Homicidal hanging masquerading as suicide

Homicidal hanging is rare and presents special problems for the forensic pathologist. We report a case of homicide by hanging masquerading as suicide, in which the forensic evidence was of crucial importance. The victim was a 61 years old man, who was found in his house suspended by a rope around his neck. The autopsy showed fresh bruises due to blunt trauma. Moreover, a voluminous subdural haematoma with brain swelling was found which indicated that the victim was unconscious at the time of the hanging, An obvious vital reaction consisting of cutaneous bleeding in the ligature mark supported the opinion that the deceased was alive and not dead at the time of the hanging. The estimation of the time of death was of great importance, as only one other person could have been present at the estimated time interval. This person was later sentenced to prison for manslaughter. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.