Multiple Sharp Force Injuries to the Head – The Crime of Passion

Abstract

Introduction The Institute of Forensic Medicine was founded by Professor Milovan Milovanović (1884– 1948) in 1923 as part of School of Medicine of the University of Belgrade, and also established the Institute’s forensic collection worthy of a museum. This paper illustrates the way Professor Milovanović made this collection into a teaching aid for student education. We present a case of crime of passion from the year 1931, from our Institute’s collection.

Case Outline The victim was a 30-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds of the head, neck and arms. It was noted in the case history that the deceased woman was a maid with a wealthy merchant, as well as that she had “dubious morals” for that time, with three wooers at the same time. Injuries to the forearms and the index finger prove that the victim tried to defend herself. In the autopsy record there is a drawn figure of a kitchen knife with a rounded blade tip, which explains the absence of stab wounds to the skull, and the presence of the impression skull fractures and crushed skull bones. It was concluded that the death occurred due to exsanguination, in turn due to transection of the left carotid artery, probably caused by sharp force, while the manner of death was homicide. Some of the most prominent autopsy findings were multiple mutilating overkill sharp force injuries, localized on the head, indicated sexually motivated murder.

Conclusion Combining the museum specimen, diagrams with injuries, drawn figure of the kitchen knife used, and photographs taken during the autopsy and the police investigation, Professor Milovanović was able to properly illustrate this intriguing case to students without a computer or a PowerPoint presentation.

Keywords: forensic medicine; sharp force injury; multiple injuries; homicide; overkill; sexually motivated murder