Citation

Park J, Son H. J. Forensic Sci. 2018; 63(4): 1134-1137.

Affiliation

Sookmyung Women's University, 100 Chungpa-ro,47 Gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 140-742, Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13673

PMID

29059717

Abstract

On the basis of information regarding 276 homicides committed in South Korea between 1987 and 2008, we compared offenders' and victims' characteristics, injury locations, weapon-related behavior, and offending behavior between homicides involving sharp and blunt instruments. The victims of sharp-force homicide were much younger relative to those of blunt-force homicide. In addition, homicides involving blunt instruments were more likely to be committed by offenders who lived with the victims. Most sharp-force homicides involved injuries to the torso, while blunt-force homicides involved mainly head injuries. Furthermore, perpetrators of sharp-force homicides tended to preselect their weapons, while those of blunt-force homicides were likely to use weapons of opportunity. Logistic regression analysis identified a number of factors, including injury location and body transportation, which significantly predicted weapon type. As this was the first South Korean study to compare sharp- and blunt-force homicides, the results have practical implications for homicide investigations.

© 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

blunt instruments; forensic science; homicide; injury locations; sharp instruments; weapon use