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International Journal of Legal Medicine

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01.05.2007 | Case Report

Aconitine involvement in an unusual homicide case

verfasst von: An A. Van Landeghem, Els A. De Letter, Willy E. Lambert, Carlos H. Van Peteghem, Michel H. A. Piette

Erschienen in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Ausgabe 3/2007

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Abstract

We describe a homicide complicated by an aconitine poisoning, which was initially thought to be a strangulation case. Routine toxicological analyses demonstrated only a small amount of alcohol in the blood and the urine. The case could not be clarified until 5 years after the event. A new element in the investigation made the wife the prime suspect, and finally, after thorough interrogation, she confessed her crime. She had mixed a decoction of three plants of Aconitum with red wine. Additional toxicological analyses, using the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) technique demonstrated 810 ng/ml of aconitine in urine, 6.5 ng/g in liver and 1.3 ng/g in the kidneys. Even though aconitine poisoning is still rare in Europe, it should be taken into account in suicides and homicides, particularly in unclarified cases.

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Titel: Aconitine involvement in an unusual homicide case
verfasst von: An A. Van Landeghem
Els A. De Letter
Willy E. Lambert
Carlos H. Van Peteghem
Michel H. A. Piette
Publikationsdatum: 01.05.2007
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Ausgabe 3/2007
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Elektronische ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-006-0119-5

Springer Medizin

Aconitine involvement in an unusual homicide case

Abstract

Neu im Fachgebiet Rechtsmedizin

Molekularpathologische Untersuchungen im Wandel der Zeit

Vergleichende Pathologie in der onkologischen Forschung

Gastrointestinale Stromatumoren

Personalisierte Medizin in der Onkologie

Springer Medizin

Abstract

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