Blunt and Sharp Force Trauma
A cut from a 2 X 4 or a single-edged versus double-edged knife, ice pick versus flathead screwdriver versus Phillips head screwdriver, scissors, barbecue fork, steak knife, or chef's knife. Being able to properly interpret wounds can provide invaluable information to the prosecutor as well as the defendant, as to the type of weapon used, the number of weapons used, and whether or not there had to be more than one assailant. Are they really defense wounds? Or self-inflicted to look like defense wounds?
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Gunshot and Shotgun Wounds
A typical entry wound or atypical, shored exit wound. Research articles show that trauma and emergency physicians are no more accurate than 50% in determining which is entry and which is exit. They are trained to treat what lies between; but, forensic pathologists are trained to distinguish between entry and exit wounds. What was the distance between muzzle and target? Consistent with self-inflicted or obviously not a suicide? What was the position when shot? Dr. Bonnell has autopsied more than 750 shooting victims.
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Injury Patterns and Patterned Injuries
Was it a ratchet jack or a scissors jack, jack handle or pipe, rounded or flat surface, multiple injuries by one implement or multiple injuries by several implements, one assailant or more than one? Cigarette burn, friction blister, electrical burn - how to differentiate. Position when injured. Survivability and ability to move following injury. Proper interpretation can substantiate or refute witness statements.
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Drugs
Many toxicologists consider the human body to be a glass container that one pours drugs into and then they are poured out at a constant rate. The body is dynamic; kidney and liver disease can affect the distribution and processing of drugs. The site from which the sample is taken at autopsy can affect the level of the drug. The post-mortem environment, such as fire, can affect drug levels. The same drug at the same level can have different effects on different individuals. Dr. Bonnell has co-authored an article on the Post-Mortem Redistribution of drugs in man, published in July, 2001.
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