Unusual blood spatter patterns on the firearm and hand: A backspatter analysis to reconstruct the position and orientation of a firearm

When it comes to firearm fatalities, the main goal of forensic analysis is to distinguish firearm suicides from homicides and accidents. Apart from the location of the entrance wound, wound path trajectory and gunshot residue, blood stain pattern analysis of gunshot-related backspatter on the hands of the victim can be an essential tool not only to determine which hand was holding the firearm, but also to reconstruct the position from which a weapon was fired. We present a case of a 90-year-old man, who was found dead in his house. Because of unclear circumstances and an unusual position of the deceased with a gunshot entrance wound to the right temporal region and a firearm found on the left side of his body, an autopsy was performed. Due to the unusual bloodspatter stains on the hands and the firearm, it was possible to deduce the position and orientation of the hands and the firearm of the deceased. We could reconstruct that the man held the weapon in his right hand, using the left hand to stabilise the firearm and the right thumb to pull the trigger. A contact shot to the right temple led to central regulatory failure due to extensive brain injury. The manner of death was concluded to be a suicide. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.