Suicide by 120 stab wounds of the chest?
Lieske, K.; Püschel, K.; Bussmann, E.
Archiv für Kriminologie 180(5-6): 143-149
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9225 PMID: 3439829 Document Number: 301561
The case history of a suicide due to 120 stab wounds of the chest is presented. The victim was a 41 year old man with a paranoid-hallucinative psychosis. The problem to distinguish homicides and suicides is discussed by the well-known criminalistic and forensic-medical criterias. Induced by this very unusual case the autopsy material with stab wounds was analyzed retrospectively (n = 246, out of about 14.000 autopsies at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Hamburg). Cases with more than 40 single lesions are normally homicides. However, the pattern of the injuries is more important than the number.sbd.especially in doubtful cases.