How To Strangle A Rock Star In Six Minutes…

When the EMS who made the remarks to 911 dispatch on May 18th stated:

“Signs of strangulation”. It is important to understand he made these comments separate from noting “ligature marks”.

“Trauma to the back of the head…”



Asst. Prof. Dr. Atef Foda & Dr. Eslam Samy help us better understand how Chris Cornell died, and comparing suicidal hanging versus homicidal strangulation:

“The term asphyxia (from Greek, “a” = without & “sphuxis”= pulse or heartbeat). It refers to a state in which the body becomes deprived of oxygen while in excess of carbon dioxide (i.e. hypoxia and hypercapnoea) without a steady supply of oxygen, the body’s vital functions shutdown within four to six minutes.

Hypoxia: means that O2 lack in the tissues.
Anoxia: means that no O2 is present in the tissues.

Violent asphyxia (Mechanical asphyxia): It is due to mechanical interferences to respiration by (a) Impedes access of air to lungs, or (b) Reduces blood supply to head and neck, or (c) Causes sudden cardiac arrest due to stimulation of carotid sinus with resulting reflex vagal inhibition. Violent asphyxia occurs in cases of:

I. Suffocation (smothering, choking, traumatic asphyxia, etc.).
II. Fatal pressure on the neck (hanging and strangulation).
III. Drowning.



The classical signs of asphyxia are accentuated where there is struggle to breathe due to obstruction of the air passages or pressure on the neck or chest. Conversely, cardiac arrest may occur either immediately or after a short interval of pressure on the neck, or sudden blockage of the air passage, or sudden entry into irrespirable gas, so the classical signs of asphyxia may have no time to develop.
So, the classical signs of asphyxia are nonspecific and can occur in deaths from other causes, they should never be accepted alone as an evidence of asphyxia.”



External signs:
1. Congestion of the face: is the red appearance of the skin of the face and head. It is due to the filling of the venous system when compression of the neck prevents venous return to the heart.

2. Edema of the face: is the swelling of the tissues due to transudation of fluid from the veins caused by the increased venous pressure as a result of venous obstruction of venous return to the heart.

3. Cyanosis of the skin (especially head & neck): is the blue color due to the presence of deoxygenated blood in the congested venous system.

4. Petechial haemorrhages: are pinpoint hemorrhages, most commonly seen in the skin of the head and face and especially in the lax tissues: lips, behind the ear, eyelids, conjunctivae and sclera of the eyes. This is due to marked increase in venous pressure from impaired venous return (causes rupture of small venules), and hypoxia of the vessel wall.

5. The eye ball appear prominent due to retro – orbital oedema and congestion.

6. Hypostasis is well developed and is dark blue in color.

7. Bloody froth appears around mouth and nose due to rupture of the capillaries in the air passage.

Suicidal & homicidal in asphyxia cases are rare, but do occur.



(Pictured: Martin Kirsten, The Man Paid To Protect Chris Cornell)

– Traumatic (Crush) Asphyxia
This is a type of asphyxia, caused by mechanical fixation of the chest so that normal movements of respiration wall are prevented.

In other words it occurs by pressure over the chest and abdomen that restricts respiratory movements.

Manner of death with Traumatic Crush Asphyxia:

1. Accidental:
a) Occurs while repairing a car, the jack slips and the vehicles falls on top of the individual.
b) In cases like multiple deaths during stampede chest is compressed and respiratory movements prevented by stampeding people pilling on the top of each other causing “Riot crush” or “human pile” deaths. This occurs in riots and in hotel fire.
c) In building collapse and earthquakes.
2. Homicidal:
It is rarely homicidal. But it may occur by burial of or sitting on the chest of the victim (torture).

This manner of death would certainly explain why Chris Cornell had 9 fractured ribs and internal hemorrhaging. While no doubt the medical data tells us ribs being fractured or broken during CPR is common, however, on a man Chris’ age and peak physical condition that many is definitely overboard according to case studies. It is more in line with auto crash or being involved in a serious fight for your life.

Perhaps the killer sat on Chris while he strangled him from behind on the floor after a brief fight. The killer obviously would have used the same workout band that he hung Chris to the door with to fabricate suicide. That way the ‘horizontal’ ligature looks the same. Think about it. That is why the killer selected to hang Chris from a partial suspension and not a complete hang, or that would have lifted the noose off the back of the neck and created the classic ‘V’ ligature pattern. Plus to do that he would have had to hang him in the shower due to Chris’ height.



(Pictured: Not Chris Cornell, Example Of ‘V’ Ligature Mark)

Fatal pressure on the neck

Two forms are of forensic importance, hanging and strangulation. Strangulation is either manual strangulation (throttling), or ligature strangulation.

Mechanism of death:

Rapid or instantaneous death:

By sudden cardiac arrest, duo to reflex vagal inhibition, by stimulation of baroceptor nerve endings, in the carotid sinuses and sheaths. Very often in hanging, common in manual, and less often in ligature strangulation.

Relatively slow death: duo to:

a) Cerebral anoxia: by compression and occlusion of carotid arteries.
b) Closure of the airway by elevation of the larynx against the base of the tongue.



(1) Hanging

Hanging is a form of asphyxial death, which is caused by the suspension of the body by a ligature, the constricting force being the weight of the body.

1. Complete hanging:

In this type of hanging the constricting force is the weight of the body as the body is fully suspended in air.

2. Incomplete (partial) hanging:

In this type of hanging, the constricting force is the weight of the head (about 5-6kg) and the lower parts of the body (toes, feet, knees or buttocks) touch the ground.

Hanging can be suicidal, homicidal, accidental and judicial.


(2) Strangulation
It is a form of violent asphyxia which is caused by constriction of neck without suspending the body.
It is mainly of two types:

A- Ligature strangulation.
B- Manual (Homicidal) strangulation.

Ligature strangulation

This is the type of strangulation in which a ligature material is used to compress the neck and the assailant applies the constricting force without suspending the body.

In rare cases the body is suspended in near death state or after dead to fabricate suicide by hanging.

Manner of Death:

1- Homicidal strangulation:

– It is a common form of murder. In rare cases, BOTH manual and ligature strangulation are used to commit a homicide.

If a ‘death choke’ used by cops and security guards was indeed used on Chris Cornell by the assailant no external physical marks would be left on the skin, like a normal strangulation where hands around a neck leaves imprints and fingernail marks.

http://www.chriscornell.com/


#TruthForChris

Top Photo Credit: Ken Settle