of firearm evidence and gunshot residues.

The present paper addresses issues that affect both the separate as well as the joint evaluation of firearm evidence (i.e., marks) and gunshot residues (GSR). Mark evidence will be used as a basis to discriminate among barrels through which a bullet in question might have been shot whereas GSR will be used to draw inferences about the distance of firing. Particular attention is drawn to the coherent handling of uncertainties associated with the various parameters considered within each item of evidence. The proposed analysis relies on a probabilistic viewpoint that uses graphical models (i.e., Bayesian networks) as an aid to cope with the complexity induced by the number of variables considered. The paper discusses how an approach based on a probabilistic network environment can be used for the formal analysis and construction of arguments. Emphasis is made on the gain of insight into structural dependencies that may be uncovered when the evaluative process is extended beyond single items of scientific evidence.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed2006

A deceptive case of gunshot entry wounds -- beware of frangible bullets.

In December 2003, two young men decided to go shooting in the countryside near Montpellier, France. One accidentally shot the other. Upon crime scene examination and autopsy of the victim experts observed, at the right thorax, two round wounds, distanced 5mm from each other, presenting typical characteristics of entry wounds of bullets shot from a distance. Because of the presence of two clear cut round wounds, the Procurator suspected voluntary homicide. However, thanks to the balistics expertise, the authors concluded that all fragments belonged to a unique projectile, 22 Short caliber (Remington cartouche) of the frangible type. The barrel of the rifle infact presented an imperfection where the screw was fixed on the frontsite. The screw had obviously been changed, and the new screw was longer and therefore extended into the barrel, causing a small obstacle to the bullet when exiting the barrel. Shooting tests were performed, allowing the authors to conclude that a single bullet had fragmented before entering the body into two fragments. This lead the Procurator to consider the lesions consistent with an accident.

Accidents↗
PubMed2006

Homicide in Tours (Indre-et-Loire, France): a four-year review.

This retrospective study examined homicides in two French departments located in the West of France (Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher) for a four-year period from 2000 to 2003. During this period 63 homicidal deaths were investigated at the Institute of Forensic Science of Tours (Indre-et-Loire). There were 45 male and 18 female victims with an average homicide rate of 1.55 per 100,000 persons. The mean age of the victims was 42 years-old. Forty-five assailants were identified; their mean age was 38 years-old. The most common method of homicide was the use of firearms (40% of the cases), followed by blunt-force injury (36%) and sharp-force injury (16%). 51% of the victims knew their assailant, a family member in 26% of the cases. Spousal homicides occurred in 16% of the cases. Dyadic death occurred in six cases. A review of the literature compares these findings to other populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of gunshot residues on cadaveric skin using sodium rhodizonate and a counterstain.

We report a staining method for cadaveric tissue using sodium rhodizonate as a skin marker for gunshot residues and a counterstain for the surrounding connective tissue. We studied six well preserved subjects who had died of close range gunshot injury. Skin fragments were removed from the bullet entrance hole including both the disrupted area and adjacent macroscopically intact tissue. Because microscopic examination of postmortem material is difficult after histomorphologic alterations already have occurred as a consequence of postmortem tissue changes, it is necessary to use a staining method that, while detecting gunshot residues, can also make skin cell constituents recognizable from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Triphenylmethane dyes (acid fuchsin, aniline blue WS, light green SF yellowish, brilliant green and ethyl green) have proven appropriate for the purpose.

Cadaver↗
PubMed2003

Fatal firearm wounds: a clinicopathologic study.

Firearm-related injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in South Africa. This retrospective autopsy study included all firearm-related fatalities seen at a central mortuary in Durban. These cases had initially been assessed by a clinician before death, from July 1998 to June 1999.A total of 322 cases of fatal gunshot wounds were reviewed. Medical records and postmortem findings were compared by data capture onto a spreadsheet. Twenty-eight cases were excluded because of surgical alteration of the wounds, making autopsy evaluation impossible. In 50.7% of cases, the number of wounds was correctly identified and in 55.1% the position was correctly identified. In only 36.1% of cases were the entry and exit wounds correctly identified. The total number of missed wounds was 504 (48.3% of cases). The majority of missed wounds were on the upper limbs (25%), with the anterior trunk (21.8%) and lower limbs (18.5%) making up the remainder. This study demonstrates that physicians in South Africa do not adequately document and interpret gunshot wounds, which may influence the treatment of the patient and have medicolegal consequences. Emphasis should be placed on undergraduate and postgraduate teaching for physicians to correctly identify, interpret, and document firearm wounds.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

A case study of the suicide of Luis Mendès France, in Bordeaux, in 1695.

After being condemned and imprisoned in Lisbon by the Portuguese Inquisition, Luis Mendes de Franca exiled himself in late 1683 to France, where his descendants adopted the family name Mendes France. In 1695, at the age of 55 years, Luis Mendes committed suicide in Bordeaux by a pistol shot that decapitated him. The inquest conducted at that time concluded that Luis Mendes was insane and thus not guilty of the crime of suicide. We hypothesize that he used a flint stone-type pistol loaded with an extraordinarily large quantity of black gunpowder. Using available information on historic firearms, ammunition, and powder, coupled with the preserved testimony of historic figures, we propose a reconstruction of this drama and a diagnostic approach to the psychiatric aspects of the suicide.

Famous Persons↗
PubMed2006

Proper assessment of the JFK assassination bullet lead evidence from metallurgical and statistical perspectives.

The bullet evidence in the JFK assassination investigation was reexamined from metallurgical and statistical standpoints. The questioned specimens are comprised of soft lead, possibly from full-metal-jacketed Mannlicher-Carcano (MC), 6.5-mm ammunition. During lead refining, contaminant elements are removed to specified levels for a desired alloy or composition. Microsegregation of trace and minor elements during lead casting and processing can account for the experimental variabilities measured in various evidentiary and comparison samples by laboratory analysts. Thus, elevated concentrations of antimony and copper at crystallographic grain boundaries, the widely varying sizes of grains in MC bullet lead, and the 5-60 mg bullet samples analyzed for assassination intelligence effectively resulted in operational sampling error for the analyses. This deficiency was not considered in the original data interpretation and resulted in an invalid conclusion in favor of the single-bullet theory of the assassination. Alternate statistical calculations, based on the historic analytical data, incorporating weighted averaging and propagation of experimental uncertainties also considerably weaken support for the single-bullet theory. In effect, this assessment of the material composition of the lead specimens from the assassination concludes that the extant evidence is consistent with any number between two and five rounds fired in Dealey Plaza during the shooting.

Famous Persons↗