UA&P Final Exam- Legal Medicine

SARACHO, NICOLE R.
15-5017
1. The immediate cause of the victims death is Traumatic Brain
Injury from Penetrating Head Trauma. The leading cause of
death, which is Penetrating Head Trauma, is a wound in which a
projectile breaches the cranium but does not exit it. According to
the forensic autopsy of the victim in the case at bar, a gunshot
wound, was found on the back of the head was found and there
was no exit wound. The projectile that breaches in the cranium of
the victim in this case was a deformed .45 caliber slug which was
recovered inside the frontal area of the skull of the victim.
Penetrating head trauma is associated with high mortality rate
which caused bleeding and damage from the gunshot and results
in brain swelling which is fatal.
2. Yes. Livor Mortis can determine whether a body has been moved
post mortem. Evidences from the case at bar showed that Livor
Mortis was found in the back, buttocks and posterior portions of
the arms and legs of the victim. Livor Mortis occurs when blood
accumulate in the small vessels in the dependent parts of the
body. In the case, the victim was found lying face first but Livor
developed on the back of the body. The lividity found in his back
does not add up that he was found lying face first. If he is not
moved, the Lividity should develop on the front of the body
rather on the back.
Lividity begins about 30 minutes after death with full
development after 3 to 4 hours and becomes fixed in 8 to 10
hours. Fixed means that the livor had settled in one position for
more than 8 hours and can be no longer be significantly shifted
by changing the position of the body. From this fact, it may be
inferred that the body is moved when lividity has already been
fixed in the back part of the body of the victim. The victims body
was moved approximately 8 to 10 hours after the victim was shot
dead. The approximate time the victims body was moved
between 6PM- 8PM since lividity becomes fixed at approximately
8-10 hours from the time of death.

3. It may be inferred that the victim died at approximately 10AM,

which is
immediately after he was shot to the head. As
stated in the autopsy report, Rigor Mortis was already fully
developed all over the victims body. Rigor Mortis is the stiffening
of the muscles and joint of a dead body two hours after death.
Rigor Mortis is completely fixed 8 to 12 hours after death wherein
the body is fully stiff. Hence, it may be inferred that the victim
was already dead for approximately 12 hours. In addition, the
anatomic location of the gunshot wound is critical in determining
how fatal the injury is. A gunshot wound to the central nervous
system is life threatening and may cause immediate death. In
the case at bar, a bullet was recovered in the victims head. This
kind of injury causes immediate death due to distrupted tissues
which caused hemorrhage in one of the most vital part of the
body-the brain.
4. Yes. From the facts of the case, a single gunshot was heard at
around 10AM. Also, the neighbors of the victim heard male
voices shouting prior to the gunshot. From this fact, it may be
inferred that there is/are assailant/s in the victims house.
Moreover, autopsy revealed that there are 2 set of blood types
recovered in the crime scene. One was blood type AB which is
the victims blood type and the other was blood type B, which
may be from the assailant. In addition, forensic autopsy revealed
that there is a gunshot wound, irregular in shape, on the back of
the victims head and a .45 deformed caliber slug was recovered
in his frontal skull area. It may be inferred that someone might
have shot the victim. Suicide must be ruled out because it is
unlikely that the victim will shot himself in the back of his head.
Also, most suicide shots entail near contact range and if this is
the case, stippling, sooting, tattooing must appear.
5.

No, it is not possible that the victim committed suicide.

According to studies, most suicide shots entail contact or near
contact range. The following are the principle indicators from
close or contact range which are commonly seen in suicidal
firearm injuries are: (1) Stippling in the skin surrounding the
entrance wound; (2) Gun powder residues or soot; (3) Searing
where in it shows that the end of the barrel was actually pressed

against the skin. These following indicators of suicide were not

present in the forensic autopsy of the case at bar. Thus, ruling
out suicide as the cause of death of the victim. Evidence also
showed that there are bloodied footprints found near the body.
Upon testing, the blood type found was B. The victim is Blood
Type AB. This suggests that there is another perpetrator in the
house who might have shot the victim.
6. On 01 July 2016, at around 10 PM, the Baguio City Police
discovered a dead male body, with Blood Type AB in a house
inside an exclusive subdivision. According to the witnesses who
were the neighbors of the victim, they saw the wife of the victim
leaving the house at around 9AM. Prior to the gunshot that they
heard at around 10AM, shouting of male voices was heard. The
wife arrived home just before 10PM finding his husbands dead
body. She then reported the incident to the Baguio City Police.
Upon the arrival of the Scene of the Crime Officers and Crime
Scene Reconstructionist in the crime scene, they found a dead
male body in a prone position. There was a pool of blood near his
left arm, which was found to be Blood Type B. A single bladed
knife was found near the left of the body of the victim. High
Velocity Impact Spatter (HVIS) blood, with the Blood Type AB was
found in the area near the pool of blood. There were also
bloodied footprints found near the body. Upon testing, it was
shown to be Blood Type B.
After documenting the scene, the victims body was brought to
the morgue for autopsy. In the autopsy, it was revealed that
Rigor Mortis had already developed all over the victims body.
Livor Mortis which was already fixed was found in the back,
buttocks and posterior portions of the arms and legs of the
victim. A gunshot wound, irregular in shape was found on the
back of the head at the occipital area, posterior median line. A
deformed .45 caliber slug was recovered inside the skull in the
frontal area.
From the following facts, it may be inferred that after the wife of
the victim left the house, an unknown assailant with the intention
to kill entered the victims house. The victim upon seeing the

assailant and his weapon tried to defend himself and got himself
a single bladed knife. It appears that there was a struggle and
the victim succeeded in wounding the victim as evidenced by the
pool of blood and bloodied footprints with Blood Type B found in
the crime scene. After the struggle, the assailant had an
opportunity and shot the victim in the back of his head. This
caused an immediate death to the victim because a shot to the
head is extremely fatal. The assailant immediately left the crime
scene as evidenced by the bloodied footprints with his blood
type. At around 6PM-8PM, the assailant might have returned to
the crime scene and moved the victims body in a prone position.
This is evidenced by the already fixed Livor Mortis found in the
victims back, buttocks and posterior portions of the arms and
legs. It may be inferred that when the victim was shot he fell with
his back first. If the assailant did not move the body, the Livor
Mortis should have developed in his chest, stomach and the
anterior portions of his arms and legs. When the assailant moved
the victim, the body was already completely stiff thus lividity in
the chest, stomach and anterior parts of the arms and legs
cannot possibly develop.
7. The significance of the Blood Pool found in the crime scene ruled
the possibility of the victim committing suicide and helped in
concluding that the there was an assailant who attacked the
victim. . Upon testing, it showed that the blood pool found was
Type B. The victim was Type AB. Hence; the blood pool showed
that there was an assailant who was Blood Type B and that the
victim tried to defend himself and was successful in wounding
the assailant.
As for the High Impact Velocity Spatter (HVIS) found in the crime
scene, it is significant in determining the manner the incident
happened and where exactly the incident happened. It showed
where exactly in the crime scene the victim was attacked which
is helpful in reconstructing the crime scene. The deformed .45
caliber slug recovered from the skull of the victim showed that
the bullet directly hit the skull. When the assailant hit the victim,
he was more than 24 inches away from the victim because there
was no evidence of sooting, tattooing or stippling found in the

victims head.
Spatter.

Thus, causing the High Impact Velocity Blood

8. From the autopsy report, it may be inferred that when the

assailant hit the victim, he was more than 24 inches away from
the victim because there was no evidence of sooting, tattooing or
stippling found in the victims head. The bullet entered the back
of the head, at the occipital area, posterior median line then
going to the frontal area of the skull with no exit wound. Thus,
the trajectory of the bullet is anterior wards going to the front
area of the skull.