Relationship of sharp force injuries to motivation.

Forensic pathologists are often expected to provide an opinion on the intention of the assailant in sharp force fatalities. A retrospective study was carried out on reports of post-mortems of victims of sharp force trauma over five years. The position and type of injuries were recorded and related to the known motivation for murder. Victims of different motives of killing had an almost similar injury pattern. There is no significant association of the pathology of sharp force injuries with the motive of killing.