How is it determined if a person commits suicide, is murdered, or dies as a result of an accident?

Question

My stepsister od'd on recreational drugs a few years back, and it was ruled an accident. I don't question that ruling, because she had a history of drug use, but are testimonies from friends or families taken into consideration, regarding the person's mental state or lifestyle?

Like in the Anna Nicole Smith case, how would they come up with it being an accidental death, rather than a suicide? Or how do they determine no one else could have either enticed her to take the drugs, or physically given them to her without her knowledge?

I know, the second part of that, it being a homicide, is pushing it. Suicide or accident, though?

Okee dokee, I don't need definitions of "suicide", "homicide" and "accident"

I was wondering HOW it is determined.

Ummm, second guy (sorry, can't remember the handle): Thanks. But how do they determine in less obvious deaths? How do they know that a drug overdose, or a death by autoerotic asphixiation, or death by the so-called "Choking Game", how would they know without having at least a basic knowledge of the background and mental state of the victim?

Answer 1

forensic science. For instance, if you find a body hanging from a noose, and the blood didn't congeal toward the feet, it wasn't a suicide.

Answer 2

It should be homicide, the rationalization at the back of that is, If as individual has commited Suicide his physique won't drift for atleast 12 hours, yet in accordance to the post-mortem document the guy had died 4 hours decrease back and his physique grew to become into stumbled on floating on the Water. So, it should be homicide.

Answer 3

suicide is a concious decision to end your life. Murder is the taking of anothers life on purpose. And a death of an accident in Involuntary manslaughter.