Study of defence injuries in homicidal deaths – An autopsy study

Hugar, Basappa S; Harish, S; Chandra, Y. P. Girish; Praveen, S; Jayanth, SH

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2011.12.022

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In accordance with data (33–49%) reported in other investigations , defense injuries are observed in 42 (45.6%) cases of homicidal deaths from sharp weapon injury.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Sharp Force Injury Fatalities: A Retrospective Study (1982–2012) in Brescia (Italy)

Vassalini

Verzeletti

Ferrari

2014

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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A retrospective study was carried out on postmortem examination data of 131 sharp force-related casualties recorded by the Brescia Institute of Forensic Medicine between 1982 and 2012. The objective was to identify relevant parameters that may be used to distinguish the manner of deaths between homicide, suicide, and accident. The following variables were considered: manner of death; demographic data; scene; type of sharp object; location and numbers of wounds; the presence of hesitation marks/defense wounds; toxicological findings; psychiatric history. There were 92 homicides, 28 suicides, and 11 accidents. Most victims were male, with an average age of 43. Injuries in isolation were present in 9.8% of homicides, in 35.7% of suicides, and in 54.5% of accidents. Most injuries involved the left anterior chest in homicides and the forearms in suicides. This study underlines the importance of a meticulous postmortem examination of injuries on the body and their relationship with other results from the death scene investigation.

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“…In accordance with data (33–49%) reported in other investigations , defense injuries are observed in 42 (45.6%) cases of homicidal deaths from sharp weapon injury.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Sharp Force Injury Fatalities: A Retrospective Study (1982–2012) in Brescia (Italy)

Vassalini

Verzeletti

Ferrari

2014

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…The results are similar to the pilot study done by the researchers [9]. However, in a study done by Panda BB et al found that sharp pointed weapons were the most common weapon followed by blunt weapon causing defence wound [3].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In our study the commonest age group of victims of assault was young adults in the age group of 31-40 years and the result is same in the pilot study done by the researchers in 2014 [9]. The age group of 21-40 years had nearly two third of defence injuries.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Pattern and distribution of defence injuries: a multi-center study on clinical and autopsy findings

Lakmali¹,

Warushahennedi

Senavirathna³

et al. 2016

Medico-Legal J SL

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Introduction: Defence injuries are the results of immediate and instinctive reaction of the victims in order to protect themselves during an assault. Presence of such injuries indicates that the victim was conscious and could comprehend the attack and provide resistance. They also help in identifying the weapon. The objectives of our study were to differentiate the patterns and the distributions of defence injuries. Methodology: This study was carried out on selected patients admitted to the hospital following assaults and deaths following injuries who had defence injuries during the period of March 2015 to January 2016 at Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, General Hospital, Matara and Base Hospital Hambanthota which are the major hospitals in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Results: We analyzed 213 cases with defence injuries. Out of them 75% were males. The commonest age group who had defence injuries were between 31-40 years. Blunt force defence injuries were present in 154 cases and sharp force was present in 74 cases. The commonest type of defence injury was contusion followed by abrasion. The commonest anatomical area involved was the forearm followed by the hand. Both left and right upper limbs involved equally in defensing although the majority (94%) was right dominant. More than one injury was present in 45% of cases and 18% had underlying injuries. In 17.8% cases alcohol had been consumed prior to the incident. Head and face was the most frequently protected body part (57%) followed by the chest (14%). Ninety eight percent of victims did not have pre-existing disabilities and 81% of them the assailant was known. Conclusions: Back of forearm is the commonly used site for defence and there is no clear correlation with the handedness and defence wounds.

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“…The finding of defense wounds is an important parameter when determining the manner of death (6), but are not found in all sharp force homicides (13%-78% of sharp force homicides, depending on subpopulation and sample size) (5)(6)(7)10,11,(17)(18)(19)(20)(28)(29)(30). It seems obvious that the more interaction there is between the victim and offender, the more likely it is that the victim will try and fight away the assailant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Thomsen

Hougen

Villesen

et al. 2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Sharp force trauma is a common homicide method. The weapon is typically a knife, which is easily accessible and does not require special skills. We have analyzed all 471 sharp force homicides in Denmark during 1992-2016 with special focus on aspects that are relevant to forensic pathologists, including the distribution of wounds and organ injuries. Most homicides were committed inside with a kitchen knife. The front left thorax was the most common area to be affected by sharp force trauma. In 18.9% of the victims, there was only one sharp injury, the majority on the thorax. The most common trajectory for stab wounds was directly posterior with no deviation to the sides or up/ down followed by directly anterior. The heart (including pericardium) and lungs (including hemo-and pneumothorax) had injuries in more than 75% of the victims. 67% of victims were males. Female victims had more sharp force injuries and defense wounds than male victims. Most females were killed in domestic homicides (73.7%), most commonly in partner killings (56.4%). In contrast, many male victims were killed in a setting of nightlife/intoxication (34.0%) most by a friend/acquaintance delivering a few stab wounds. The results clearly show strong sex differences in both victims and offenders. This could be useful for shaping policies and public opinion, and as a route for understanding the developments in interpersonal violence. In the narrow setting of death investigation, our results will provide an evidence-based approach to understanding the injury patterns in sharp force homicide.

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Study of defence injuries in homicidal deaths – An autopsy study

Cited by 19 publications

References 5 publications

Sharp Force Injury Fatalities: A Retrospective Study (1982–2012) in Brescia (Italy)

Sharp Force Injury Fatalities: A Retrospective Study (1982–2012) in Brescia (Italy)

Pattern and distribution of defence injuries: a multi-center study on clinical and autopsy findings

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

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