Kurt Cobain, new investigation into his death: “It was murder”

Kurt Cobain he did not commit suicide: he was killed. This, at least, is what one claims shocking new forensic investigationwhich thirty-two years after the death of Kurt Cobain calls into question the hypothesis of suicide put forward at the time by the medical examiners who dealt with the case.

The singer of Nirvanaamong the most iconic figures of rockdied on April 5, 1994at the age of 27 years olddue to a gunshot wound which was considered self-inflicted in his home Seattle. At the time, the medical examiner who dealt with the matter established that it was suicidewhich occurred with a Remington Model 11 20 gauge shotgun. Now, a unofficial team of private sector forensic scientists analyzed the materials of theautopsy and of the scene of crime by Cobain, involving Brian Burnetta specialist who had previously worked on cases of overdose followed by trauma from firearmas reported by the Daily Mail. «Burnett – writes the British newspaper – boasts decades of experience in the analysis of crime scenes and in the interpretation of complex tests. He has won national recognition for his expert analyzes in controversial cases such as the death of the Marine colonel James Sabow and the investigation on Billey Joe Johnson Jrwhere his meticulous reconstructions forensics they questioned the official conclusions.” Forensic article containing new hypotheses about Cobain’s death has been subjected to peer review through the editorial process ofInternational Journal of Forensic Science before being accepted for publication.

The researcher Michelle Wilkinswho worked with the team, told the Daily Mail which, after alone three days of analysis of the evidence with fresh eyes, Burnett said: «It is a homocide. We have to do something about it.” Burnett reached the conclusion after a thorough examination of the results of theautopsywhich revealed signs not compatible with one instant death from a firearm. According to the results of the new forensic investigation, Cobain would have been confronted by one or more attackers which would have forced him into aheroin overdose to make it incapacitatedbefore one of them shot him in the headput the weapon in his arms and left a fake suicide note.

“There’s stuff in the autopsy that says, well, wait, this person didn’t die that quickly from a gunshot wound. There necrosis of the brain and liver occurs in case of overdose. It does not occur in cases of death by firearm,” Wilkins reported, pointing to the damage to organs associated with lack of oxygen. A spokesperson for the office of medical examiner who handled the case at the time declared to Daily Mail: «The medical examiner’s office collaborated with the local law enforcementperformed acomplete autopsy and followed all the procedures to reach the conclusion that it was suicide. Our office is always willing to review its findings if they come to light new evidencebut so far we haven’t seen anything to justify the reopening of this case and our previous determination of death.”

The new forensic report found that Cobain’s sleeves were roll up and that the heroin kit was found several meters away, containing capped syringes, cotton buds and pieces of heroin about the same size: “We’re supposed to believe he plugged the needles and put everything back after injecting himself three times, because that’s what you do when you’re dying. “Suicides are a mess, and this was a very clean scene,” Wilkins said.

The police in charge of the investigation said that Cobain injected himself with a quantity ten times higher to the normal one, which even a heavy consumer of would have done heroin. Cobain’s autopsy revealed the presence of fluid in the lungs, bleeding in the eyes and damage to brain et al liver. According to the forensic report, these findings are unusual for a rapid gunshot death, but are common in gunshot deaths heroin overdosewhich cause slow breathing and low blood flow. Eye bleeding and organ damage suggest his body may have been robbed of oxygenwhich probably didn’t happen just because of the shot, concluded the team that carried out the new analyses.

In most cases of gunshot wounds to the head, blood is often aspirated into the airways, but Cobain’s autopsy made no mention of this. Although brain injuries can sometimes causerespiratory arrestthis usually happens shortly after the trauma and, with such a serious injury, it is normal for some blood to appear in the airways. According to the new investigation, the dimensions and mechanics of the rifle made it unlikely that a comatose Cobain could handle it: “Imagine him being in a coma and dying, and even the way he would have had to hold it… it weighs almost two and a half kilos.” Wilkins also cited traces of blood suggesting the body may have been moved.

Even the alleged farewell card was carefully examined: «The top of the note is written by Kurt. There is nothing to do with suicide. It’s basically just him talking about leaving the band. Then there are four lines down. If you look at the card, you can see that the last four lines are written differently… the text is a little different. It’s bigger, and… it looks more scribbled.”

Wilkins concluded: «It seems to me that someone put on a film and wanted me to be absolutely certain that it was a suicide».