Post by freudsassistant on Aug 29, 2009 22:40:57 GMT -5
Singer-songwriter, Elliot Smith died October 21, 2003 of two apparent self-inflicted stab wounds to the chest (Smoking Gun). Smith had many issues in the past battling drug addiction, most notably an addiction to the narcotics, heroin and morphine. At the time, Elliot Smith was clean and not using drugs which made the apparent suicide a bit suspect (Pelisek 1). One of the first things that was troubling about the entire situation was the manner in which it was told through the first hand account of his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. Elliot Smith’s suicide note was written on a post-it note and while it was first reported his name was spelled wrong (leading to more suspicion), this was ruled a mistake by the investigator, botching the investigation to a further extent. However, the question of handwriting still remained. The handwriting on the note did not match Elliot Smith’s normal handwriting. The autopsy reports revealed that while the death would be consistent with a suicide, other circumstances have arisen leaving the case open for a possible homicide investigation (The Smoking Gun). This came about through many different ways.
Smith was taken to a hospital where the staff attempted to save his life to no avail. Because he died at the hospital, there was no formal crime scene, other than the initial house in which he performed the alleged stabbing (The Smoking Gun). Collected at that scene were a nail and hair kit as well as a black t-shirt he had apparently bled on. When the body was inspected at the morgue the noted operational scars were seen as well as the two small lacerations directly into the middle of the chest. What was also extremely notable about the body were two small cuts on his left and right arm (The Smoking Gun).
Because Smith had a history with drugs, he was tested to see if there were any illegal substances in his system and it came up negative. The reason why this was done was to ensure that his death was in no way influenced by a substance he used to abuse such as alcohol or heroin (Petrides 1). Heroin is opiate that sedates the senses. As an opiate the chemical structure of heroin fits in easily to the receptors that exist in the brain (Girard 277). Because the addict is put in such a euphoric state, it is possible that one can be rendered so high they might not understand an action they commit towards themselves, such as a stab wound (Arnold Reid 656).
When someone dies of a heroin overdose, in most of the cases track marks are also found along the arms or various body parts where the heroin might have been injected (Girard 277). The only cases where this is not relevant is if the decedent was snorting the powder form of heroin. When the body was examined there were visible scars on his body, but there were none recent enough to deduce that he had been using heroin again (The Smoking Gun). Testimony from close friend and relatives also attested to this citing Smith’s year long sobriety and eagerness to continue making music for the rest of his life (Petrides 1).
Toxicology reports found no traces of heroin or any illegal narcotic in his system. The kidneys were examined and there was no evidence to believe that this was an illegal drug related death in any form. This coupled with the various statements from those close to him, all led to the eventual conclusion that there were no drugs involved. The autopsy report that was filed concluded that there was no evidence of a drug overdose or an abuse of drugs at the time. The tests had yielded inconclusive results as to this theory (The Smoking Gun). For this reason, the coroner had to be certain that Smith had not taken any illegal drugs and this lends itself to the statement that Smith’s death might have involved foulplay. [...]
The autopsy report left the possibility of a homicide open. The stab wounds while fatal nature had no marker of hesitation which is usually consistent with suicide. The knife had also gone through closing (The Smoking Gun). According to the reports, a knife almost always has evidence of certain ways they went in when it comes to suicide. The stab wounds had no distinct angle and seemed as if they were driven with more force. Being that the stab wounds went trough his shirt, it is suspected that there was force used. The biggest inclination finally were the two lacerations on his hand and arm which indicate that there might have been some sort of struggle or a form of defense that was used (The Smoking Gun). The only person present at the time was Jennifer Chiba, who refused to talk to the cops. This act made her an official person of interest in the eyes of the authorities.
The lacerations on the arm did not have a specific pattern to them. Typically if there is an act of self-mutilation that leads to death or that precludes death, there tends to be a pattern of marks along the arm, as with any pattern of stabbing or scratching. In this instance, the marks were scattered throughout different parts of the arms and body to indicate there might have been some sort of struggle (The Smoking Gun). If one were to abide by the suicide conclusion, they might deduce that the struggle might have taken place once the girlfriend realized he was trying to stab himself and tried to stop him. However, the story given and her uncooperative attitude with the police made her a bit suspicious. The fact that her fingerprints were on the knife makes it really difficult for one to believe that she just “pulled the knife out” given her secrecy to the event in question.
Another theory that came about was the possibility of a mixture of alcohol with the prescription drugs to create side effects such as depression. Elliot Smith was not only in rehab for heroin, but also for alcohol as he was a severe alcoholic. Since alcohol is a stimulant which can lead to depression and the medication that Smith was taking was for medication it was widely believed at first that the two might have been mixed. The prescription drugs were anti-depressant drugs and drugs for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Pelisek). A drug that might have been taken was Ritalin and given its mix with alcohol, it could be thought that used to an excess and mixed with alcohol, the results can be depression (Maher 720). This was one of the first things that was looked at in the autopsy report.
Results were inconclusive though as toxicology reports revealed that there was no alcohol in his system and that the medications were taken at prescribed levels. The post-mordem toxicology report discovered that there were no traces of alcohol in his liver, which is where a bulk of alcohol tends to accumulate and have an effect on (Maher 112). While there was decomposition due to his years of heavy drinking, the reduction reaction was not significant and the blood alcohol levels, which were also tested, revealed no alcohol in his system whatsoever. The analysis of the toxiclogical information revealed no evidence of drugs or alcohol used in the body. This begs the question then as to why Smith would have done this, after being sober for a year and seemingly in higher spirits (according to those close to him).
In the police report, it was noted that when the evidence was analyzed, there were two sets of fingerprints on the knife. Both were latent fingerprints that were discovered using the powder method which is typically used when trying to get fingerprints off of hard materials, in this case a stainless steel kitchen knife (Girard 139). The fingerprints were close together; this was also an indication of there being a struggle during the supposed, “suicide”. Chiba refused to answer questions as to whether or not there was struggle. The only council she was willing to give was that she pulled the knife out of his chest despite his willingness to want to kill himself.
Another specimen that was investigated in the report was the heart as the stab wounds to the heart seemed to be what caused the death at the time. Upon further inspection and analysis during the autopsy, it was found that the two stabs wounds had in fact caused the damage but that the first stab wound had only done minor damage (The Smoking Gun). The second stab wound not only pierced skin and bone, but did in fact rupture the heart resulting in a fatal stab wound to Elliot Smith. There are many questions that arise as to why there were two stab wounds and why it was done in such a harsh matter, delivering a blow so brutal it would damage the heart beyond repair causing death (Pelisek). [...]
What makes this suspicious was the fact that there were two stab wounds in the first place and that the second one was done with such force as to pierce the heart. It is often difficult for one to have that type of strength wherein they could take an instrument and force it into their chest cavity, through clothing, bone and into their heart. The angle and distance from the arms to the heart is such that it makes it extremely difficult for one to gather that much momentum for a stab wound to be that harsh (Pelisek). Additionally, after the first stab wound, it can be implied that one would not have the proper amount of energy to deliver the proper blow to rupture the heart. The knife used was also a simple kitchen knife which would have required even more strength on the person attempting to end their own life. If one were to have stabbed Smith, they might have tried once and failed and tried once again, rupturing the heart and causing the death. Regardless of these logical theories, the plain truth on the autopsy report was that the cause of the death for Elliot Smith was a rupture of the heart, caused by the second stab wound to the chest (The Smoking Gun).
The final piece of evidence had nothing to do with the body but had everything to do with the theory of suicide. Before the supposed suicide, Smith had written a suicide note on a post-it note that supposedly read, “I’m so sorry—Love, Elliot. God forgive me.” Questions arose as to the legitimacy of the note as well. One of the questions that were brought up was why Smith would write such a hasty note and something as trivial as a post-it note. If he were so intent on killing himself and it wasn’t a momentary lapse of sanity due to drugs (as the autopsy report indicates), why then would he take to writing a short note before he killed himself? One thing girlfriend Jennifer Chiba did mention in her statement to the police was that they had a terrible fight and that she had locked herself in the bathroom (The Smoking Gun). If one were to examine Smith’s psychological state they could say the sudden fight might have led him to such irrational actions, however, those who were close to him had stated that this was a surprise and that they had never thought he would do this because of his new found happiness (Petrides).
The biggest question with regards to the note was whether or not the handwriting was actually his. Initially when the evidence was collected, the investigator reported that when Smith signed the note he had spelled his own name wrong which brought forth many suspicions from his fans, however it was later discovered that it was mistake on the part of the investigator as the writing had been so illegible it had only looked like he had spelled his name wrong (Pelisek). This instance calls into question the legitimacy of the handwriting and the note. Because the writing was illegible they would have had to do comparison analysis with other documents to see if the handwriting was in fact Smith’s or if it was a forgery done by someone else.
The specimen that was collected was an unrequested specimen as at the time of writing, Smith had no idea they were going to be compared (Girard 161). What made it easy to compare the styles of writing was the fact that Smith was a prolific writer and was proud of the songs he had made. Many times in CD booklets, the lyrics were often copied straight from his handwriting showcasing the love and dedication he often put into his work (Petrides). When comparing the specimen to the writing, it was found to be similar in that it was script, but still not indicative of it not being a forgery (Girard 159). Because his writing style was so public and he had many things with his signature and handwriting lying around, it is quite possible that the forgery could have easily been made by someone close to him, who knew him better than anyone else. The logic was that if he did write the note, he did so in such a hasty and crazy fashion that it was eligible given his mental state. The handwriting wasn’t a one hundred percent match but enough to “gather” a suicide on the part of the investigators, which is a conflicting result from the autopsy which left the death open to a possible homicide (The Smoking Gun).
While the biological, toxicological, and physical tests revealed there was nothing to implicate a suicide, the psychological evaluations are evidently what led to the police shutting the case and not investigating it any further (The Smoking Gun). Smith’s music was often extremely dark and depressing as much of his earlier work spoke about his battles with drugs and depression. Because of his public battles with addiction and suicidal thoughts the authorities felt no need to push the case any further and chalked it up to a depressed guy who finally offed himself, despite the fact he had been clean and sober for a year and he was in the midst of recording an album (Petrides). The autopsy results contradict much of what the police authorities said had been substantial evidence to rule it a suicide (Pelisek). Ignoring the forensic reports and criminalistic science in favor of not delving any deeper might have been a mistake, although to save time and money the authorities would have needed to rule on something, and this was the easier route to go.
Whether or not Smith’s death was in fact a suicide remains to be seen, although the scientific evidence seems to hint at the major possibility of foul play, so much so that the autopsy results explicitly state that there is reason to believe that this might have been a homicide. In this situation science and human biases tended to conflict like they have so many times before, and in the end Smith’s death (although “solved”) will always be a mystery to fans like me and others. A year after his death, girlfriend Jennifer Chiba attempted to sue the Smith family for money she said she was promised by Elliot. Her claims were that they lived together basically as man and wife and that he had promised to take care of her regardless of what happened. They were thrown out of district court and she is currently in the process of taking it to the California Supreme Court.
Chris
After this was written Jennifer Chiba lost the case to get the money and was pretty much “excommunicated” from Elliott Smith’s family.
Smith was taken to a hospital where the staff attempted to save his life to no avail. Because he died at the hospital, there was no formal crime scene, other than the initial house in which he performed the alleged stabbing (The Smoking Gun). Collected at that scene were a nail and hair kit as well as a black t-shirt he had apparently bled on. When the body was inspected at the morgue the noted operational scars were seen as well as the two small lacerations directly into the middle of the chest. What was also extremely notable about the body were two small cuts on his left and right arm (The Smoking Gun).
Because Smith had a history with drugs, he was tested to see if there were any illegal substances in his system and it came up negative. The reason why this was done was to ensure that his death was in no way influenced by a substance he used to abuse such as alcohol or heroin (Petrides 1). Heroin is opiate that sedates the senses. As an opiate the chemical structure of heroin fits in easily to the receptors that exist in the brain (Girard 277). Because the addict is put in such a euphoric state, it is possible that one can be rendered so high they might not understand an action they commit towards themselves, such as a stab wound (Arnold Reid 656).
When someone dies of a heroin overdose, in most of the cases track marks are also found along the arms or various body parts where the heroin might have been injected (Girard 277). The only cases where this is not relevant is if the decedent was snorting the powder form of heroin. When the body was examined there were visible scars on his body, but there were none recent enough to deduce that he had been using heroin again (The Smoking Gun). Testimony from close friend and relatives also attested to this citing Smith’s year long sobriety and eagerness to continue making music for the rest of his life (Petrides 1).
Toxicology reports found no traces of heroin or any illegal narcotic in his system. The kidneys were examined and there was no evidence to believe that this was an illegal drug related death in any form. This coupled with the various statements from those close to him, all led to the eventual conclusion that there were no drugs involved. The autopsy report that was filed concluded that there was no evidence of a drug overdose or an abuse of drugs at the time. The tests had yielded inconclusive results as to this theory (The Smoking Gun). For this reason, the coroner had to be certain that Smith had not taken any illegal drugs and this lends itself to the statement that Smith’s death might have involved foulplay. [...]
The autopsy report left the possibility of a homicide open. The stab wounds while fatal nature had no marker of hesitation which is usually consistent with suicide. The knife had also gone through closing (The Smoking Gun). According to the reports, a knife almost always has evidence of certain ways they went in when it comes to suicide. The stab wounds had no distinct angle and seemed as if they were driven with more force. Being that the stab wounds went trough his shirt, it is suspected that there was force used. The biggest inclination finally were the two lacerations on his hand and arm which indicate that there might have been some sort of struggle or a form of defense that was used (The Smoking Gun). The only person present at the time was Jennifer Chiba, who refused to talk to the cops. This act made her an official person of interest in the eyes of the authorities.
The lacerations on the arm did not have a specific pattern to them. Typically if there is an act of self-mutilation that leads to death or that precludes death, there tends to be a pattern of marks along the arm, as with any pattern of stabbing or scratching. In this instance, the marks were scattered throughout different parts of the arms and body to indicate there might have been some sort of struggle (The Smoking Gun). If one were to abide by the suicide conclusion, they might deduce that the struggle might have taken place once the girlfriend realized he was trying to stab himself and tried to stop him. However, the story given and her uncooperative attitude with the police made her a bit suspicious. The fact that her fingerprints were on the knife makes it really difficult for one to believe that she just “pulled the knife out” given her secrecy to the event in question.
Another theory that came about was the possibility of a mixture of alcohol with the prescription drugs to create side effects such as depression. Elliot Smith was not only in rehab for heroin, but also for alcohol as he was a severe alcoholic. Since alcohol is a stimulant which can lead to depression and the medication that Smith was taking was for medication it was widely believed at first that the two might have been mixed. The prescription drugs were anti-depressant drugs and drugs for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Pelisek). A drug that might have been taken was Ritalin and given its mix with alcohol, it could be thought that used to an excess and mixed with alcohol, the results can be depression (Maher 720). This was one of the first things that was looked at in the autopsy report.
Results were inconclusive though as toxicology reports revealed that there was no alcohol in his system and that the medications were taken at prescribed levels. The post-mordem toxicology report discovered that there were no traces of alcohol in his liver, which is where a bulk of alcohol tends to accumulate and have an effect on (Maher 112). While there was decomposition due to his years of heavy drinking, the reduction reaction was not significant and the blood alcohol levels, which were also tested, revealed no alcohol in his system whatsoever. The analysis of the toxiclogical information revealed no evidence of drugs or alcohol used in the body. This begs the question then as to why Smith would have done this, after being sober for a year and seemingly in higher spirits (according to those close to him).
In the police report, it was noted that when the evidence was analyzed, there were two sets of fingerprints on the knife. Both were latent fingerprints that were discovered using the powder method which is typically used when trying to get fingerprints off of hard materials, in this case a stainless steel kitchen knife (Girard 139). The fingerprints were close together; this was also an indication of there being a struggle during the supposed, “suicide”. Chiba refused to answer questions as to whether or not there was struggle. The only council she was willing to give was that she pulled the knife out of his chest despite his willingness to want to kill himself.
Another specimen that was investigated in the report was the heart as the stab wounds to the heart seemed to be what caused the death at the time. Upon further inspection and analysis during the autopsy, it was found that the two stabs wounds had in fact caused the damage but that the first stab wound had only done minor damage (The Smoking Gun). The second stab wound not only pierced skin and bone, but did in fact rupture the heart resulting in a fatal stab wound to Elliot Smith. There are many questions that arise as to why there were two stab wounds and why it was done in such a harsh matter, delivering a blow so brutal it would damage the heart beyond repair causing death (Pelisek). [...]
What makes this suspicious was the fact that there were two stab wounds in the first place and that the second one was done with such force as to pierce the heart. It is often difficult for one to have that type of strength wherein they could take an instrument and force it into their chest cavity, through clothing, bone and into their heart. The angle and distance from the arms to the heart is such that it makes it extremely difficult for one to gather that much momentum for a stab wound to be that harsh (Pelisek). Additionally, after the first stab wound, it can be implied that one would not have the proper amount of energy to deliver the proper blow to rupture the heart. The knife used was also a simple kitchen knife which would have required even more strength on the person attempting to end their own life. If one were to have stabbed Smith, they might have tried once and failed and tried once again, rupturing the heart and causing the death. Regardless of these logical theories, the plain truth on the autopsy report was that the cause of the death for Elliot Smith was a rupture of the heart, caused by the second stab wound to the chest (The Smoking Gun).
The final piece of evidence had nothing to do with the body but had everything to do with the theory of suicide. Before the supposed suicide, Smith had written a suicide note on a post-it note that supposedly read, “I’m so sorry—Love, Elliot. God forgive me.” Questions arose as to the legitimacy of the note as well. One of the questions that were brought up was why Smith would write such a hasty note and something as trivial as a post-it note. If he were so intent on killing himself and it wasn’t a momentary lapse of sanity due to drugs (as the autopsy report indicates), why then would he take to writing a short note before he killed himself? One thing girlfriend Jennifer Chiba did mention in her statement to the police was that they had a terrible fight and that she had locked herself in the bathroom (The Smoking Gun). If one were to examine Smith’s psychological state they could say the sudden fight might have led him to such irrational actions, however, those who were close to him had stated that this was a surprise and that they had never thought he would do this because of his new found happiness (Petrides).
The biggest question with regards to the note was whether or not the handwriting was actually his. Initially when the evidence was collected, the investigator reported that when Smith signed the note he had spelled his own name wrong which brought forth many suspicions from his fans, however it was later discovered that it was mistake on the part of the investigator as the writing had been so illegible it had only looked like he had spelled his name wrong (Pelisek). This instance calls into question the legitimacy of the handwriting and the note. Because the writing was illegible they would have had to do comparison analysis with other documents to see if the handwriting was in fact Smith’s or if it was a forgery done by someone else.
The specimen that was collected was an unrequested specimen as at the time of writing, Smith had no idea they were going to be compared (Girard 161). What made it easy to compare the styles of writing was the fact that Smith was a prolific writer and was proud of the songs he had made. Many times in CD booklets, the lyrics were often copied straight from his handwriting showcasing the love and dedication he often put into his work (Petrides). When comparing the specimen to the writing, it was found to be similar in that it was script, but still not indicative of it not being a forgery (Girard 159). Because his writing style was so public and he had many things with his signature and handwriting lying around, it is quite possible that the forgery could have easily been made by someone close to him, who knew him better than anyone else. The logic was that if he did write the note, he did so in such a hasty and crazy fashion that it was eligible given his mental state. The handwriting wasn’t a one hundred percent match but enough to “gather” a suicide on the part of the investigators, which is a conflicting result from the autopsy which left the death open to a possible homicide (The Smoking Gun).
While the biological, toxicological, and physical tests revealed there was nothing to implicate a suicide, the psychological evaluations are evidently what led to the police shutting the case and not investigating it any further (The Smoking Gun). Smith’s music was often extremely dark and depressing as much of his earlier work spoke about his battles with drugs and depression. Because of his public battles with addiction and suicidal thoughts the authorities felt no need to push the case any further and chalked it up to a depressed guy who finally offed himself, despite the fact he had been clean and sober for a year and he was in the midst of recording an album (Petrides). The autopsy results contradict much of what the police authorities said had been substantial evidence to rule it a suicide (Pelisek). Ignoring the forensic reports and criminalistic science in favor of not delving any deeper might have been a mistake, although to save time and money the authorities would have needed to rule on something, and this was the easier route to go.
Whether or not Smith’s death was in fact a suicide remains to be seen, although the scientific evidence seems to hint at the major possibility of foul play, so much so that the autopsy results explicitly state that there is reason to believe that this might have been a homicide. In this situation science and human biases tended to conflict like they have so many times before, and in the end Smith’s death (although “solved”) will always be a mystery to fans like me and others. A year after his death, girlfriend Jennifer Chiba attempted to sue the Smith family for money she said she was promised by Elliot. Her claims were that they lived together basically as man and wife and that he had promised to take care of her regardless of what happened. They were thrown out of district court and she is currently in the process of taking it to the California Supreme Court.
Chris
After this was written Jennifer Chiba lost the case to get the money and was pretty much “excommunicated” from Elliott Smith’s family.
