A Fistful of Lemons: Homicide or Self-Defense? A Multidisciplinary Approach in Forensic Sciences

In the context of medico-legal investigations, one of the main challenges lies in the correct distinction between murder and self-defense. Italian legislation requires that, in order to qualify as legitimate defense, the actions taken by the person in danger are indispensable and proportionate to the offense received, as well as motivated by a present danger.Through the presentation of a specific case, the importance of a multidisciplinary forensic approach in forensic medicine is highlighted, useful for reconstructing the dynamics of events and arriving at a precise definition of the nature of the crime. The integration of CT examinations, autopsies, and toxicological and histological investigations is essential to ensure an accurate analysis that can minimize uncertainties about the time, cause and means of death. The case report presented focuses on an episode of double murder in which two men, respectively 29 and 30 years old, caught in the act of carrying out a theft of lemons against a 72-year-old landowner, were drawn by multiple gunshots, fired by the latter. First, subject A (30 aa) was subjected to a CT scan; The eidological investigations thus revealed a continuous oval-shaped solution of the skull, fractures in the right frontal and occipital areas, as well as the presence of foreign bodies retained at the level of the subgluteal region and the glans. During the autopsy investigation, these injuries were confirmed and the bullet retained in the soft skin tissues was recovered. On subject B (29aa), the external examination revealed the presence of two continuous lesions, both at the level of the right axillary region and the left deltoid region, on the other hand, a fracture of the third rib, hemopneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and a tracheal lesion were documented;During the autopsy experiment, the findings highlighted previously were confirmed, the presence of full-thickness lesions of the lungs was ascertained, and thanks to the in-depth evaluation of the organs drawn, in both cases, it was possible to reconstruct what was the direction and means of the bullet.Finally, the subsequent histological investigations conducted on the skin samples, performed in correspondence with the continuous solutions, made it possible to ascertain, in addition to the "vitality" of the lesions, also which was the "entrance hole" and which was the "exit hole". The case illustrated underlines the importance of a multidisci-plinary approach in forensic sciences, in order to provide technical elements useful for the resolution of complex cases. Future studies could explore the use of new applications based on artificial intelligence capable of crystallizing the surveys performed during the judicial inspection in order to compare them with those of subsequent post-mortem investigations.