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Journal Article

Citation

Neitzel AR, Gill JR. J. Forensic Sci. 2011; 56(6): 1657-1660.

Affiliation

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004. New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and Department of Forensic Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 520 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01891.x

PMID

21827474

Abstract

Death certification of "suicide by cop" is controversial among some medical examiners and coroners. We present five such deaths that were certified as suicides and discuss the medico-legal issues involved with these certifications. To certify such a death as a suicide, certain criteria should be met. Suicide by cop is a circumstance that involves competing intentional acts that may result in dichotomous determinations of the manner of death. Despite the absence of direct self-infliction, there is overwhelming evidence that these five individuals intended to end their own lives. Their use of an unusual method to accomplish this goal may inappropriately result in a reflexive certification of homicide. All of the decedents possessed weapons or a facsimile of a weapon. We present five instances of suicide by cop and contend that these types of deaths are best certified as suicides.


Language: en

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