Kurt Cobain 'didn't take own life', new independent report claims
The death of Nirvana star Kurt Cobain shocked the music world in April 1994, when he was found dead at home at just 27 years old.
More than three decades on, an independent team of forensic scientists have re-examined the case files regarding the rockstar's passing.
It was officially ruled as suicide by the King County Medical Examiner, who said Cobain died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a Remington Model 11 20-gauge shotgun, at his home in Seattle.
However, for many years, conspiracy theories and rumours have persisted, insisting the star didn't take his own life.
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Cobain was survived by his wife, Courtney Love, and their toddler daughter, Frances Bean.
According to the Daily Mail, an unofficial private sector team of forensic scientists have teamed up with specialist Brian Burnett and independent researcher Michelle Wilkins.
Wilkins told the outlet that after spending three days looking at the crime scene materials and all of the information surrounding Cobain's death, Burnett insisted: "This is a homicide. We've got to do something about this."
Burnett's specialist experience examining deaths where a drug overdose is followed by gunshot trauma.
The team is said to have 'exhaustively' reviewed the autopsy documents, and they have assembled a peer-reviewed paper with their findings, which has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Forensic Science.
Wilkins and the team believe they have uncovered signs which do not match the verdict of the much-publicised autopsy.
They have collated 'ten points of evidence', which they believe show there was one or more attackers who forced Cobain to take a heroin overdose before shooting him in the head.
It is then alleged the assailants placed the gun in Cobain's hands, and left behind a forged suicide note, including words to Love and their daughter.
In 2024, Love told the Evening Standard she wasn't prepared for the hatred she received after his death: "He was able to hide behind me, but then I got hated. Then Kurt died, and the hatred towards me reached a completely new level. I did not plan for that."
According to ABC News, back in 2011, the widow told Vanity Fair: "If [Cobain] came back right now I’d have to kill him, for what he did to us. I’d f**king kill him. I’d f**k him, and then I’d kill him. He tried to kill himself three times! He OD’d at least five times."
Despite this, Wilkins said she and the team believe the Nirvana star 'didn't die very quickly of a gunshot blast.'
One point they raised relates to organ damage Cobain sustained as he died: "The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn't happen in a shotgun death."
Wilkins argued: "To me, it looks like someone staged a movie and wanted you to be absolutely certain this was a suicide."
"The receipt for the gun is in his pocket. The receipt for the shells is in his pocket. The shells are lined up at his feet," she argued.
She also said it was 'a very clean scene' and not what you would expect from his manner of death, and pointed out that the needles had the caps placed back on, which the team alleged someone who had taken such a high dose of heroin would not have been able to do.
The spent shotgun shell was recovered on top of a pile of clothes, which Wilkins said was in the opposite direction than you would expect.
"Not only is there a shell where it shouldn't be, there shouldn't even be a shotgun shell," Wilkins added.
"If your hand is on the forward barrel, where Kurt's hand was reported to be in the SPD report, the gun wouldn't eject a shell at all," she said.
She also questioned why Cobain's hands were 'so clean', given the violent manner of his death.
The team allege that Cobain's left hand was placed on the gun after he died, pointing to a thumbprint-like mark which was seen on his hand.
They also point to the suicide note, and claim that there are two different styles of handwriting.
Wilkins said: "The top of the note is written by Kurt, there's nothing about suicide in that. It's basically just him talking about quitting the band."
"Then there are four lines at the bottom... you can see that the last four lines… the text is a little bit different," Wilkins added, saying the writing at the bottom is 'bigger' and 'more scrawly.'
In the wake of their findings, a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner's Office said: "King County Medical Examiner’s Office worked with the local law enforcement agency, conducted a full autopsy, and followed all of its procedures in coming to the determination of the manner of death as a suicide."
They added that they are willing to revisit 'conclusions if new evidence comes to light' but insist that so far 'we’ve seen nothing to date that would warrant re-opening of this case and our previous determination of death."
Seattle Police Department also told the Mail that they were standing by the initial verdict: "Our detective concluded that he died by suicide, and this continues to be the position held by this department."
Wilkins said they want the case to be looked at again, but have been refused, saying authorities 'both came back with, "No," Like, we're not even looking at your evidence'.
She argued: "If we're wrong, just prove it to us. That's all we asked them to do."
Cobain's death still remains classified as a suicide.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Music, Crime, US News, Conspiracy Theory
Jen Thomas