Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 166170

www.elsevier.com/locate/forsciint

Comparison of wound patterns in homicide by

sharp and blunt force
Vipul Namdeorao Ambade *, Hemant Vasant Godbole
Department of Forensic Medicine, Vasantrao Naik Medical College, Yeotmal 445001, Maharashtra, India
Received 7 August 2003; accepted 30 December 2004
Available online 24 August 2005

Abstract

A comparison of patterns of injuries between sharp force and blunt force homicide was performed. Male predominance was
seen in both types of homicides. Most of the victims of sharp force were between 21 and 40 years and those of blunt force
between 31 and 40 years. There was no difference in the incidence of victims below 20 years age, but blunt force was almost five
times more than sharp force in victims of age above 60 years. Thorax was the commonest site to be involved in sharp force in
contrast to head in blunt force. Hand and forearm were the commonest sites of defence injuries in sharp and blunt force
homicides, respectively. The majority of the blunt force victims had lesions in only one region in contrast to involvement of 24
regions in sharp force. The majority of the victims were killed by acquaintances in blunt force, but criminals always prefer sharp
force to kill their victims. Single weapon was more commonly used in blunt force as compared to sharp force. Knife and wooden/
iron rods were the weapons of choice in their respective categories. Most of the victims of sharp force were killed outdoor in
contrast to victims own domicile in blunt force.
# 2005 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Keywords: Homicide; Pattern of injuries; Sharp force; Blunt force; Comparison

1. Introduction number of body regions involved, defence injuries, weapon,

Despite being the commonest form of homicide, there is
a relative paucity of studies regarding the pattern of injury
and other associated features in blunt and sharp force
homicides. This study was undertaken to remedy this gap
with an aim to make comparison between blunt force and
sharp force homicide.
Most articles published on homicide focus on age and sex
of victim, relationship between victim and assailant, motive,
weapon and site of crime, etc. Since there are few reports on
blunt and sharp force homicides in particular, we focused
this subject in relation to age and gender, location of injuries,
* Corresponding author. Present address: 479, Godhani Road, in
front of Padmavati Nagar, Nagpur 441111, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail address: vipulambade@rediffmail.com (V.N. Ambade).
assailantvictim relationship and crime scene.
2. Material and methods
All autopsy reports regarding homicides from the period
January 1998 to December 2000 were reviewed retrospec-
tively. All autopsies had been performed in the forensic
medicine Department of Nagpur University. Of the total 241
homicides during the study period, deaths due to blunt forces
were 99 (41.1%) and sharp forces 91 (37.8%). In the present
study only the sharp force and blunt force homicides were
included, compared and possible characteristics of each
group were analyzed. Twelve other cases where both types
of forces were involved in the death of the victim were
excluded from the study.

0379-0738/$ see front matter # 2005 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.12.027
 V.N. Ambade, H.V. Godbole / Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 166170 167

Table 1
Age and gender distribution of blunt and sharp force homicides
Age group (years) Blunt force (n = 99) Sharp force (n = 91)
M % F % Total % M % F % Total %
<1 years 1 1.2 0 0.0 1 1.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0
110 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0
1120 5 5.8 1 7.7 6 6.1 5 6.0 0 0.0 5 5.5
2130 16 18.6 2 15.4 18 18.2 32 38.1 2 28.6 34 37.4
3140 26 30.2 5 38.5 31 31.3 30 35.7 4 57.1 34 37.4
4150 20 23.3 2 15.4 22 22.2 9 10.7 1 14.3 10 11.0
5160 4 4.7 2 15.4 6 6.1 5 6.0 0 0.0 5 5.5
6170 10 11.6 1 7.7 11 11.1 2 2.4 0 0.0 2 2.2
>70 years 4 4.7 0 0.0 4 4.0 1 1.2 0 0.0 1 1.1
Total 86 86.9 13 13.1 99 100.0 84 92.3 7 7.7 91 100.0

3. Results

3.1. Age and gender

The age and sex distribution is given in Table 1. In

homicide by blunt force, 86.9% of the victims were male
and 13.1% were female with male-female ratio equal to
6.6:1. The age ranges from 1 year to 79 years in male and 16
years to 62 years in female. 71.72% of the victims were
between the ages of 21 and 50 years with peak incidence at
3140 years. The four victims (out of total six) below the age
of 20 years were between 15 and 19 years. 15.2% of the
victims were above the age of 60 years.
Whereas in homicide by sharp force, 92.3% of the victims
were male and 7.7% were female with male-female ratio equal
to 12:1. The age of the victims ranges from 10 to 75 years in
male and 21 to 44 years in female. 74.73% of the victims were
between the ages of 21 and 40 years with peak incidence at 21
30 years and 3140 years. The four victims (out of total five)
below the age of 20 years were between 15 and 19 years, all
males. Only 3.3% of victims were above the age of 60 years.
Homicides by blunt force predominate at all age groups
except age group 2130 years and 3140 years in which
sharp force victims outclassed blunt force victims (Fig. 1).
3.2. Location of injuries
The distribution of injuries over body by blunt and sharp
forces is illustrated in Fig. 2. In blunt force, lacerations and
Fig. 2. Location of injuries over body.
underlying fractures were usually encountered over body.
Head was the region most often affected (80.8%) followed
by upper limb (21.2%), chest (20.2%), abdomen and lower
limbs in 11.1% each.
In sharp force, stabbing was usually encountered over
body. Thorax was the region most often involved (72.5%)
followed by abdomen (42.9%), upper limbs (29.7%), lower
limbs (22.0%), head (20.9%) and neck (19.8%).
In blunt force, head injury was encountered in 80.8% of
the victims and rupture of visceral organs in 20%. In sharp
force, stabbing was encountered in 84.6% of the homicidal
victims and fatal incised wound in 25.3%.
3.3. Number of body regions
The number of body regions involved in sharp and blunt
force is given in Fig. 3. The body was divided into six
regions namely head, neck, thorax, abdomen, upper limbs

Fig. 1. Age distribution in blunt and sharp force homicides. Fig. 3. Number of body regions involved.
168 V.N. Ambade, H.V. Godbole / Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 166170

Table 2 Table 3
Defence injuries and sites in blunt and sharp force homicides Assailantvictim relationship in blunt and sharp force homicides
Type and sites of Blunt force Sharp force Assailants Blunt force % Sharp force %
defence injuries (n = 99) (n = 91) (n = 99) (n = 91)
Number % Number % I-Close family relationship
Defence injuries present 39 39.4 40 44.0 Husband 6 6.1 2 2.2
Incised wounds ** ** 37 92.5 Wife 1 1.0 1 1.1
Stab wounds ** ** 11 27.5 Father 2 2.0 0 0.0
Lacerated wounds 6 15.4 ** ** Children 3 3.0 1 1.1
Abrasions/Contusions 30 76.9 ** ** Brother 3 3.0 6 6.6
Over hand 13 33.3 28 70.0 In-laws 2 2.0 0 0.0
Over forearm 27 69.2 22 55.0 Others 5 5.1 4 4.4
Over arm 3 7.7 9 22.5 Total 22 22.2 14 15.4

II-Extra familial relationship

Acquaintances 42 42.4 15 16.5
Criminals 0 0.0 32 35.2
and lower limbs. The data refers to number of regions and
Strangers 11 11.1 10 11.0
not to number of lesions. In homicide due to blunt force,
Unknown 16 16.2 18 19.8
69.7% had injuries in only one region. In sharp force, only Others 8 8.1 2 2.2
36.3% had injuries in one region. The majority of the victims
of sharp force had 24 regions affected. Total 77 77.8 77 84.6

3.4. Defence injuries

3.6. Combination deaths
Defence injuries and their sites are shown in Table 2.
Evidence of defence injuries was found in sharp force in In the total homicide material there were 15 cases in
44% of the victims with incised wounds being the com- which several types of violence had been applied and where
monest (92.5%) followed by stab wounds (26.8%). Incised death was considered to be caused by a combination of
wounds to hands were found in 28 cases (70%) and forearm method. In 12 cases sharp force was combined with blunt
in 22 cases (55%). force and in two cases with strangulation. In one case blunt
In blunt force, 39.4% of the victims showed defence force was combined with strangulation. All these cases have
injuries. Abrasions and contusions were seen in 30 cases not been included in the present study.
(76.9%) followed by lacerated wound in 6 cases (15.4%).
Forearm was involved in 27 cases (69.2%) and hand in 13 3.7. Weapon
cases (33.3%).
Thus hand was the commonest site of the defence As per Table 4, in sharp force, the weapon was known in
injuries in sharp force as compared to forearm in blunt 68.1% cases and not known in 31.9% cases. Single weapon
force. was used in 46.2% cases whereas in 22% cases, weapons
were used in combination. Knife was used in 44%, stiletto-
3.5. Assailant victim relationship like (long, slender, double-edged, pointed weapon) in 22%
and sword in 16.5%. Other weapons include spear, axe,
As seen in Table 3, in blunt force, 22.2% of the victims scissor, chopper and dagger.
were killed by perpetrators who were the family members of In blunt force, the weapon was known in 71.7% cases and
the victims and 77.8% by assailants having no family unknown in 28.3% cases. Single weapon was used in 64.6%
relationship with the victim. In sharp force, 15.4% of the cases, whereas in 7.1% cases, weapons were used in com-
victims were killed by perpetrator having close family
relationship with the victim and 84.6% by assailant having Table 4
no family relationship. Weapons in blunt and sharp force homicides
In blunt force, 6.1% of the victims were killed by their
Weapons Blunt force Sharp force
husband and 16.1% by relatives other than husband of the
(n = 99) (n = 91)
victims. In sharp force, 6.6% of the victims were killed by
their brother and 8.8% by relatives other than brother of the Number % Number %
victims. In blunt force, 42.4% of the victims were killed by Known 71 71.7 62 68.1
acquaintances and 11.1% by strangers. In sharp force, 35.2% Unknown 28 28.3 29 31.9
of the victims were killed by criminals, 16.5% by acquain- Single weapon 64 64.6 42 46.2
tances and 11% by strangers. In-combination 7 7.1 20 22.0
 V.N. Ambade, H.V. Godbole / Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 166170
Fig. 4. Scene of crime.
bination. Wooden stick was used in 30.3%, Iron rod in 16%,
foot in 15%, stone/brick in 12%. Other weapons include
cement pipe, cricket bat, spade, etc.
3.8. Crime scene
As illustrated in Fig. 4, in blunt force, 36.4% of the
victims were killed outdoor and 35.4% of the victims were
killed in their own house. In sharp force, 64.8% of the
victims were killed outdoor and 16.5% of the victims were
killed in their own home. In others domicile, blunt force had
an edge over the sharp force.
4. Discussion
In general, male predominance is seen in homicide with
peak age of incidence at third decade [1,2] and fourth
decade [3,4]. In present series of blunt and sharp force
homicide, most of the victims were male with peak age 31
40 years in blunt force and 2130 years and 3140 years in
sharp force. Fischer et al. [3] reported that most victims due
to blunt force were aged 4150 years (20.9%) followed by
3140 years (17.8%) and those due to sharp force were aged
2130 years (28.8%) followed by 4150 years (23.8%).
Rouse [5] and Rogde et al. [6] states that the most victims of
sharp force were aged 2130 years which has also been
noted by Hunt and Cowling [7]. This is probably because of
indulgence of this age group in violent acts. There was no
difference in the incidence of sharp and blunt force in
victims below 20 years age but blunt force was almost five
times more common than sharp force in victims of age
above 60.
As noted with other series, the thorax remains the
commonest site of injuries in sharp force [58] in contrast
to the head in blunt force [9,10]. It may result from thorax/
head being the chosen site for injury or from the fact that
injury to chest or head has a high mortality. In blunt force,
head injury was encountered in 80% of the victims and
injury to visceral organs in 20%. In sharp force, stabbing
was encountered in 84.6% of the homicidal victims and
fatal incised wound in 25.3%. These findings are similar to
those reported by Kominato et al. [4] in Toyama Prefec-
ture, Japan (Head Injury in 70.8% and rupture of visceral
169
organ in 29.2%, stabbing in 72.7%, incised wound in
27.3%). In sharp force, stabbings were more common over
thorax, abdomen and lower limbs whereas incised wounds
were common to head, neck and upper limbs. There was no
such striking feature in blunt force.
Another striking difference in two types of forces was
the number of body regions involved. Injury in only one
region was more common in blunt force than in sharp
force. This is probably due to the fact that only head was
often involved in blunt trauma. Blunt instruments are
mostly used unintentionally. Moreover, as the victims
usually falls down or becomes unconscious after receiving
blows to head, the assailant is discouraged to inflict further
blows. In contrast to this, sharp force is usually delivered
with intention to cause death of the victim and to ensure
death, multiple attacks are made usually, thereby involving
more than one region. Ormstad et al. [11] and Rogde et al.
[6] noted 34 region involvement commoner in sharp force
victims.
Defence injuries have been demonstrated to occur in 44%
of the victims in sharp force and 39.4% in blunt force.
Incised wounds over hand and contusions/abrasions over
forearm being the commonest injury in sharp and blunt force
respectively. Rouse [5] noted the defence injuries in 45% of
the cases with incised wounds to hand being the commonest.
Defence wounds over hands/forearms are the commonest
simply because they are used in fending off an attack or to
grasp the weapon. But their presence or absence depends on
a number of factors including the length of time of the attack
and whether the victim of the attack is able to move his or her
hands in a useful manner.
There were 22 and 14 deaths (22.2% and 15.4%)
brought about by perpetrators who were family members
by means of blunt force and sharp force, respectively. The
most common relationship was husband/wife followed by
other relatives in blunt force and brother followed by other
relatives in sharp force. There were 77.8% and 84.6%
deaths brought about by perpetrator having no family
relationship by means of blunt and sharp force, respec-
tively. In blunt force, 42.4% of the victims were killed by
acquaintances, in contrast to 16.5% in sharp force. Scott
[12] and Kominato et al. [4] reported close family relation-
ships in 43 and 58.5% of the homicides, respectively.
Rogde et al. [6] found almost 35% close family relation-
ships in sharp force. Kominato et al. [4] reported 69.2% of
the homicides by acquaintances and 30.8% by perpetrator
not acquainted with their victims. Criminals always prefer
to use sharp force to terminate their enemy, whereas
acquaintances prefer blunt force, while strangers uses both
type of force almost equally.
Regarding weapons of offence, the single weapon in
sharp force homicide was used in 46.2% as compared to
64.6% in blunt force. Thus the single weapon was more
commonly used in blunt force homicide as compared to
sharp force. The knife was the commonest weapon to be used
in sharp force whereas wooden stick in blunt force. In
170 V.N. Ambade, H.V. Godbole / Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 166170
comparison to blunt weapon, the sharp weapons were com-
monly used in combination of two or more weapon. The
possible reason behind this was the gang of hard-core
criminals or multiple assailants keep different sharp weap-
ons to eliminate the enemy. Rogde et al. [6] registered knife
as a weapon of offence in most of the cases of sharp force
homicide.
In sharp force, most of victims were killed outdoor
(64.8%) and only 16.5% of the victims were killed in their
own home. But victims were commonly killed in their own
home by blunt force as compared to sharp force. This is
inconsistent with that of Rogde et al. [6] who found almost
59% of the victims to be killed in ones own domicile and
only 15% were killed outdoor by means of sharp force.
These findings are also in great contrast to homicide in
general as reported by Kominato et al. [4] who found
majority (80%) of the homicide occurred at the residence
of the victims.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank Dr. A.P. Dongre, Dr. A.N. Keoliya, Dr.
P.G. Dixit, Professor and Head, Forensic Medicine for their
invaluable guidance. We also wish to thank Dr. A.G. Wan-
khede and Dr. A.K. Batra, Associate Professors for inspira-
tion to carry out this work and Mr. Sudesh Rathod for his
secretarial assistance.
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