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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted crime rates in Kerman province, Iran, revealing divergent patterns compared to global trends. This ecological study utilized the Poisson regression model and interrupted time-series Poisson regression model to analyze data collected from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (ILMO) database and the Kerman Criminal Investigation Department of Police database, focusing on theft, conflicts, and homicide rates in this region. Our findings indicate that in 2020, the incidence rate ratio of conflicts increased compared to previous years. Before the pandemic, thefts were on the rise, while homicides were decreasing. However, with the onset of the pandemic, thefts initially decreased, and homicides experienced a notable increase. Subsequently, both thefts and homicides showed a declining trend. By the end of 2020, thefts were significantly lower than expected based on pre-pandemic data, while homicides were slightly higher. Initial fluctuations in crime rates may be related to quarantine measures and the challenges faced during the pandemic, while subsequent changes might be influenced by governmental interventions. Understanding the complex relationship between public health emergencies and criminal activities is crucial for informing policymaking and crime prevention efforts., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: This ecological study survey was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (IR.RUMS.REC.1400.013). Informed consent: This ecological study involved the analysis of aggregated, population-level data collected from individuals living in Kerman Province. Due to the retrospective nature of the study and the use of anonymized data without any individual-level personal characteristics, the need to obtain informed consent was waived by the Research Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. All data collection and analysis procedures adhered to relevant institutional and national guidelines and regulations., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The death of women as a result of violent crime has become a major social and health problem worldwide. Most of these crimes are committed by their partners. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have amplified the problem, given that measures to contain the spread of the disease have exposed women to more prolonged contact with their aggressors., Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of lethal and intentional violent crimes committed against women in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, from March 2018 to February 2020 (before the pandemic) and from March 2020 to December 2021 (during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic)., Methods: This is an observational study involving all deaths of women due to lethal and intentional violent crimes. The data was obtained from the Alagoas State Secretariat for Public Security. The variables age, type of crime, means used, day of the week and time of the crime were analyzed. The specific mortality rate was calculated for the entire study period. Population data was obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data., Results: There were 316 deaths during the study period. The mortality rate in 2020 (5.33/100,000) was higher than in the years prior to the pandemic (3.88/100,000 in 2018 and 4.84/100,000 in 2019). There was a predominance of the 18-29 (31.31%) and 30-39 (27.95%) age groups in both periods. The proportion of female homicides was 55.19% in the pre-pandemic period and 64.20% in the pandemic period. The proportion of beating deaths was 1.7 times higher in the pandemic period than in the non-pandemic period (15.23% vs. 8.97%). There was also an increase in beatings on Saturdays, with a proportion 1.60 times higher than in the pre-pandemic period (19.75% vs. 12.34%)., Conclusion: The victims were predominantly young women, the crimes classified as homicides and with the use of firearms. The study emphasizes that the context of the Covid-19 pandemic may have contributed to the increase in violent crimes against women in Alagoas, highlighting the urgency of preventive measures and support for victims., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Female homicides are a public health-relevant issue, and its spatial distribution may evidence socioeconomic vulnerabilities. This study aims to analyze the temporal and spatial trends of female homicides in Brazil and investigate socioeconomic-demographic factors associated with it., Methods: This is an ecological, descriptive, and analytical epidemiological study investigating the age-standardized female homicide rate in all Brazilian municipalities between 2000 and 2018, divided into three periods. Spatial and temporal analyses were conducted using the Global Moran's Index and LISA to identify clusters of high and low rates. Rates were also calculated by population size and means of violence across macro-regions. For the last period, a multivariable linear regression model analyzed the association of female homicide rates with social, economic, and geographic factors., Findings: Female homicide rates in Brazil remained high during the studied period, with differences in trends between regions. Among the potentially associated factors, it was observed that male homicide rate, the high percentage of violent deaths among black women and those with low levels of education, in addition to the low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita , were positively associated with female homicide, whereas larger cities were negatively associated., Interpretation: These findings show that Brazil is a country with a high risk of female homicide. Nevertheless, the vulnerability of women is unequally distributed in the country. Female homicides are mostly caused by domestic conflicts but can also be influenced by changes in the urban and social contexts., Funding: This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Brodifacoum, a long-acting anticoagulant rodenticide, exerts inhibitory effects on blood coagulation factor synthesis, leading to abnormal clotting function and potential fatality. Poisoning of accidental exposure to brodifacoum is not rare, but death from brodifacoum poisoning can be largely avoided with timely and long-term effective treatments, consequently, forensic data on fatalities due to brodifacoum poisoning may be limited. This paper presents a case of brodifacoum-induced homicide, detailing the medial records and pathological changes observed in multiple organs. Furthermore, t liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to measure the concentrations of brodifacoum in blood, hydropericardium, and urine 40 days post-poisoning (1 day post-mortem), yielding values of 0.097 μg/mL, 0.089 μg/mL, and 0.007 μg/mL respectively. The aim of this article is to contribute towards forensic identification of fatalities resulting from brodifacoum poisoning while also serving as a reference for clinical diagnosis in similar cases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors have agreed and declared that there was no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

The number of alcohol-related deaths in Lithuania has fallen by almost one-third in the last decade; however, the number of deaths has been on the rise since 2019. Data on the postmortem investigation of victims between 2018 and 2022 were obtained from the Lithuanian State Forensic Medicine Service database. This study analyzed data from 1200 autopsies. The deceased victims were categorized based on their cause of death and blood alcohol concentration (sober, legally intoxicated, mild, medium, or heavy). The causes of death were diseases (54.17 %, n = 650), suicides (12.08 %, n = 145), homicides (2.5 %, n = 30), and accidents (31.25 %, n = 375). Toxicological tests for alcohol were performed in all cases. Alcohol levels in the blood and urine were measured using gas chromatography. A significant correlation was observed between blood alcohol concentration and age (r = -0.13, p = 0.007). A statistically significant difference was observed in the proportions of men and women who were intoxicated. Among the causes of death, the group of individuals who died because of accidents exhibited the highest average blood alcohol concentration. Alcohol intoxication is undoubtedly a contributing factor to fatalities resulting from accidents and homicides. These findings assist in determining the intoxication level of victims and in assessing any potential links that may contribute to or predispose victims to lethal outcomes in cases of disease, suicide, homicide, or accident., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Chronic exposure to ambient stressors, including neighborhood crime, may have a detrimental impact on the body's stress response system with implications for colorectal carcinogenesis., Methods: We examined associations between the mean neighborhood homicide rates from 2000 and 2018 and diagnosis of colorectal adenoma among patients at the University of Illinois Health and Hospital System in Chicago, Illinois, between 2015 and 2018., Results: Of the 5,225 patients who underwent colonoscopy and were included in the analytic dataset, 60% had colorectal adenoma. Older age, male sex, and higher body mass index (BMI) were associated with greater odds of colorectal adenoma. The neighborhood homicide rate was associated with identifying as Black and Hispanic and higher BMI. A mediation analysis showed that the neighborhood homicide rate effects on colorectal adenoma were mediated through BMI., Conclusion: The study concluded that older age, male sex, and higher BMI significantly increase the odds of colorectal adenoma, with neighborhood homicide rate indirectly influencing this risk through its association with BMI, particularly among Black and Hispanic individuals., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: Torture has traditionally been described in the context of politically motivated abuse. Torture of children in the familial context is a less studied phenomenon, with scholarly articles focused on legal or medical viewpoints. Analysis from a frontline professional's perspective is virtually nonexistent in the literature., Objective: The present study seeks to identify the common features of child torture and assist law enforcement, medical, and child protection agencies in earlier identification and inform more effective investigative and intervention strategies., Participants and Setting: A convenience sampling method was used to identify and collect cases involving severe child maltreatment consistent with torture. The sample included 42 offenders and 35 victims, representing 20 households., Methods: Researchers reviewed and extracted data from law enforcement case files, to include investigative, medical, and child protective services (CPS) reports, as well as recorded law enforcement interviews of offenders/witnesses and child forensic interviews. Descriptive and frequency statistics were generated., Results: Offenders were often female (57 %), most commonly biological mothers (38 %), with a history of violence (57 %). Prior CPS reports were noted in 85 % of cases, less than half of which were substantiated. In over half of the cases (55 %), law enforcement discovered digital documentation of the torture. Over half (54 %) of the victims died as a result of the torture., Conclusions: This study demonstrated how CT is a distinct form of child maltreatment that is especially severe and pervasive. Recognition, assessment and documentation of the unique constellation of physical and psychological abuse are key to an efficient intervention., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background and Aims: With an epidemic of drug overdoses, contemporary research is needed to examine drug overdose deaths among homeless populations. This study measured rates, types and correlates of drug overdose deaths occurring over a 5-year study period among veterans experiencing homelessness (VEH) and non-homeless veterans (NHV) in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting: USA., Participants: A total of 6 128 921 veterans. We followed 399 125 VEH and 5 729 796 NHV between 2017 and 2021 using linked administrative VA and National Death Index data., Measurements: Multivariable Cox regression models were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for homelessness as a predictor of time-to-occurrence of overdose deaths with 95% confidence interval (CIs), sequentially controlling for demographic, medical, substance use and mental health characteristics., Findings: Among overdose deaths, 8653 [93.7%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 93.2-94.2%] were unintentional and 5378 (57.8%, 95% CI = 56.8-58.8%) involved opioids. The overdose-specific mortality rate (per 100 000 person-years) was 227.3 among VEH and 23.2 among NHV (HR = 9.76, 95% CI = 9.36, 10.16), with rates 7-14 times higher among VEH than NHV, depending on the drug involved. In fully adjusted models, homelessness was associated with greater risk of drug overdose death (HR = 3.33, 95% CI = 3.18, 3.49), with the greatest risk involving psychostimulants (HR = 4.19), followed by antiepileptic/sedative/hypnotic drugs (HR = 3.69), synthetic opioids (HR = 3.50) and natural and semi-synthetic opioids (HR = 2.79)., Conclusions: US veterans experiencing homelessness appear to have three times the risk for drug overdose deaths than non-homeless veterans. There may be specific risks associated with psychostimulant, antiepileptic, sedative and hypnotic drugs in this population that deserve greater attention., (Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

The aim of the present study was to provide a forensic psychiatric characterization of perpetrators of parricide who were found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). We conducted a study involving 52 NGRI patients who had committed homicide or attempted homicide within the Department of Forensic Psychiatry in Thessaloniki, Greece, between January 2015 and 2020. Subjects were categorized into two groups: parricide ( n  = 21) and a control group ( n  = 31). Our findings revealed that in the parricide group, the majority of patients were unmarried males in their thirties, with a history of prior contact with mental health services and nonadherence to treatment. Additionally, they had a background of substance abuse and exhibited violent behavior before the index crime. A notable trend observed among parricide offenders was the tendency to seek hospitalization, possibly as a means of distancing themselves from stressful family environments, based on information obtained in the interviews conducted as a part of this research. All instances of parricide involved the use of sharp weapons, and the crimes were consistently committed in private settings. Symptomatology among parricide patients was assessed as moderate to severe, with a significant long-term risk observed following the crime. The primary differences identified between the two groups were the higher pre-crime voluntary admissions and the elevated estimated postcrime risk observed in the parricide group. Early intervention, comprehensive assessment of risk factors, family support, and assistance in resolving conflicts and reintegrating patients into society are emphasized as critical interventions that can potentially prevent future tragedies., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

We study a transcript of discourse recorded on an open mic during the mass suicide/murder of 909 members of a religious community in Jonestown in 1978. The 'Jonestown massacre' is often cited in psychology textbooks as a warning example of how powerful situations and charismatic leaders can lead ordinary people to extreme and destructive behaviours. These accounts suggest that individuals lose control of reason and will such that their behaviour becomes subject to outside control. We develop an alternative explanation of the mass killing as identity-based collective action. Our analysis shows how a shared understanding of the community's situation and the options available to them were constructed and contested in discourse. We demonstrate how Jim Jones served as impresario, entrepreneur and champion of identity, recognizing his followers' agency, initiating collective meaning-making and mobilizing action. Jones engaged his followers in jointly constructing the situation as hopeless, developing a shared view of their situated social identity and collectively formulating the identity-congruent solution of collective suicide as a hopeful act of collective agency. Our analysis points to the importance of addressing the conditions that sustain narratives of collective hopelessness and helping groups successfully choose non-extremist pathways out of hopelessness., (© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Introduction: Homicide is a leading cause of death for American children. We hypothesized demographics and homicide circumstances would differ by victim age., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2003-2020 National Violent Death Reporting System. The National Violent Death Reporting System collects data from nearly all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Demographics (age, sex, race, and ethnicity), homicide year, and weapon type were abstracted. Inclusion criteria were pediatric victims (age < 18). Two groups: 0-4 y old (young cohort [YC]) and 13-17 y old (teen cohort [TC]) were compared. Chi-squared tests, p-test, and t-tests with significance P < 0.05 were used to determine the association between victim demographics, cohort, and homicide mechanism., Results: 10,569 pediatric (male: 70.2% [n = 7424], median age: 12 y old [interquartile range 1-16], black: 52.7% [n = 5573]) homicides met inclusion. Homicides demonstrated a bimodal age distribution (YC: 40.9% [n = 4320] versus TC: 48.9% [n = 5164]). Gender and race were both associated with homicide victimhood (P < 0.001). TC homicides were more likely to be male (YC: 57.8% [n = 2496] versus TC: 83.7% [n = 4320], P < 0.001) and black (YC: 40.1% [n = 1730] versus TC: 65.0% [n = 3357], P < 0.001). Pediatric homicides increased from 2018 (n = 1049) to 2020 (n = 1597), with only TC demonstrating a significant increase (2018: n = 522 versus 2020: n = 971, P < 0.001). Homicide mechanism was significantly associated with age (Blunt: YC: 57.5% [n = 2484] versus TC: 2.9% [n = 148], P < 0.001; Penetrating: YC: 7.9% [n = 340] versus TC: 92.8% [n = 4794], P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Pediatric homicides demonstrate distinct demographic characteristics and homicide mechanisms between two at risk age cohorts. Age-based education and intervention strategies may increase injury prevention programs' efficacy., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Intimate partner homicides (IPH) are serious offenses by a heterogeneous group of offenders with diverse risk factors that are too unspecific for the successful prediction of an offense. Recent research suggested several warning signs that may precede IPH and enhance its prevention, but little is still known about "leaking." Leaking comprises all offense-related statements, behaviors, or actions that express the perpetrator's thoughts, fantasies, ideas, interests, feelings, intentions, plans, or positive evaluations of an own violent act or previous similar offenses prior to the own attack. This review aims to identify the forms, recipients, and media of leaking as well as potential subgroup differences in cases of IPH. We identified 47 relevant publications via a systematic search of eight databases and additional methods. We included publications that did not explicitly use the term, but described behaviors that could be interpreted as leaking. Up to now, leaking has not been systematically researched in cases of IPH. Nevertheless, publications described several behaviors that are in line with our definition of leaking and were categorized into five broader categories: (a) homicide announcements, (b) previous severe acts of violence, (c) suicidal behavior, (d) planning activities, and (e) interest in similar offenses/offenders. Information on recipients and media as well as subgroup differences was sparse. Leaking is relevant in IPH, but more systematic research is needed to understand its potential role in future risk analyses procedures and prevention of IPH., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Amnesia is a frequent claim in major crimes, and it is estimated that the complete or partial absence of memory following a crime ranges from 25% to 50% of total cases. Although some cases may constitute a genuine form of amnesia, due to organic-neurological defects or psychological causes, and possibly combined with a dissociative or repressive coping style after an extreme experience, malingering is still fairly common in offenders. Therefore, one of the main goals in medico-legal proceedings is to find methods to determine the credibility of crime-related amnesia. At present, a number of lie and memory detection techniques can assist the forensic assessment of the reliability of declarative proof, and have been devised and improved over the past century: for example, modern polygraphs, event-related potentials, thermal imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, kinematic, and facial analysis. Other ad hoc psychological tests, such as the so-called Symptom Validity Test (SVT) and Performance Validity Test (PVT), as well as the autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT), can also be used. To date, however, there is little evidence or case reports that document their real usefulness in forensic practice. Here, we report two cases of crime-related amnesia, whereby both defendants, who were found guilty of homicide, appeared to exhibit dissociative amnesia but where the application of SVTs, PVTs, and aIAT detected a malingered amnesia., (© 2023 Cognitive Science Society LLC.)

Background: Assault weapon and large-capacity magazine bans are potential tools for policy makers to prevent public mass shootings. However, the efficacy of these bans is a continual source of debate. In an earlier study, we estimated the impact of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (FAWB) on the number of public mass shooting events in the United States. This study provides an updated assessment with 3 additional years of firearm surveillance data to characterize the longer-term effects., Objective: This study aims to estimate the impact of the FAWB on trends in public mass shootings from 1966 to 2022., Methods: We used linear regression to estimate the impact of the FAWB on the 4-year simple moving average of annual public mass shootings, defined by events with 4 or more deaths in 24 hours, not including the perpetrator. The study period spans 1966 to 2022. The model includes indicator variables for both the FAWB period (1995-2004) and the period after its removal (2005-2022). These indicators were interacted with a linear time trend. Estimates were controlled for the national homicide rate. After estimation, the model provided counterfactual estimates of public mass shootings if the FAWB was never imposed and if the FAWB remained in place., Results: The overall upward trajectory in the number of public mass shootings substantially fell while the FAWB was in place. These trends are specific to events in which the perpetrator used an assault weapon or large-capacity magazine. Point estimates suggest the FAWB prevented up to 5 public mass shootings while the ban was active. A continuation of the FAWB and large-capacity magazine ban would have prevented up to 38 public mass shootings, but the CIs become wider as time moves further away from the period of the FAWB., Conclusions: The FAWB, which included a ban on large-capacity magazines, was associated with fewer public mass shooting events, fatalities, and nonfatal gun injuries. Gun control legislation is an important public health tool in the prevention of public mass shootings., (© Alex Lars Lundberg, James Alan Fox, Hassan Mohammad, Maryann Mason, Doreen Salina, David Victorson, Ruben Parra-Cardona, Lori Ann Post. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org).)

Homicide is considered a crime against the state rather than the covictims, which impacts on criminal justice system (CJS) processes and can lead to secondary victimization. This review explores the experience of co-victims (i.e., family members) engaging with the CJS. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria and were identified through searching six bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, HMIC, CINAHL, ASSIA, IBSS, and SSCI) and supplementary searches. Two reviewers conducted screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal. Thematic synthesis resulted in three themes: (a) information and meaningful inclusion, (b) who is the justice system for?, and (c) relating to victims as people. These themes highlight concerns regarding the marginalization of co-victims within the CJS and suggest ways to enhance processes to avoid further marginalizing and traumatizing co-victims., (© 2024 Springer Publishing Company.)

Asphyxia as a cause of death poses a diagnostic challenge in forensic medicine due to both the diversity of underlying mechanisms, and lack of specific markers. Acute emphysema or acute alveolar dilation have long been debated as potential findings in these asphyxia cases. To further explore the supplementary findings in our forensic asphyxia cases, this study applied lung densitometry to pulmonary postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) data. Twenty asphyxia cases (including hanging (n = 9), manual strangulation (n = 4), ligature strangulation (n = 1), smothering (n = 3), and choking (n = 3)) and 21 matched control cases were analysed using lung densitometry parameters - specifically quantification of low attenuation areas (LAA) and the 15th percentile point of lung density (Perc15). Our data revealed statistically significantly higher lung % volume falling within LAA at -950HU (p = 0.04) and - 910HU (p = 0.043) in the asphyxia cases compared to matched controls. The Perc15 values observed were trending towards a lower attenuation corresponding to a lower density in the asphyxia group, although this result was not statistically significant (p = 0.13). A subgroup analysis highlighted potential differences within the asphyxia categories, notably, higher Perc15 values were observed in the choking cases. In conclusion the results from the study support the existing evidence of low pulmonary density as a potential finding in asphyxia cases and demonstrate the potential of applying lung densitometry on pulmonary postmortem computed tomography data., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Sexual homicides (SHs) demand nuanced research for effective prevention, treatment, risk assessment and theoretical insights. Intimate-partner sexual homicides (IPSHs), comprising approximately 20% of SHs, have received limited attention. This study compares IPSHs (n = 56) and non-intimate partner sexual homicides (NIPSHs) (n = 236) in Australia and New Zealand by investigating offender, victim, and crime-scene characteristics. While IPSH perpetrators were typically older, separated, and had prior domestic violence convictions, victims were more often non-white with histories of domestic violence and substance use. Although crime-scene locations and post-offence behaviours differed, similar crime scene behaviours were displayed across offender groups, which seemed to be routed in different underlying motives. Whereas drivers of IPSH commonly were grievance and anger, associated with offences occurring after arguments, drivers for NIPSH were more often sexual deviance and sadism. Overall, IPSH encompasses aspects of domestic violence, homicide, and sexual violence, distinguishing it from SH., (© 2024 The Author(s). Behavioral Sciences & The Law published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

When a charred corpse is found, a primary unavoidable phase of the subject's identification is performed. Then, the medico-legal investigation must clarify whether the charring occurred before or after death, and so establish a differential diagnosis between accidental, homicidal, or suicidal modality. We report three cases of charred corpses in which a death dynamic was initially suspected but subsequently disproved: a suicidal intoxication in arson at first thought to be homicidal strangulation, a suicidal hanging revealed by neck haemorrhages in a suspected accidental fire, a femicide through ligature strangulation concealed with the simulation of a car accident. Many of the events are accidental, related to fires or traffic accidents. However, it must be considered that charring following a murder was deliberately provoked to prevent the identification of the subject and to conceal evidence of how the murder occurred. Because of the complex operational conditions in the study of a charred corpse, all the diagnostic tools proper to forensic science should be held beyond the preliminary circumstantial suggestions. We aim to emphasise the importance of a multidisciplinary approach since the solution of the three cases was possible thanks to the combination of crime scene investigation, radiological exams, autopsy, and histopathological and genetic analysis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Injuries, often preventable, prompted urgent action within the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve global health. South Africa (SA) has high rates of injury mortality, but accurate reporting of official national data is hindered by death misclassification., Objective: Two nationally representative surveys for 2009 and 2017 are utilised to assess SA's progress towards SDG targets for violence and road traffic injuries, alongside changes in suicide and under-5 mortality rates for childhood injuries, and compare these estimates with those of the Global Burden of Disease for SA., Methods: The surveys utilised multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling from eight provinces, with mortuaries as primary sampling units. Post-mortem files for non-natural deaths were reviewed, with additional data from the Western Cape. Age-standardised rates, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for manner of death rate comparisons and for age groups., Results: The all-injury age-standardised mortality rate decreased significantly between 2009 and 2017. Homicide and transport remained the leading causes of injury deaths, with a significant 31% decrease in road traffic mortality (IRR = 0.69), from 36.1 to 25.0 per 100 000 population., Conclusions: Despite a reduction in SA's road traffic mortality rate, challenges to achieve targets related to young and novice drivers and male homicide persist. Achieving SA's injury mortality SDG targets requires comprehensive evaluations of programmes addressing road safety, violence reduction, and mental well-being. In the absence of reliable routine data, survey data allow to accurately assess the country's SDG progress through commitment to evidence-based policymaking.

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction images using postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) are increasingly used to convey complex information to non-medical professionals, such as police and jurors. This case report demonstrates the effective use of 3D reconstruction images by integrating pre-autopsy, intra-autopsy, and knife CT data to achieve precise visualization of the wound path and associated injuries. The case involved a man in his 40s who was stabbed multiple times and pronounced dead approximately two hours after receiving emergency treatment. Initial PMCT revealed an intraperitoneal hemorrhage; however, no injuries to the abdominal organs or aorta were identified. During the autopsy, a critical abdominal aortic injury was discovered, prompting a further CT scan; however, the aorta remained in situ. By utilizing pre-autopsy, intra-autopsy, and knife CT data, the spatial relationships between the stab wound in the right hypochondriac area, aortic injury, and knife were effectively visualized. This novel approach highlights the potential of intra-autopsy CT for precise forensic visualization, offering a strategy for improvements in the accuracy and clarity of forensic evidence presentation., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Fukuda et al.)

Introduction: Homicides using knives or other sharp objects are the most common type of homicide in Europe, and the second most common type of homicide worldwide. In contrast, suicides using sharp objects are rarer, constituting only a few per cent of all suicides in western countries. We investigated single stab injuries to the trunk in both homicides and suicides to assess differences in extent of injuries and in medical care, which could be of value for trauma management, public health and forensic assessment., Methods: We identified all cases in Sweden between 2010 and 2021 that died of a single stab to the trunk, in either a homicide (n = 94) or a suicide (n = 45), and that were the subject of a forensic autopsy. We obtained data on demographics, hospital care and injured structures. To assess the severity of injuries, we applied AIS (Abbreviated Injury Score) and NISS (New Injury Severity Score). The inter-rater reliability of NISS between two raters was evaluated with intra-class correlation (ICC), with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The data was analysed using Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression models., Results: The inter-rater reliability between the two NISS raters showed an ICC of 0.87 (95 % CI 0.68-0.95). We observed a larger variation of injuries in suicides, with a higher proportion of both unsurvivable (NISS 75) and minor injuries (NISS ≤ 8) (66.7 % and 8.9 % respectively) compared to in homicides (46.8 % and 0 % respectively). We observed a larger proportion of injuries to the heart in suicides (68.9% vs. 46.8 %, p = 0.018). In homicides, injuries involving vessels (52.1% vs. 13.3 %, p < 0.001) and hospital care (56.4 % vs. 8.9 %, p < 0.001) were significantly more common compared to suicides., Discussion and Conclusion: Causation (self-inflicted or assaults) seems to be associated with characteristics of injury and the likelihood of receiving hospital care. These findings could potentially be valuable for trauma management and forensic assessment of manner of death, however, determining the mortality of the injuries would require a comparison group comprising injured survivors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: To explore the occurrence, demographics, and circumstances of homicides of physicians., Method: Authors interrogated the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's surveillance system tracking violent deaths between 2003 and 2018 which integrates data from law enforcement and coroner/medical examiner reports. Authors identified cases of homicide decedents whose profession was physician, surgeon, or psychiatrist. Data collected included decedents' demographics as well as circumstances of death., Results: Data were provided by 7-41 states as participating states increased over time. Fifty-six homicides were reported, most were male (73.2%) and white (76.8%). Most (67.9%) identified assailants reportedly knew decedents: 23.2% were perpetrated by partners/ex-partners; 10.7% by patients/patients' family members. Deaths were mainly due to gunshot wounds (44.6%), stabbing (16.1%), and blunt force trauma (16.1%). More (58.9%) homicides occurred at victims' homes than work (16.1%)., Conclusions: Physician homicides are relatively rare and occur at lower rates than in the general population. Physicians were more frequently killed by partners or ex-partners than by patients. Most homicides occurred away from the workplace. Broader efforts are needed to promote interventions throughout America's violent society to reduce domestic/partner violence and gun violence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None from all authors., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To summarize recent cases of fatal insulin poisoning both domestically and internationally, thereby offering valuable insights for the forensic identification of insulin overdose cases., Methods: Literature published since 2000 on fatal insulin overdose were systematically searched and screened. Data encompassing variables such as year, age, sex, cause of death, scene conditions, occupations, medical histories of victims and perpetrators, autopsy timing, dosage and administration methods, forensic pathology, and toxicological analysis, were compiled for rigorous statistical analysis., Results: Among the 29 fatal cases of insulin poisoning, suicides and homicides accounted for 55.2 % and 41.4 %, respectively. Precisely 34.5 % of victims or perpetrators were associated with the medical industry, 27.6 % had diabetes, and 24.1 % had mental illnesses such as depression. Intravenous injection resulted in quicker death than did subcutaneous injection. In some cases, immunohistochemical staining of insulin and protamine at injection sites yielded positive results. The average molar ratio of insulin to C-peptide in post-mortem blood was 13.76 ± 5.167, indicating a significant diagnostic value for insulin poisoning., Conclusion: Assessment of cases of fatal insulin overdose should be thorough, incorporating case investigation, scene examination, medical records review, autopsy findings, pathological examinations, and laboratory tests, alongside considering the condition of the body and timing of death autopsy. Using mass spectrometry to detect insulin proves valuable, particularly in cases of poor body preservation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We examine and compare the relationship between minimum wage increases and youth homicide rates in three groups: all youth, White youth only, and Black youth only. Using 2001-2019 mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) for all 50 states and Washington DC, we apply a difference in differences (DD) design to compare the change in youth homicides across states with varying changes in the state-specific minimum wage. With the inclusion of state-specific linear time trends, we find that a $1 increase in minimum wage leads to a significant 4% reduction (RR = 0.96, 95%CI [0.92, 0.99]) in homicides among White youth, but no significant reduction among Black youth (RR = 0.98, 95%CI [0.91, 1.04]). Findings are consistent with research on marginalization-related diminished returns for Black youth. While minimum wage increases are a promising step to reduce youth homicides overall, reducing homicide disparities experienced by Black youth requires additional components. Future research should examine policies with the specific intention to dismantle structural racism., (© 2024. Society for Prevention Research.)

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare jealousy as a correlate of intimate partner homicide-suicide cases to homicide-only cases using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), a state-based surveillance system maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jealousy is categorized as jealous feelings or distress over a current or former intimate partner's relationship or suspected relationship with another person., Methods: NVDRS data from a 5-year period (2016-2020) was used to estimate frequencies and identify significant differences in jealousy and other sociodemographic, mental health, relationship, and incident-related correlates of intimate partner homicide-suicide compared to homicide-only cases. Cases were included if they involved an intimate partner single homicide or a single homicide followed by suicide., Results: The study sample included 5335 cases (intimate partner homicide-suicide n = 1402; homicide-only n = 3933). A significantly higher percentage of intimate partner homicide-suicide cases reported jealousy preceding the event (9%) compared to homicide-only cases (6%). Compared with homicide-only cases, homicide-suicide cases had 3.5 greater odds of recording jealousy as a precipitating event., Conclusion: Findings suggest that intimate partner homicide-suicide cases are distinct from homicide-only cases both in terms of individual- and incident-level and situational factors, including the presence of jealousy., (© 2024 American Association of Suicidology.)

Background: Firearm homicide and opioid overdoses were already leading causes of death in the U.S. before both problems surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Firearm violence, overdoses, and COVID-19 have all disproportionately harmed communities that are socially and economically marginalized, but the co-occurrence of these problems in the same communities has received little attention. To describe the co-occurrence of firearm homicides and opioid overdose deaths with COVID-19 mortality we used 2017-2021 medical examiner's data from Chicago, IL. Deaths were assigned to zip codes based on decedents' residence. We stratified zip codes into quartiles by COVID-19 mortality rate, then compared firearm homicide and fatal opioid overdose rates by COVID-19 quartile., Findings: Throughout the study period, firearm homicide and opioid overdose rates were highest in the highest COVID-19 mortality quartile and lowest in the lowest COVID-19 mortality quartile. Increases in firearm homicide and opioid overdose were observed across all COVID-19 mortality quartiles., Conclusions: High co-occurrence of these deaths at the community level call for addressing the systemic forces which made them most vulnerable before the pandemic. Such strategies should consider the environments where people reside, not only where fatal injuries occur., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Over the past two decades, femicide-the gender-based killing of women or girls-has become an issue of international concern. Yet relatively little data on perpetrators exist. Current research primarily focuses on individual risk factors with less attention on community and societal factors. We use a social capital approach to examine femicide by analyzing the extent to which crime perpetrators experience and perceive social punishment (exclusion) from their social networks. Using a quota sampling strategy, we administered a cross-sectional questionnaire to perpetrators of femicide ( N  = 71), male-male homicide ( N  = 73), and other serious crimes ( N  = 64) across four prisons in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other crime perpetrators served as a control to the two lethal crime groups. Perceived social capital scores were assigned based on responses to two scales adapted from the World Bank's "Integrated Questionnaire for the Measurement of Social Capital." Before committing murder, femicide and homicide perpetrators' scores were not statistically different. Yet after the crime, femicide perpetrators retained significantly greater scores than homicide perpetrators. The perceived social capital scores of other crime perpetrators did not change after the commission of their crimes. As a secondary objective, we examined the individual and social contexts of femicide perpetrators. Most (85%) of the femicide perpetrators could name at least one other person in their social network whom they knew to be physically violent during disagreements with their partner, while 11% stated that "everyone" they knew used violence during disagreements. Although the penalty for committing femicide and homicide is ostensibly equivalent-a life sentence of 50 years-we found that the informal social punishment femicide perpetrators perceived is less severe than that experienced by homicide perpetrators. These data indicate a lack of social punishment for femicide, compared to other crimes, showing social legitimization of the crime. These findings support the development of community-level interventions to prevent femicide., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Despite domestic violence and related homicides perpetrated by partners and/or in-laws being a significant public health problem in India, there are no reliable and valid instruments to identify and intervene with women in domestic violence relationships. Continued domestic violence can escalate to severe, near-lethal, or lethal violence or homicide. The Danger Assessment (DA) is a risk assessment instrument designed to assess the likelihood of severe, near-lethal, or lethal violence in abusive relationships. However, the DA is not designed to determine the risk of future severe, near-lethal, or lethal violence by in-laws. In-law abuse plays a significant role in domestic violence-related homicides in India and other countries with similar cultural norms. This study addressed this gap by developing the Danger Assessment for in-laws (DA-L) to assess risk from in-laws, alongside the Danger Assessment for Women in India (DA-WI) to assess risk from partners. The study also examined the psychometric properties of the DA-L and DA-WI. Longitudinal data from 150 women in India were used to measure the reliability and validity of the two versions of the DA. The original DA items and additional risk items were examined using relative risk ratios for their relationship with severe violence at three-month follow-ups. Predictive validity was tested with the receiver operating characteristic curve. The study resulted in reliable and valid measures (11 items DA-L and 26-items DA-WI) of risk. The versions of the DA can be useful for practitioners in India and those working with Indian women in the US and other countries. The DAs can be used for identifying women in domestic violence relationships who are at risk for future severe domestic violence and guide the provision of tailored safety plans., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

When an abortion is performed, someone dies. Are we killing a human person? Widespread disagreement exists. However, it is not necessary to establish personhood in order to establish the wrongness of abortion: a substantial chance of personhood is enough. We defend The Do Not Risk Homicide Argument: abortions are wrong after 10 weeks gestation because they substantially and unjustifiably risk homicide, the unjust killing of a human person. Why 10 weeks? Because the cumulative evidence establishes a substantial chance (a more than one in five chance) that preborn human beings are persons after 10 weeks (if not before then). We submit evidence from our bad track record, widespread disagreement about personhood (after 10 weeks gestation), problems with theories of personhood, the similarity between preborn human beings and premature newborns, miscalculations of gestational age, and the common intuitive responses of women to their pregnancies and miscarriages. Our argument is cogent because it bypasses the stalemate over preborn personhood and rests on common ground rather than contentious metaphysics. It also strongly suggests that society must do more to protect preborn human beings. We briefly discuss its practical implications for fetal pain relief, social policy, and abortion law., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: In recent years, the improvement of common standards of forensic practice has received attention to promote an unambiguous and better-quality forensic investigation method. Although most hanging deaths are attributed to suicides, cases occasionally occur due to accidents or homicides. From an investigative point of view, hanging deaths are usually straightforward, but unusual circumstances may raise suspicions of crime. This includes complex suicides, which are rare events pursued by victims with two or more different fatal methods and can be classified as planned or unplanned, depends on whether the methods are applied simultaneously or sequentially. The multiplicity of injuries detected can often lead to misinterpretations, thus making a multidisciplinary approach extremely important., Case Report: A 44-year-old man, after requesting law enforcement, has been instead found inside a garden of an uninhabited property located a few kilometers away from his own property, suspended from a beam with wire; the wire created a noose at the back of his head, his hands were placed at his neck, and stab wounds were found., Conclusions: The crime scene investigation, interview of relatives, autopsy, histological and toxicological examinations, and GAP led to the determination that the death was suicide. This comprehensive approach emphasizes the importance of meticulous investigation and analysis to reach accurate conclusions in forensic cases.

This review focused on literature from the United States evaluating homicide during the perinatal period. It was completed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Seventeen studies met the criteria for inclusion, including: describing prevalence and risk factors related to homicide deaths of pregnant or postpartum birthing individuals; being conducted in the United States; and being published in English 2007 or later. This review found that homicide is an important contributor to maternal mortality and is a leading cause of death during pregnancy and the postpartum period, especially if an individual is Black and under the age of 30. Future efforts must be made to standardize data collection efforts and resolve nuanced terminology that results in interpretation challenges. The United States should examine maternal deaths through the entirety of the perinatal period and fully invest in violence prevention efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Black adolescent males are disproportionally impacted by violence exposure and violent loss. The primary aim of this study was to explore the bereavement experiences of Black adolescent males who have lost a friend or family member to murder. Participants were Black adolescent males between the ages of 14-19 years. This was a purposive sample recruited from a community-based study that took place in urban neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants who completed their final survey for the parent study were recruited from January to June 2017. Participants completed a brief computerized survey and those who responded affirmatively to a screening question about losing a friend or family member to murder were invited to a qualitative interview. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify key themes. Among the 31 youth interviewed, 30 had lost more than one person to murder. Four primary themes emerged from their narratives: (1) self-preservation through isolation, (2) finding sanctuary through shared narratives of loss, (3) freedom from the mind, and (4) post-traumatic growth (i.e., motivation, healing, resilience). Findings suggest that interventions that provide sanctuary for youth that are culturally relevant and create opportunities for youth to process violent loss may aid in promoting opportunities for youth to grieve and heal from violent loss., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Brodifacoum exerts its antagonistic effect against the metabolism of vitamin K, an essential component in the synthesis of blood coagulation factors. This effect ultimately hinders the blood's capacity to clot effectively, rendering it a commonly employed rodenticide. Instances of lethal poisonings are exceedingly rare owing to expeditious medical intervention and treatment. Within this report, we present a case of brodifacoum-induced homicide, wherein the patient exhibited distinct clinical examinations and symptoms. Moreover, the patient's blood sample exhibited a noteworthy brodifacoum concentration of 0.681 µg/mL even after a period of 43 days following the incident of poisoning. Although an autopsy was not conducted due to religious restrictions, we endeavor to reasonably deduce the cause of death and furnish corroborative evidence for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and forensic examination in instances involving brodifacoum poisoning., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) is a forensic scientific discipline used to resolve criminal events. By studying the size, shape, and distribution of the bloodstains that constitute one or more bloodstain patterns, it is possible to determine the physical events responsible for their creation, as well as the positions and movements of the victim and, in cases of homicide, the perpetrator during the act., Materials and Methods: BPA analysis was applied as a support in the reconstruction of the event dynamics in four forensic cases, in addition to the data collected during on-site inspections and instrumental investigations including PMCT, autopsies, histological, and toxicological analyses. Particularly laborious was its application in a case involving a decomposed body. In all cases, a thorough photographic analysis of the bloodstains found on the clothing worn as well as in the areas surrounding the location of the corpse was conducted., Conclusions: The combination of investigations, together with the data derived from the application of BPA, allowed events to be attributed to: homicide by blunt force trauma; homicide-suicide using a bladed weapon; homicide using firearms; unplanned complex suicide. The analysis of the cases presented highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach through the use of additional instrumental and specialist investigations such as the study of bloodstains present at the crime scene for the reconstruction of criminal events.

Background: This case presents a detailed forensic examination of a unique femicide case followed by the perpetrator's suicide., Case Report: On a Sunday afternoon, a 52 year old man killed his 43 year old partner in their home with eleven stab wounds. A few minutes later, he committed suicide by suspending himself to a tree in their home garden by means of a rope. This unique case is interesting because of the combination of methods used for both homicide and suicide, as well as the relationship dynamics between the victim and perpetrator. The perpetrator committed homicide by stabbing and then hanged himself., Conclusion: The case adds valuable knowledge to Forensic Medicine, advocating for increased awareness and preventive measures against domestic and gender-based violence. This report provides an in-depth analysis of a homicide-suicide incident, focusing on a unique case of homicide-suicide. It serves to highlight the global crisis of femicide. The case is situated within the context of gender- based violence, illustrating how such acts are deeply rooted in societal norms. It highlights patterns of intimate partner violence, where emotional factors play a significant role. Forensic analysis uncovered the overkill nature of the homicide, indicating excessive injuries beyond what was necessary for death, reflecting the psychological turmoil of the perpetrator. It emphasizes the importance of identifying signs of potential violence in domestic settings and implementing interventions for mental health support and the prevention of genderbased violence.

Background: The blunt injuries may be heterogeneous. Due to the diversity, it is often difficult to establish the type of weapon used. Particular attention must be paid to the circumstantial data and previous diseases because the injuries often could not correspond to the presumed instruments used., Case Report: A man was found dead in his bedroom wearing pajamas. On the bed there was a blanket with visible traces of blood, which had dried. There were around 10 dogs in the house, poor hygienic and sanitary conditions, widespread excrements and unbreathable air. Testimonies from general practitioner, neighbors and the partner were collected. An autopsy, histological and toxicological examination was performed. On external examination the face showed blood smearing down the nose, subconjunctival hemorrhages, and labial cyanosis. Mo-reover, a hypochromic skin area was present on the right lateral region of the neck. The inguinal region showed large de-epithelized areas with multiple purplish red ecchymoses which were histologically analyzed. These areas showed hemorrhagic infiltration in the superficial and deep dermis up to the adipose tissue due to traumatic action., Conclusion: The reconstruction of the case allowed us to state a strangulation probably attributable to a belt. The discovery of intradermal hemorrhagic infiltrations, supported by histopathological investigations, confirmed the diagnosis of blunt force injuries, excluding other type of non-violent causes of lesions. Therefore, we recommended the use of experimental methods and procedures to evaluate the harmful suitability on biological matrices.

Introduction: Witnessing violence and violent victimization have detrimental effects on adolescents' emotional functioning and ability to envision and plan for their futures. However, research is limited on the impact of violence that occurs in adolescents' communities-whether or not it was witnessed or experienced firsthand. This paper investigated the associations between community exposure to gun homicide and adolescents' high school and college graduation aspirations., Methods: We analyzed data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3031), a cohort study of children born 1998-2000 in 20 large US cities, merged with incident-level data on deadly gun violence from the Gun Violence Archive (2014-2017). Outcomes were reported by adolescents (girls and boys) during wave 6 (2014-2017) of the study, conducted when the children were 15 years of age. We employed ordinary least squares regression, ordered logistic regression, and multilevel stratification to examine the average and heterogeneous impacts of community exposure to gun homicide on adolescents' educational aspirations., Results: Community exposure to gun homicide was associated with reduced high school graduation aspirations, particularly among adolescents with the lowest risk of exposure to gun homicide. Gun homicide exposure was also associated with increased college graduation aspirations; this association was concentrated among adolescents with moderate-high risk of exposure., Conclusions: Given the importance of education for job opportunities and the better health that accompanies education and occupational attainment, preventing early exposure to gun violence and providing institutional supports to help adolescents facing adversity realize their goals is essential to their long-term health and success., (© 2024 Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents.)

This study explores the offender, victim, and environmental characteristics that significantly influence the number of days a sexual homicide victim remains undiscovered. Utilizing a sample of 269 cases from the Homicide Investigation Tracking System database an in-depth analysis was conducted to unveil the factors contributing to the delay in the discovery of victims' bodies. The methodological approach involves applying a negative binomial regression analysis, which allows for the examination of count data, specifically addressing the over-dispersion and excess zeros in the dependent variable - the number of days until the victim is found. The findings reveal that certain offender characteristics, victim traits, and spatio-temporal factors play a pivotal role in the time lag experienced in locating the bodies of homicide victims. These findings have crucial implications for investigative efforts in homicide cases, offering valuable insights that can inform and enhance the efficacy and efficiency of future investigative procedures and strategies., (© 2024 The Author(s). Behavioral Sciences & The Law published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Working with data about homicide victims and perpetrators from 50 of America's largest cities, we investigate the explanatory power of some familiar explanations for why murder in those cities rose sharply in 2020. The analysis reveals that the distribution of risk by race was essentially the same in 2020 as in 2019. That empirical finding challenges some theories of how racial tensions after the death of George Floyd may have driven homicide increases. Similarly, homicide growth was not concentrated in those cities with the greatest availability in 2020 of new and older guns, or among the cities that suffered the most from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a minimum, the cross-city outcomes should reduce confidence that some combination of "race, guns, and COVID-19" explains all of the most important aspects of what happened in 2020., (© 2024 Society for Risk Analysis.)

Skeletal evidence usually constitutes the only source of information to interpret lesion patterns that help to clarify the circumstances surrounding death. The examination and interpretation of bone trauma are essential to the application and utility of anthropology as a forensic science. When discussing the effect of gunshot wounds in bone, it becomes imperative to differentiate between short and long-distance injuries based on clear, distinct, and observable signs. To contribute to the debate, our focus is directed toward the external analysis of the so-called circumferential delamination defect (CDD) as an observable proxy for close-range shooting (≤30 cm) and contact gunshot wounds in the skull. In the context of known extrajudicial killings, in which the perpetrators used short 9 × 19 FMJ ammunition in a close-range shooting, instances of CDD have been documented. Empirical evidence reinforcing the causal relationship between CDD and close-range shootings is presented. Elements' characteristics of firearm residues were also found in remains buried for up to 30 years. Primarily, this work shows that the concentrations of gunshot residues (Pb, Ba, and Sb) resemble those observed in fresh corpses with the same gunshot wound (GSW). Moreover, the correlation observed between CDD and gunshot residues, where the likelihood of CDD increases the closer to the head and the more perpendicular the shot angle is, reinforces CDD as a pivotal discriminatory factor in the skeletal evidence of short-range or contact shot. This research contributes to the field of forensic anthropology by providing fundamental insights into the etiology of CDD and its practical application., (© 2024 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)

Background: Gender-based violence against women and its lethal outcome, femicide, represent important issues around the world. Although governments have passed specific laws, official data on gender-related violence and femicide are often absent and/or incomplete, difficult to access, rarely updated, contested and underestimated due to stigma, victim blaming or issues of legal interpretation. Femicide is an intentional killing in which a woman is murdered by an individual for misogyny and gender-related reasons. The most common type is in fact intimate femicide, which occurs when the murdered woman and the aggressor have an intimate, family, cohabitation or similar relationship., Case Series: We analyzed 15 cases of femicide for which crime scene investigation and autopsy were carried out. For each case, a psychological autopsy was carried out and the means used to determine the individual's death were analysed. The circumstances in which the murder occurred were also examined., Discussion: Overkilling was evidenced in all cases analyzed. Over-killing in forensic medicine is known as a specific type of homicide in which the number of injuries inflicted far exceeds the number of injuries required to kill the victim. Therefore, the medico-legal management of the cases examined is complicated due to the multiple lesions present on the corpse on the victims which make difficult: 1) the reconstruction of the dynamics of the crime 2) the number of blows inflicted 3) the analysis of the fatal blow 4) the imputability of the offender.

Background: Homicide by burning is rare, involving victims exposed to direct flames, often with accelerants. This demonstrates excessive force by the assaulter. A thorough investigation is vital as fire can conceal pathological findings. This study presents two emblematic cases of intentional burning., Case Report: Two cases of homicide by fire are detailed. The first involves a male found dead in a fire-damaged apartment, doused with flammable liquid and set on fire by his partner. The autopsy showed heat hematoma and soot in the trachea and large bronchi. The second case involves a female set on fire with gasoline by an acquaintance, sustaining burns over 90% of her body and dying from hypovolemic shock. The autopsy revealed effusions in pleural and peritoneal cavities and a hyperaemic trachea., Conclusions: Intentional burnings are sporadic and difficult to classify without testimonial evidence. The difference between homicide and accidental burns relies on circumstantial evidence and antemortem injuries. Vital reactions to thermal lesions include red-base blisters, dilated capillaries, leukocyte infiltration, coagulative necrosis, heat hematoma, and soot in the airways. High carboxyhemoglobin levels indicate vitality. The first case showed heat hematoma and tracheal soot, while the second exhibited severe burns leading to hypovolemic shock. Testimonial evidence and crime scene examination were crucial in determining the homicidal nature. Forensic investigation of charred corpses requires a comprehensive evaluation of all available data. Crime scene analysis, combined with autopsy, toxicological tests, and post-mortem CT scans, helps establish the cause of death and differentiate between ante- and postmortem injuries.

Volatile substance abuse is widespread among adolescents due to its easy availability and methods of consumption. Inhalant abuse represents a current problematic issue, causing significant morbidity and mortality due to direct toxicity on several target organs and displacement of gas which results in a lack of oxygen. This review aims to evaluate post-mortem and toxicological investigations in cases of suspected butane intoxication. We performed comprehensive research using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review (PRISMA) standards. Forty scientific papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 58 cases of butane-related deaths were found. Among these, we found 11 cases of suicide (18%), 1 case of homicide (2%), 44 cases of accidental poisoning (76%), and 2 cases of work-related deaths (4%). Autopsy and post-mortem examinations were performed in 54 cases, whereas toxicological analyses were presented in 56 cases. In autopsy, pulmonary edema (51%) and poli-visceral congestion (59%) were the most common findings. When death by butane inhalation is hypothesized, autopsy and histological findings may be nonspecific, therefore toxicological investigations assume a crucial role along with attention to the methods used to collect biological samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)