In an autopsy, how does the examiner, for example, deduce that the victim has been slain x-amount of times with a weapon?

Question

Sometimes, when I’m watching true crime, they will say something like “the victim was struck 33 times with a hammer,” or “41 times with an axe,” etc. If it’s all in the same place, how do they maintain an accurate count? Wouldn’t it all be mush? How can they be exact?

In: 0

Answer 1

It’s actually very difficult to land multiple blows in the exact same place, especially on a victim who doesn’t want to be hit multiple times, so there will be different marks which can be discerned, depending on the weapon.

If it’s a stabbing, for example, it’s simply a matter of counting the stab wounds. With a blunt weapon, they might be looking at the cracks in the skull or other bones; if one crack is interrupted by another running in a different direction, then there must be at least two blows.

Answer 2

It’s actually very difficult to land multiple blows in the exact same place, especially on a victim who doesn’t want to be hit multiple times, so there will be different marks which can be discerned, depending on the weapon.

If it’s a stabbing, for example, it’s simply a matter of counting the stab wounds. With a blunt weapon, they might be looking at the cracks in the skull or other bones; if one crack is interrupted by another running in a different direction, then there must be at least two blows.