Close to 32 years since his passing, a team of independent investigators have issued a report claiming that the death of influential Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was a homicide.
Cobain’s April 1994 death was ruled to be the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound by the King County Medical Examiner, with depressive episodes, prior attempts, and a history of drug use being cited amongst factors leading to his passing.
However, the years since Cobain’s death have been littered with myriad conspiracy theories arguing that he was murdered.
Filmmaker Nick Broomfield investigated the claim in his 1998 documentary Kurt & Courtney, which featured allegations that Cobain's wife Courtney Love had been involved in her husband’s death, while other investigators have also put forth alternative theories to the circumstances surrounding his passing.
Now, The Daily Mail has reported that an "unofficial private sector team of forensic scientists" has released a report claiming that Cobain's passing was indeed a homicide.
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The team – which included the likes of specialist Brian Burnett, who has worked on cases involving overdoses followed by gunshot trauma – reviewed evidence such as Cobain’s autopsy report and crime scene material for three days before coming to their conclusion.
“There are things in the autopsy that go, well, wait, this person didn't die very quickly of a gunshot blast,” said independent researcher Michelle Wilkins. “The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn't happen in a shotgun death.”
Their peer-reviewed paper includes a number of points that suggest Cobain was confronted by one or more assailants who forced Cobain to undergo a heroin overdose before shooting him. The paper alleges that the unnamed assailant/s then staged the scene, before forging a suicide note.
“To me, it looks like someone staged a movie and wanted you to be absolutely certain this was a suicide,” Wilkins added.
However, despite researchers bringing their finding to investigators, it appears unlikely that a new investigation into Cobain’s death will be reopened.
A spokesperson for the King County Medical Examiner’s Office told The Daily Mail that they, “Worked with the local law enforcement agency, conducted a full autopsy, and followed all of its procedures in coming to the determination of the manner of death as a suicide.”
“Our office is always open to revisiting its conclusions if new evidence comes to light, but we’ve seen nothing to date that would warrant re-opening of this case and our previous determination of death,” the spokesperson continued.
Additionally, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department confirmed that they are satisfied with their findings relating to the circumstances of Cobain’s death.
“Our detective concluded that he died by suicide, and this continues to be the position held by this department,” the spokesperson said.
This article discusses mental health issues and suicide. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or other mental-related illness, we implore you to get in contact with Beyondblue or Lifeline:
Beyondblue: 1300 224 636
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call-Back Service: 1300 659 467
Beyondblue and Lifeline both offer online chat and counselling. Please check their respective websites for operational hours and additional details.
