Five Gunshot Wounds – A Murder or a Suicide Case Report

Abstract

Autopsy fi nding of more than one gunshot wound on the body is always suspicious to the murder. However,
there are many known cases in which a suicide is clearly stated with two or more of gunshot wounds.
A suicide is confi rmed while a killing is excluded if none of the gunshot wounds or at least the last one have not resulted
in immediate death or immediate loss of consciousness, which would inevitably exclude the possibility of applying the
following injuries. Other expertizes are always mandatory.
This paper presents a case of suicide with fi ve projectiles, with atypical localization of entry wounds and directions of
channels. The case was proclaimed initially as a murder by the autopsies, who also excluded the possibility of suicide.
Subsequent team of experts consisted of two forensic pathologist concluded diff erently, not only on the basis of autopsy
fi ndings, but the suicide was confi rmed by another expert testimonies: the graph logical one (a suicide note was present
on the crime scene); the chemical one (close range entry wounds confi rmed by gun-powder presence); the ballistic one
(single weapon used); DNA traces on weapons; the dactiloscopy one; as well as by independent witness testimonies.