Homicide by electrocution

Abstract

Two cases of homicidal electrocutions are reported. A woman and her young son were killed in 1980 by her ex-husband. The criminal used electrical force as a method of killing. He wound flexible conducting wires around the limbs of the victims and switched on the current. He deliberately deceived his ex-wife by telling her that the circuits were incomplete and hence harmless. Thus, he persuaded her to be part of the circuits, so that a bulb could be lit when placed on her bare skin. The circumstances associated with these cases are given and the scene of the crime is described. Some important pathological aspects of electrical injuries are reviewed. The significance of pathological findings in the forensic investigations of electrocution is discussed.