Evaluation of murder cases in Tokat province in Türkiye: Analysi̇s of 4 years data

Aim: Homicide-related death cases are one of the most important study topics among forensic medical autopsy applications. In our study, the murders and the reasons for the murders in Tokat province, the sociodemographic characteristics of the victims were examined and discussed with the literature, aiming to reveal the region-specific characteristics.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted by retrospectively examining the postmortem examination and autopsy reports and forensic investigation files conducted by the Gaziosmanpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine and Tokat Forensic Medicine Branch Directorate between January 2014 and January 2018, and a total of 52 cases were evaluated in terms of age, gender, cause of murder, place of occurrence, cause of death, distribution of murder cases by months and years, and the method used.
Results: In our study, the origin of death of a total of 52 cases between 2014-2018 was determined as homicide, and 41 of the cases were male (78.85%) and 11 were female (21.15%). In our study group, the average age of males was 43.34 (SD±15.88), while this number was 38.27 (SD±18.44) for females, and the cases were between the ages of 15-77. It was observed that there was a remarkable increase in homicide cases in 2017 compared to other years, and when evaluated according to months, homicides were committed most frequently in March, firearms were the most common method of homicide, followed by sharp objects, and there was an equal distribution between the origins of homicide.
Conclusion: When the murder cases seen in the Tokat province in the four years mentioned are evaluated by taking into account the sociocultural characteristics of the region, it is seen that the increase in individual armament and land and pasture disputes related to agriculture and animal husbandry, which are the main sources of income of the region, have an effect on the methods and reasons for murder used.