Introduction

The term “overkilling” is not clearly defined in medico-legal literature; it is used freely in reference to homicides with extremely numerous injuries.

Aim of the study

The authors’ objective was to find relationships between the extent and nature of injuries, the impact of the victims’ sex and blood alcohol content.

Material and methods

The authors analyzed 160 cases of homicides from 2004–2011 examined in the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow, committed with a sharp or blunt instrument.

Results

The authors found differences in the location of wounds on the body, depending on the type of tool used, the differences in the number of wounds in relation to the victim’s sex and disproportion of the number of fatal injuries in relation to the total number of injuries increasing with the total number of injuries. Alcohol in the victims’ blood was found as frequently in cases with defensive injuries, as in other cases.

Conclusions

Most of the homicide victims are men, but in cases involving particularly numerous wounds the proportion of male and female victims becomes more balanced. In the case of a very high number of wounds, the share of lethal injuries remains small. The presence of alcohol in the blood has no effect on defense attempts of homicide victims.