Archiv für Kriminologie
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Nov 2009
[Forensic age determination in living individuals at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Berlin (Charité): analysis of the expert reports from 2001 to 2007].
The analysis included the age reports provided by the Institute of Legal Medicine in Berlin (Charité) in the period from 2001 to 2007. A total of 416 age estimations were carried out, 289 in criminal and 127 in civil proceedings. 357 of the examined individuals were male, 59 were female. ⋯ In 300 cases, there were discrepancies of up to 11 years between the indicated age and the estimated age. The study demonstrates that forensic age estimation in living individuals can make an important contribution to legal certainty.
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Jul 2009
Case Reports[Has the transdermal patch gone up in smoke? A fatal fentanyl intoxication].
Recently, there has been an increase in fentanyl-related overdoses following administration of transdermal patches by the buccal, oral or intravenous route or via inhalation. A fatal intoxication is reported with clear evidence from toxicological analysis. However, the administration route and the fate of the patch remained elusive at the end of the investigations. ⋯ The history and circumstances of the case together with the toxicological findings suggest an intravenous or inhalative application of the patch. The latter assumption is supported by the fact that the body was found holding a cigarillo butt in his right hand. The case underlines the necessity to study fentanyl-related deaths more closely to allow a better interpretation of potential intoxications.
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Archiv für Kriminologie · May 2009
[Reconstruction of a fire homicide after pouring denatured alcohol on the victim].
A 48-year-old man died from extensive burns suffered especially on the upper part of the body during a dispute with his ex-wife, who had poured spirit or a spirit-water mixture over him. For initially unknown reasons, the man's clothing caught fire. ⋯ There is no deflagration, if spirit is used as a fire accelerant. In the trial, the defendant made a confession and admitted to have poured a mixture of 75% spirit and 25% water over her ex-husband and set fire to his right sleeve with the intention to kill him.
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Jan 2009
Case Reports[First report of lethal gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) intoxication after consumption of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in Lower Saxony].
A 25-year-old drug addict died from an overdose of GBL after mistaking it for water in preparing a dilution. He realized his error and wrote a call for help in the chat room of a drug forum, so that we know the time, type and approximate amount of drug consumed. The deceased had written numerous contributions in this drug forum before, which provide further information on his drug habits and the duration of the abuse of GHB, GBL and other drugs. According to the Criminal Investigation Department of Lower Saxony, this is the first death due to GHB/GBL reported in Lower Saxony.
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Jan 2009
[External and internal post mortem examination according to the german code of criminal procedure (StPO)--review of section 87 StPO with special emphasis on the forensic autopsy].
Section 87 subs. 2 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that a forensic or court-ordered autopsy shall be performed by two physicians. One of them must be a "forensic medical officer" (in German "Gerichtsarzt") or the head of a public forensic or pathology institute or a physician of such an institute entrusted with this task and having specialist knowledge of forensic medicine. Recently, it has been suggested to amend Section 87 subs. 2 StPO to the effect that self-employed specialists in forensic medicine can also be entrusted with court-ordered autopsies. The authors object to such privatization of forensic autopsies for legal and factual reasons and recommend to keep the present regulation according to which one of the physicians conducting the autopsy is not only required to have the necessary professional qualification, but must also hold a public position as defined in the law.