Comparison of Wound Patterns in Homicide and Dyadic Death

Abstract

A comparison of patterns of injuries between homicides and cases of dyadic death was performed. In 195 homicides, 139 deceased (71%) showed exclusively one type of trauma (mainly gunshot wounds) whereas two and even three types of trauma were detectable in 45 (23%) and 11 (6%) of the cases, respectively. In contrast, 18 out of 20 victims of dyadic death (90%) showed one type of injury (mainly gunshot wounds) and only two victims showed two types of injury. Even though different methods of killing seem to be unusual in dyadic death, even in cases with more than one victim and evidence of different types of injuries, such features cannot provide reliable information useful for a differentiation between homicide and extended suicide.