NCJ Number
236906
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2011 Pages: 1657-1661
Date Published
November 2011
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Death certification of "suicide by cop" is controversial among some medical examiners and coroners. This article presents five such deaths that were certified as suicides and discusses the medico-legal issues involved with these certifications.
Abstract
To certify such a death as a suicide, certain criteria should be met. Suicide by cop is a circumstance that involves competing intentional acts that may result in dichotomous determinations of the manner of death. Despite the absence of direct self-infliction, there is overwhelming evidence that these five individuals intended to end their own lives. Their use of an unusual method to accomplish this goal may inappropriately result in a reflexive certification of homicide. All of the decedents possessed weapons or a facsimile of a weapon. After examining the five instances classified as "suicide by cop," The authors contend that these types of deaths are best certified as suicides. (Published Abstract)