The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
-
Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 1996
Homicide in homosexual victims: a study of 67 cases from the Broward County, Florida, Medical Examiner's office (1982-1992), with special emphasis on "overkill".
Forensic pathologists often state that homosexual homicides are more violent than those with heterosexual victims. Overkill or wounding far beyond that required to cause death is a frequently used descriptor of these deaths. We quantified the number and extent of injuries between homosexual and heterosexual homicide victims to determine whether one group suffered more violence than the other. ⋯ This difference was statistically significant using the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. Homosexual homicides are more violent than heterosexual homicides when one compares the mean number of injuries (fatal sharp, blunt, and total)/case and the extent of injuries on the body. The mean number of stab wounds wounds/case and percentage of cases with multiple causes of death were also greater among the homosexual group, but the differences were not statistically significant.