Crime scene reconstruction

[Annie Anthrax]

Such is the nature of human existence sadly!
I suppose my next question would have been if he had fallen, who pushed him? As surely his room would have been secured?

Anyway.
Erm, I can't think of a murder mystery to solve, so here is a forensics problem.

You have been asked to examine the body of a victim who has been shot. You have been asked by the detectives to account for:

- Why there are two bullet holes in the victim (one is small and circular, the other larger with ragged edges, almost like a STAR (Edit, whoops!))?
- What on the victim's body may indicated how far away the victim was shot from?

I'm not looking for perfect ballistic knowledge or anything. :p If you get 'kind of' the right answer that's fine too.
Good luck! biggrin  

[Evan_or_L]

I'm not very savi in my gun knowledge but here's me guess.

The bullet went in and out leaving two holes. the one going in had no shock absorbed tearing inward making it appear different. the other, having less speed from traveling through the body came out without tearing too much skin leaving a circle. As for things that were on the body, if gun powder was involved it would mean that the victim was close. If the gun was on them, bruising is a possibility.

That's my current guess.  

[Annie Anthrax]

Ooh, not bad! That's quite an educated guess!

Your first answer is almost there! But it isn't quite right! So close though! biggrin Think about how bullets kill!

The second answer is very good, as you point out, if the gun is held to the victims body, the barrel of the gun can leave a mark on the body. Soot is left behind and small bits of metal which are driven into the skin. Not to mention the actual gun-shot burning the skin at close ranges.  

[Evan_or_L]

Okay, I will ask a few questions.

Does a pierced organ count as a hole?
Did the bullet leave the body or did it go through?
Did the heat have to do anything with it?
Did the bullet fragment?

If the bullet went in and stayed in, I assume the organ was the second hole and is the scar based one?  

[Annie Anthrax]

The first question is of no relevance to the matter at hand. Although it IS something to consider if someone is shot, just no in this instance.

I should also hasten to add that you don't find anything to suggest this poor soul was shot 'up close'.

The bullet passed through the body, the holes are the entry and exit wound of the same bullet.

No, the heat generated from the gunshot doesn't have anything to do with this.

And let's say the bullet didn't fragment.

Finally, I must apologise. I have made a typo. It should be STAR shaped wound, not scar! gonk How embarrassing!

As my typo has thrown you awry somewhat have another hint or two; think what happens to a bullet while it travels down the barrel of a gun.
And once again, how does a bullet kill someone? It doesn't travel in a straight line inside the body, instead it...? Does what?

You are almost there! Your identification of the entrance and exit wounds are the wrong way around.
I appreciate this may be quite a complicated question, so if the above doesn't help I shall reveal all!  

[Evan_or_L]

Ohhhhh, a starshaped wound. I do recall reading a book called the things they carried. In the book, the writer mentions that a star shaped wound was in the man that he killed. He said that he lied when he said he threw a grenade. So it's is a possibility that it was a gun he used. So was he shot in the face, or does that matter? The star would be the opening wound and hole would be the body. Is this correct? It probably went through an organ causing profuse bleeding.  

[Annie Anthrax]

I'm afraid you are incorrect!

Allow me to solve this mystery! As you correctly identified, the bullet wounds are the entry and exit wounds.
The smaller, circular hole, is the entry wound. As a bullet is fired from a gun, it spins so it can fly in a straight accurate line. Because of this, it 'drills' into the skin leaving this neat mark.

The exit wound is the larger, more ragged wound. A bullet causes harm by 'tumbling' while inside the body. If you can imagine that? Instead of travelling in a straight line inside the body, the bullet flips around inside of you causing a large area of damage.

Because of this, when the bullet does emerge (as it doesn't always), the exit wound tends to be larger than the exit wound and quite ragged due to how the bullet is moving as it exits the body.

And that's the answer!

However, when someone is shot 'up close', like when the barrel is pressed onto or near the skin, a similar star shape is created as an entrance wound instead of a neat circle.
This is because of gases escaping from the gunshot which are forced into the skin causing it to rip and make this star like shape.
Complicated I know!  

[Evan_or_L]

Thank you!!! that was alot of fun to think about!  

[Annie Anthrax]

More mysteries! MOAR! scream



You know, to test the little grey cells. biggrin  

[Evan_or_L]

There were prints on the weapon. A man was camping in the woods. He was found with his knife in his stomach, he was clutching at the wound, the fire had burned itself out. There was firewood scattered on the ground. His wallet was not misssing, or any person effects.  

[Annie Anthrax]

Tripped and fell on his own knife did he? :p Suicide! A cult of forest dwelling Satanists!  

[Evan_or_L]

yes ma'am.

Alright I'm tired so this won't be very good. Two men were found dead at the crime scene. One had been shot, one had been stabbed. One man had on a blue shirt and one had a white shirt. The man with the white shirt had paper in his pockets. The man with the blue shirt had paper in his shirt pocket. One man was rich, one was average. They were at a large building and the weapons were at the scene.  

[Annie Anthrax]

You've got me stumped on this one! neutral The only thing I can think of is they were somehow planning to assassinate each other. xp

Oh! Or! Class war! White collar vs Blue collar! Who will win!  

[Evan_or_L]

the second one is really close. What's the story behind that?  

[Annie Anthrax]

Well, everyone knows the working man (blue collar) is being oppressed by the bourgeois! (white collar)
Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lost but your chains! gonk

Anyway, I still can't think of a plausible explanation. =/