Overkill behind closed doors: a medico-legal case series and review of literature of familial Homicides.

Authors

Domenico Abramo, Giorgia Burrascano, Cataldo Raffino, Pietro Tarzia, Elvira Ventura Spagnolo, Gennaro Baldino

Published in

Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan). Volume 85. Pages 102910. Jul 12, 2026. Epub Jul 12, 2026.

Abstract

"Overkill" is a specific homicidal pattern marked by the excessive and disproportionate use of violence beyond what is necessary to cause death to the extent that a high number of post-mortem lesions are often found on the corpse. Though it constitutes a minority of homicide cases, overkill is increasingly observed in domestic and familial contexts, where symbolic or psychopathological motivations often emerge. This study presents a review of literature concerning overkill in familial context and a five-year retrospective analysis (2021-2025) of judicial cases managed by the Institute of Legal Medicine of Messina, identifying eight incidents that met overkill criteria based on the offenders' modus operandi. All cases occurred in domestic settings and involved eleven victims (seven females, four males), with injuries primarily affecting the head, neck, and thorax. In all cases, both active and passive defense wounds were present. One case featured postmortem injuries and attempted concealment through carbonization. A multidisciplinary forensic approach was employed-integrating crime scene reconstruction, bloodstain pattern analysis, PMCT, autopsy, histology, toxicology, and forensic engineering. This comprehensive methodology enabled accurate reconstructions of the homicidal dynamics and offered decisive elements in understanding the severity and operational modalities of the aggression. The findings revealed consistent anatomical patterns and weapon typologies, echoing those reported in existing literature, while also underlining the recurrent presence of psychiatric comorbidities in offenders. This study highlights the importance of adopting a structured, interdisciplinary investigative framework for overkill cases. Beyond aiding case resolution, such a framework contributes to a deeper medico-legal understanding of escalating domestic violence, thus offering potential predictive and preventive value in future forensic and public health contexts.

PMID:
42456274
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Jul 2026.

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