The death of Kurt Cobain, which shocked music fans worldwide, has reignited controversy some 30 years after his death as a new private forensic report suggesting the possibility of homicide has been released, challenging the original conclusion of "suicide."
According to the Daily Mail's report on the 10th (local time), Cobain was found dead from a shotgun on April 5, 1994, in the space above the garage of his Seattle, Washington, home. At the time, the King County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death "suicide," and the investigation was closed. However, a recent research team made up of private forensic experts who reexamined autopsy records and scene materials claimed they found multiple circumstances that contradict the original judgment.
Independent researcher Michelle Wilkins, who participated in the study, said, "Some of the autopsy findings do not match immediate death from a gunshot," and explained, "Damage to the brain and liver and fluid in the lungs are signs of hypoxia commonly seen in heroin overdoses." The team suggested the possibility that Cobain was first incapacitated by an overdose and then shot by a third party.
The location of the shotgun at the scene, the direction of the shell casing, bloodstain patterns, and the relatively orderly state of the heroin paraphernalia were also cited as suspicious. The team argued, "Considering the size and weight of the firearm, it is unrealistic to pull the trigger in that posture while unconscious."
The so-called "suicide note" was also put under review. Wilkins claimed, "The writing at the top appears to express feelings about quitting the band, and the bottom few lines differ in handwriting and size." However, this analysis has not been recognized as "new evidence" strong enough to overturn the official conclusions of the existing investigative agencies.
In response, the Seattle Police Department and the King County Medical Examiner's Office reaffirmed their existing stance that "there is no new evidence to reopen the case at this time." The police emphasized, "The investigation results remain unchanged."
The research team said its aim is not to arrest or identify those responsible, but "to request transparent review of additional materials held by official agencies." They also mentioned copycat suicides that occurred after Cobain's death was solidified as "suicide," adding, "If the conclusion is wrong, the process of correcting it is important in itself."
The death of Cobain, the legendary frontman of the band Nirvana and an emblematic figure of the "27 Club," remains officially ruled a "suicide," but the debate is unlikely to die down easily with new claims emerging. While conspiratorial interpretations are recurring, a sober approach to the boundary between fact and verification is also required.
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