Mord und Totschlag – klinisch-rechtsmedizinische Untersuchungen von Tatverdächtigen in einem 20‑Jahres-Zeitraum

Forensic medical examinations of the living have always been part of forensic medical practice. While studies on victims of violence have already been extensively published, systematic examinations of suspects, especially of suspects in homicide cases, have so far been published only sporadically.

To investigate in how many cases suspects of a premeditated homicide have been examined in forensic medicine and whether characteristic findings can be found on the persons to support a reconstruction of the crime.

Between 2002 and 2022 a total of 67 persons suspected of having committed a homicide at the time of the examination were examined by staff of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University Medical Center Rostock (UMR). The information available at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the UMR on the examinations as well as the offences themselves was analyzed on the basis of numerous criteria. Special attention was paid to the correlation of the different forms of violence with certain injury patterns.

The suspects were male in 91% of the cases and predominantly in younger adulthood. The leading method of committing the crime was the use of sharp force, followed by the combined use of sharp and blunt forces. Of the 48 persons who were suspected of having killed another person by means of sharp force, 20 persons (41%) had injuries that could be attributed to handling a sharp instrument. Of the 30 persons suspected of having killed another person by means of blunt force, among other things, 23 (78%) had findings that may have arisen in the context of a physical altercation with the person killed, whereby the injuries were less characteristic. In a further 9 cases (13%) injuries were found that were interpreted as physical resistance by the victim.

The forensic medical examination of suspects who are accused of an intentional homicide can contribute considerably to the reconstruction of the events of the crime and to the clarification of the case. In this respect, a forensic examination should be emphatically offered to the investigating authorities for all cases in question.