I was dispatched to *** LakeWashington Blvd.E. to investigate a dead body. On arrival, I was contacted by ===== ===== of =====.
I saw ====== work truck parked in the driveway of the house. ===== stated he had arrived at the house to do some electrical work on contract for===== the security company for the residence. Smith stated he had stepped into a west facing deck on the second floor level of the garage, and had observed a dead male on the floor. ===== said he was (unable) to see the body through the french doors, but that the doors were locked.
===== took me to the doors and I observed through the door a W/M, with long blond hair, laying on the floor, on his back. A shotgun was laying across the victim’s body; the butt of the gun was between the victim’s feet and the muzzle was at about the mid-chest level of the victim. The victim appeared to be Kurt Cobain who I knew to be to be the resident of the house, and who I had contacted in the recent past.
Seattle Fire units arrived and forced entry by breaking apane in the french door. On entry, SFD announced the W/M as dead on arrival and cleared the scene, leaving engine Company 34 behind.
SFD asked for I.D. from the nearby wallet and I opened the wallet which was within a couple of feet of the victim’s body.Inside I found a Washington State driver’s license in the name of Cobain, Kurt Donald DOB/022067.
I had called for 1G, Sgt. Getchman enroute to the call andSgt. Getchman and A/Sgt. Fewel arrived. I used Getchman’s polaroid to photograph the scene while Fewel and Getchman used 35mm cameras to document the scene… I maintained the scene until Homicide’s arrival…
Inside the scene, I had observed a cigar box lying next to the victim. Inside the box were syringes, a spoon, and other items of narcotics paraphernalia.
On a nearby table was a paper placemat with a hand written note in red ink. The pen was stabbed into the note, holding it inplace. The note was apparently written by Cobain to his wife and daughter explaining why he had killed himself.”
Detectives Kirkland and Yoshida
NARRATIVE: By Detectives Jim Yoshida, #3168 and Steve Kirkland, #3356)4-8-94 0950: “Lt. Marberg receives a phone call from SPD Communications. They are requesting a Homicide Team at *** Lake Washington Blvd. E. They are on the scene of a suicide. There is a note present and the gun is also in place. The victim is Kurt Cobain…”
4-8-94 10:15 “Detectives arrive at the scene and are met by Off. JoeFewel #4896. Off. Fewel is the acting sergeant for this sector. Also on the scene are Off. Von Levandowski #5326 (10c04), Sgt.Jeff Getchman #3322 (1-G), and the 1st Watch East PCT Commander,Lt. Ziminsky. Off. Levandowski will be responsible for the initial incident report. Off. Levandowski turns over polaroid photos taken of the scene and also two rolls of 35mm film.
Off. Levandowski states the witnesses, ===== (electricians for =====) came to do some work on the victim’s residence this morning and observed the victim lying on the floor of the greenhouse above the detached garage of the residence. Off. Levandowski says there was a dual response on the 911 call. SFD broke the westside french door to gain access and visually determined that the victim was obviously dead…
Lavendowski secured the area and waited for response by Patrol supervisors and homicide. He has some knowledge of the victim and has been to the residence on a prior occasion. He is also aware that the victim is AWOL from a drug treatment center in Los Angeles and that his family had filed a missing person report with SPD. The families fear was that the victim was suicidal and he had recently bought a shotgun.
Cobain is found in the 19′ by 23′ greenhouse above the detached double garage. There are stairs on the west side leading to the french door entry and another set of french doors on the east side which lead to a balcony. These doors are unlocked and closed but there is a stool with a box of gardening supplies on it in front of the door.
There is a sink on the west wall and there are stainless steel planting trays on the north and south walls. One of the stainless trays contains a pile of dirt with bulbs in it. On top of this dirt pile is a note written in red ink and stuck into the dirt pile with a red pen. This is a suicide note directed to Courtney and ===== and signed Kurt Colbain. [The accidental mispelling of Colbain has no significance].
The victim is found on the floor lying on his back with his head to the west and feet to the east. There is a large drying puddle of blood to the left of the victim and obvious trauma to his head.
There is a Remington M-11 20 gauge shotgun between the victim’s legs with the barrel pointed towards his head and his left hand wrapped around the barrel. The shotgun is inverted with the trigger and magazine trap door pointing up. The barrel end is just above his beltline. There is a spent 20 gauge shell casing on top of a brown corduroy jacket which is on top of a beige nylon shotgun case. These are just to the left of the victim and under one of the stainless steel garden trays. There are several cigarette butts on the floor and a 3/4 full can of Barqs rootbeer also on the floor in the area of the victim.
Cobain’s wallet was open and his driver’s license showing.Off. Levandowski exposed the driver’s license to verify identification of the victim.
There was also $120.00 in cash on the floor to the right ofthe victim and a cigar box. This cigar box contained narcotics paraphenalia (syringes, burnt spoons, cotton, and small pieces ofwhat looks like black tar).
There is a brown paper bag containing 22 live 20 gauge shotgun shells. The box is marked that it contains 25 shells. The bag containing the shells is on the floor at the victim’s left foot. On the floor to the victim’s right in the same area as the cigar box is a hat, two towels, the $120.00 in cash, the wallet, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a pair of sunglasses. Inside the jacket pocket is a receipt for the purchase of the Remington 20 gauge shotgun serial #1088925. The purchase price was $308.37 and the receipt is dated 3-30-94. The purchaser was Dylan R. Carlson ===== Seattle 98115, from Stan Baker Sports…
These items, the other items on the floor and the note were photographed using the 35mm and Polaroid cameras.
1105 hrs: Investigator Dave Delgado, Dr. Nick Hartshorne, and Dr. Donald Reay of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office arrive at the scene.
The shotgun is removed from its location between the victim’s legs and it is rendered safe by Det. Kirkland. There is one live shell in the chamber and another live shell in the magazine. These two shells and the spent expended shell account for the full box of 25.
Kurts car
Dr. Hartshorne will be conducting the initial examination of the victim. Dr. Hartshorne takes his photographs and then begins the on scene examination of the victim.
Dr. Hartshorne
Scene Detectives:
Jim Yoshida & Steve Kirkland – Paragraph 2: “Cobain suffered a single GSW to the head. The shotgun had been placed in Cobain’s mouth and discharged.
(THERE WERE MARKS ON COBAIN’S HANDS CONSISTENT WITH THE FIRING OF THIS WEAPON.”)
” We know there were no marks on Cobain’s hands that would indicate HE fired this weapon. I’ve also had these reports analyzed by other homicide detectives and criminalists. No one can figure out what these “marks” could have been.
Of course the average reporter or other reader of these reports wouldn’t pick up on these misleading details without doing a little research, so a little creativity went a long way in convincing the media this was a suicide.
This model shotgun is somewhat rare, but several months ago we located an identical shotgun in Northern California. We test fired this shotgun. I personally fired the weapon 18 times without cleaning my hands. There were no visible marks or scratches on either of my hands that resulted from the firing of this weapon.
Could the marks have been gunshot residue or soot? No. I’ll tell you more about this in a later update.
REMEMBER THE MISSING CREDIT CARD? Follow-up report. Incident #94-156500, Unit file #94-117
WHO HAD THE CARD?
Dets Steve Kirkland and Jim Yoshida4/13/94 0900: To the SPD Evidence Unit.
NARRATIVE: “Checked Cobain’s wallet. There is no SeaFirst card with the above listed number in the wallet. There are two Sea First Versa-teller cards with different numbers in the wallet.”
What happened to Kurt’s other Sea First Card? The one he used in Los Angeles at Delta Airlines just before leaving for Seattle. The one that Courtney had “canceled.”
The credit card company records show that someone was still trying to use this “missing” card after the time the Coroner says Kurt died, but stopped these attempts after the body was discovered.
The police have never bothered to clear this up? Why?
“Mr. Cobain ran away from California facility and flew back to Seattle. He also bought a shotgun and may be suicidal.”
The wording of this report made it sound like he purchased the shotgun AFTER he left the rehab in L.A. The report also FAILED to mention Kurt was last seen at the Lake Washington house AFTER he left the rehab!
Courtney called in a missing person’s report pretending to be Kurt’s mother, Wendy O’Conner.
Kurt and his best friend Dylan Carlson purchased a shotgun. Kurt told Dylan he was afraid of intruders at the house. Kurt took the shotgun to his house so it would be there when he got back from rehab. He then left Seattle to go to a rehab center in Marina Del Rey, Calif.
APRIL 1st. Sixteen phone calls were made to Kurt’s rehab center from Courtney’s hotel room at the Peninsula. Most of these are to the patient’s payphone. That evening, Kurt left the rehab. Later, at 8:47 PM, he called the Peninsula Hotel and left a message for Courtney. Kurt arrived in Seattle early Saturday morning, April 2nd, and was taken to his house on Lake Washington by a hired driver. Later in the morning, Michael DeWitt, (also known as “Cali”), the male nanny who was living at the Cobain house, claims Kurt came into his bedroom and had a short conversation with him. Cali later told us he had informed Courtney later that same day that Kurt had been to the house.
The police had polaroid photographs available. They could have shown me these photographs to clear up any questions about Kurt’s hair being combed, but Sgt. Cameron told me they “haven’t developed the photographs and probably never would.”
The french doors on the west side were locked. But it had a simple push and twist type lock. Anyone can lock the door and pull it shut as they leave. (I have photographs of this door.)
The first officer on the scene found the wallet on the floor and exposed the driver’s license for photographs. Kurt did not leave his wallet open with his license showing as reported in the media.
There was no stool wedged against the door. Kurt was not barricaded in the room as the media has reported. The only stool in the room was sitting in front of the other unlocked french doors which led out to the balcony. This was not an entrance. There are no stairs to the balcony. This little wooden stool did not and could not block anything.
The police referred to the note at the scene as a “suicide”note and say it was written to Courtney and Frances “explaining why he had killed himself.” This note was not written to Courtney and Frances. It was written to Kurt’s fans with a small footnote to Courtney and Frances. As you’ll see in the next update, Kurt said nothing about killing himself!
The shotgun was inverted. How would the killer know how to position the shotgun to make it appear as if Kurt had been holding it when it discharged? Have you seen the photograph of Kurt holding a what appears to be a rifle in his mouth?This photo appeared in a tabloid magazine soon after Cobain’s death. It was taken several months earlier while Kurt was clowning around with a toy rifle. Kurt put the toy rifle in his mouth and held his right thumb on the inverted trigger!We now know that Courtney had a copy of this photo at the Cobain residence prior to Kurt’s death. Was this photograph used as a “diagram” for the set-up?
There were three rounds loaded into the shotgun when Kurt died. If he bought this shotgun just to kill himself, what was he going to do with the other two rounds? Kurt had that shotgun loaded for protection, not for suicide.
EXAMPLES OF “CREATIVE” WRITING?
Remember that stool I’ve been talking about? There’s one more police report that mentions this stool.
Report #94-156500, Item #8 – STATEMENT of Ofcr. Levandowski#5326, forwarded to Detectives. [This appears to be a one page summary of the original report written by Levandowski].
“On 4/08/94 at about 840 hrs., ===== arrived at ***** Lk.WA. Blvd. E. to perform some electrical work. =====walked onto the west facing deck of the garage, and observed the victim through the window panes in the french door. The victim was laying on the floor, with a shotgun across his body, and a visible head wound. C/ called 911, and a dual response of SFD and SPD was dispatched.
On arrival, Levandowski observed the victim laying on the floor, unmoving. The french doors were locked. SFD Engine #34 responded, and made entry by breaking one of the glass panes in the french door. No life saving measures were attempted by SFD.The scene was secured, and 1G, Sgt. Getchman and 241, Lt. Zimnisky responded to the scene. Photographs were taken of the scene by Levandowski, Fewel and Sgt. Getchman. The scene was maintained until released to Homicide Detectives. All pictures and film were released to Det.Yoshida.
(Now look at this) … “Levandowski observed that the french doors at the opposite end of the room were blocked by a stool, preventing access.”
Notice the LAST LINE of this report? This statement is clearly out of context. The report appears to have ended, THEN… the line about the stool is ADDED!
As mentioned in the previous update, THESE DOORS (at the opposite end of the room), were UNLOCKED and just LED OUT TO THE BALCONY. THERE WAS NO ACCESS FROM THESE DOORS. Furthermore, that little wooden stool COULDN’T BLOCK ANYTHING! But of course, if you weren’t there and didn’t see this for yourself, you’d never know the difference.
So WHY was this line added?
Because the detectives had already told me and the media there was a stool against the door. Kurt was allegedly barricaded inside. Someone eventually must have noticed the police reports didn’t reflect the “official myth” and they apparently tried to correct it.
Who wrote the line?
I suspect it was either added by someone without Levandowski’s knowledge, or someone “suggested” Levandowski add the line after the report was submitted for approval. I don’t question Levandowski’s intentions or motives. Although mistakes were made and some of his conclusions were reached a little prematurely, he seemed to be conscientious and thorough.
But if Levandowski ever admits to personally writing that ridiculous and deliberately misleading line, I’d have to re-evaluate my opinion not only of his motives, but of his intelligence and his eyesight.
MAJOR INVESTIGATION SUMMARY Homicide Unit – Report # 94-156500
SEATTLE —Seattle Police released new photographs on Thursday of Kurt Cobain’s shotgun, which the King County
Medical Examiner’s Office ruled he used when he committed suicide nearly 22 years ago in April of 1994. The shotgun hasn’t been seen before publicly.
The photos, taken recently, show Seattle Police Department cold case homicide Det. Michael Ciesynski, the current detective of record for the Cobain case, holding the shotgun in various positions.
In 22 years since Cobain’s suicide, the SPD has released more than one hundred pages of police reports and photos relating to the rock star’s suicide file, but never photos of the weapon, except for certain crime scene photos that reveal a partial view of the shotgun.
The release of the shotgun photos — in response to a public records act request from CBS News — dispels a rumor propagated by conspiracy theorists that the shotgun had been melted down to hide evidence in a supposed SPD cover up of a potential murder.
Cobain’s body was found on April 8, 1994, in a greenhouse room above the detached garage to his home in the upscale Lake Washington neighborhood of Seattle. He was clutching the shotgun which had killed him, the bullet striking his head through his mouth.
The international rock sensation was wearing blue jeans, and purple Converse All-Star sneakers. He had just injected a lethal dose of heroin, and his drug kit was sitting at his side inside a cigar box.
Two years ago, on the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death, during a review of the Cobain file, Ciesynski developed three rolls of crime scene film which sat idle in the Cobain file since the day of his death. Those photographs were first seen on Crimesider and CBS News.
Ciesynski explained in 2014 that when he learned there was undeveloped film, he decided to develop it before it might become damaged and potential evidence lost. The film had deteriorated after 20 years and the developed photos had a distinct green tint.
Despite initial determinations by the coroner and the Seattle Police Department that the Nirvana front man killed himself, a range of fans and conspiracy theorists have refused to accept the death as a suicide.
Last year, a film questioning the SPD’s investigation of Cobain’s death, Soaked in Bleach, was released to mixed reviews. The film presented the theories of Los Angeles private investigator Tom Grant, who had been hired by Cobain’s wife Courtney Love to find the rock star during the days before his death.
“The SPD deliberately lied and deliberately covered up the results of their investigation. The case needs to be changed from suicide to undetermined,” Grant told Crimesider during a recent interview about the shotgun.
The film, now available on Netflix, featured various law enforcement and forensic experts questioning the suicide determination and calling for the SPD to re-open the case to re-investigate the possibility of murder.
Cops: New photos show Kurt Cobain suicide gun
One noted official was former SPD police chief, Norm Stamper.
“It’s about right and wrong. It’s about honor. It’s about ethics,” Stamper says in the film. “If we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the chief of police, I would reopen this investigation.”
The former chief’s comments attracted international headlines when the film was released last year, although Stamper never took this step during the time he was Seattle police chief, from 1994 to 2000, when he could have ordered such a review.
In 2014, the SPD released a report by Ciesynski, who reviewed the Cobain file and recovered additional evidence, concluding, “The investigation on the death of Kurt Cobain, which was conducted 20 years ago, reached the correct conclusion that the manner of death was (suicide).”
Grant, a former cop with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, formed the opinion that Cobain was murdered in the months following his death. At the time, Grant revealed that he had recorded 30 hours of conversations between himself and Courtney Love, as well as others. During that time, Love had hired the private investigator to find her husband, who had left his drug rehab program in Los Angeles before completing it.
The film Soaked in Bleach — a double entendre meant to refer to a heroin addict’s need to soak injection needles in bleach to clean them, or the allegation that a murder was covered up — is based in large part on Grant’s ongoing examination of a purported conspiracy and those tape recordings of his interactions with Love and others shortly after Cobain’s death.
The shotgun has been part of the legend upon which the conspiracy theories are built. Shortly after the singer’s death, Love told CBS affiliate KIRO that she would give the shotgun and other guns owned by her husband to the advocacy group Mothers Against Violence, to melt them down.
“I don’t obviously want to keep them and hopefully by turning over these things I can make a difference and I can make some sense out of something so bereft of sense at all,” Love said, according to an AP report from April 21, 1994.
“She tried to put herself in a good light as a benefactor for this group, when in fact it was an effort to destroy evidence,” says Grant. “All of the evidence indicates that Cobain was murdered and all of the evidence indicates that the SPD covered it up.”
For 20 years, Grant has cited destruction of the shotgun as part of his argument that there was a cover-up. He seemed surprised when informed by Crimesider that the SPD would release current photographs of the shotgun indicating that it was still in police possession.
“You’re kidding. … One more example of SPD reports conflicting with the truth,” Grant said referring to his belief that the SPD had authorized destruction of the shotgun – a view he’s espoused on his website, in a widely distributed handbook, and in the film.
However, Crimesider’s review of the SPD file prompted Grant to concede that the police report referred instead to other guns confiscated from Cobain’s home by the police – not the shotgun that killed Cobain.
“I guess I have some explaining to do,” said Grant.
“I suppose some people will say I am not reliable because I got one thing wrong,” he continued, undeterred in his belief that the totality of the evidence “indicates Cobain was murdered” and that the SPD should re-open the investigation.
During an interview with Crimesider for the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death, Det. Ciesynski dismissed the murder conspiracy theory, alleging such theories are based on false information. “A conspiracy theorist takes a little bit of truth and mixes it up with completely fabricated information and that’s how these conspiracy theories then progress based on false information.”
The SPD didn’t immediately comment one on the release of the shotgun photos when Crimesider contacted them today.
Director Benjamin Statler’s docudrama “Soaked In Bleach” ends with former Seattle Police chief Norm Stamper saying he would reopen the investigation into the death of Kurt Cobain if he were calling the shots today. But Stamper was the guy in charge from 1994 to 2000, including the time of Cobain’s death. He now insists that Seattle Police should “have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead.”
He went on to say that, “If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered, as opposed to having committed suicide, and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that. That was in fact our responsibility. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about honor. It’s about ethics.” Stamper hammered home his point, adding: “If we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the Chief of Police, I would reopen this investigation.”
The movie, which is told from the perspective of private investigator Tom Grant, (who was hired by Cobain’s wife Courtney Love to find her husband after he went missing from a rehab center in Los Angeles), is woven together through reenactments of the hours of recorded conversations between Grant and Love, and interviews with experts who refuse to believe Cobain died by suicide. The present-day Seattle Police Department do not share their sentiments. Last year, just before the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death, rumors began flying that authorities were about to reopen an investigation after it was reported they had developed four rolls of film from the crime scene that had been sitting in an evidence vault. While the photos were released to the public, the Seattle PD made it very clear they were not reopening the case.
“No change, no developments, no new leads,” a police spokeswoman said, while the department tweeted, “Our detective reviewed the case file anticipating questions surrounding the closed Cobain case as the 20 yr anniversary approaches.” The movie addressed the undeveloped film and reenacts a scene in which Grant is told the photos will probably never be developed because they “don’t develop photos on suicides.” “Soaked In Bleach” goes on to claim that “by their negligent death investigation,”
the Seattle Police: Allowed Kurt Cobain to be cremated 6 days after being discovered. Waited 30 days to process the shotgun for fingerprints. Gave Courtney Love the shotgun to have it melted down. Allowed the greenhouse crime scene to be torn down and destroyed
In this interview Dr. Wecht talks about different aspects of his expertise and renders his opinion on the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
The musician died in 1994 at the age of twenty-seven. The official ruling of suicide has been publicly questioned since the week after the news broke of Mr. Cobain’s death.
(1) Why do you believe that Mr Cobain’s death was a homicide staged as a suicide?
I have never seen a case of someone with such an exceptionally high level of heroin, enough to kill a lot of people, who were able to do what the authorities say Kurt Cobain did. It does not make any sense at all from a physiological, neurological or psychological standpoint. Number one, that he would inject himself with such a huge amount of heroin and then take all of the assembly used to inject the drug and clean them and carefully put them back into the special little case: the needle, the syringe, and then set it aside, and then in this state of bliss and contentment, which is why these drug addicts take these drugs – to then pick up the shotgun and shoot himself. It is just absurd. Most of these people die with the needle still in them, the tourniquet on their arm, or the needle and syringe lying close by. Or they recover after a state of unconsciousness. Or they are resuscitated if someone is called to the scene. But for someone to make this injection and then take apart everything and put it back into a case carefully and take a shotgun and shoot themselves, it is just – I have never seen anything like that.
(2) Are you aware of any recorded cases of deceased persons with the blood morphine level comparable to Mr. Cobain’s?
I have seen some cases with a very high level. But this certainly was in a very high range. Of course, addicts develop what is called tolerance and they can handle a much larger dose than people who are not long-term addicts, so it is not the quantity alone. It is the circumstances that go along with that kind of quantity. As I already said, what was there at the scene, and then the commission of suicide itself needs to be considered. If you take the drug, the drug at that level probably is going to lead you into a state of semi-consciousness very quickly. And what is the purpose of taking the drug if you are going to kill yourself? The reason people take these drugs is to make themselves feel much more placid much more contented, to eliminate troubled feelings, their sense of depression, anxiety or whatever it may be. So it just does not fit.
(3) You have also expressed some doubts about the position of the shotgun on Mr. Cobain’s body.
Yes. The position of the shotgun did not fit either with someone having shot himself with a shotgun. That was very important too. When you go to a scene and you have someone who has been found shot you have to be very careful. This leads me to another big point which is that the scene was not at all properly investigated. They made a quick assumption of a very premature nature that it was a suicide. You do not do that. You treat every case as if it were homicide and most of the time it will prove to be a suicide or maybe an accident. The percentage of homicides will below, but you make sure that you treat it as one. You collect everything that you can: footprints, fingerprints, trace evidence, physical evidence, hair, and so on. And then if it all proves to be unnecessary, the only thing is that you have spent some time, some energy. But this was not done, and the scene was not properly investigated.
(4) In your practice how often have you come across staged suicides?
Not frequently, but I have dealt with several over the years. In fact, I will be testifying in one in the next couple of weeks in Philadelphia. So, while they are not frequent, they do occur. It is just not something that you would never see. I have dealt with a couple dozen over the years in which I rendered reports and testified. Could you walk us through the proper procedure of determining the cause and manner of death, the role of the police department and the medical examiner in the process, as well as the sequence and timeline for the process? The procedures are very straightforward. Homicide detectives are called to the scene, not just plain regular cops.
Number two: forensic scientists are called. Criminalists come to the scene before anything is touched or moved. The forensic pathologist if available should go, but certainly a forensic scientist, to look for physical evidence and collect it before anybody else contaminates the scene. Then photographs are taken with everything in place before anything is moved. After all, that is done, and it may take hours, the body is taken to the medical examiner’s office, photographs are taken there, and then the body is examined. Things may be collected for further studying externally like hair and fingernails and so on. And testing is done to see if there is any evidence of the individual having fired a weapon, by testing the hands and fingers and so on. After all that is done, the autopsy is done in great detail, with emphasis, of course,on the shotgun wound itself in terms of the angle, the trajectory and determining the distance that the muzzle would be away from the body.
(5) You walked us through the proper procedure and now how was this procedure not followed in Mr. Cobain’s case?
The scene was not properly investigated by homicide detectives and by criminalists. There was no detailed study and examination of the physical surroundings. The body was just moved and taken to the medical examiner’s office so those things were not done.
(6) What can be done to have this case reinvestigated now?
The Legal Next Of Kin Would Have To Become Very Active In Pushing For This. There Isn’t Any Process Available To Have This Case Reinvestigated By Another Agency? No, It Would Have To Come From Law Enforcement. There Is No Statute Of Limitations On Homicide, So From A Legal Standpoint You Could Revisit, But It Would Have To Emanate From The District Attorney Or A Law Enforcement Agency. Dr. Nikolas Hartshorne Signed Kurt Cobain’s Death Certificate Calling His Death A Suicide One Day After The Body Was Discovered. This Was Despite The Fact That The Full Toxicology Results Would Not Be Available For Weeks. Hartshorne Was Employed By The King County Medical Examiner’s Office On A Fellowship. He Had Not Yet Taken The Accreditation Examination Necessary To Become A Certified Examiner. Hartshorne Died In 2002 In A BASE Jumping Accident. Autopsy Reports Are Not A Matter Of Public Record In Washington State, Where Mr. Cobain Died. Only The Next Of Kin Can Request Their Copies. If You Had Access To Mr. Cobain’s Autopsy Report Either Because It Was Forwarded To You By His Family Or You Found Yourself In Its Possession In Some Other Manner, Would You Be Willing To Examine It And Render A Professional Opinion? Read The Full Interview Below
Director Benjamin Statler’s docudrama “Soaked In Bleach” ends with former Seattle Police chief Norm Stamper saying he would reopen the investigation into the death of Kurt Cobain, if he were calling the shots today. But Stamper was the guy in charge from 1994 to 2000, including the time of Cobain’s death. He now insists that Seattle Police should “have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead.” He went on to to say that, “If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered, as opposed to having committed suicide, and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that. That was in fact our responsibility. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about honor. It’s about ethics.” Stamper hammered home his point, adding: “If we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the Chief of Police, I would reopen this investigation.” The movie, which is told from the perspective of private investigator Tom Grant, (who was hired by Cobain’s wife Courtney Love to find her husband after he went missing from a rehab center in Los Angeles), is woven together through reenactments of the the hours of recorded conversations between Grant and Love, and interviews with experts who refuse to believe Cobain died by suicide.
The present-day Seattle Police Department do not share their sentiments. Last year, just before the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death, rumors began flying that authorities were about to reopen an investigation after it was reported they had developed four rolls of film from the crime scene that had been sitting in an evidence vault. While the photos were released to the public, the Seattle PD made it very clear they were not reopening the case. “No change, no developments, no new leads,” a police spokeswoman said, while the department tweeted, “Our detective reviewed the case file anticipating questions surrounding the closed Cobain case as the 20 yr anniversary approaches.”
The movie addressed the undeveloped film and reenacts a scene in which Grant is told the photos will probably never be developed because they “don’t develop photos on suicides.” “Soaked In Bleach” goes on to claim that “by their negligent death investigation,” the Seattle Police:
Allowed Kurt Cobain to be cremated 6 days after being discovered. Waited 30 days to process the shotgun for fingerprints. Gave Courtney Love the shotgun to have it melted down. Allowed the greenhouse crime scene to be torn down and destroyed
COBAINFILES 