Among the bones broken in Epstein’s neck was the hyoid bone, which in men is near the Adam’s apple. Such breaks can occur in those who hang themselves, particularly if they are older, according to forensics experts and studies on the subject. But they are more common in victims of homicide by strangulation, the experts said.
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I think amateur hangings can end up being strangulations.
“Jonathan Arden, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, said a hyoid can be broken in many circumstances, but is more commonly associated with homicidal strangulation than suicidal hanging”
If he hanged himself with a red scarf, he didn’t hang himself.
I did some checking, and although fracture of the hyoid bone is found mostly in manual strangulation, it can occur from hanging, especially in older individuals, because by the age of 40, the bone is ossified, and therefore more prone to breaking.
A study from 2014:
In Strangulation Deaths: Forensic Significance of Hyoid Bone Fracture
The question is how did Epstein generate enough force to break bones in his neck without the impact pf a drop? They are postulating he hung himself while kneeling.
John C. Woods, the U.S. Army Master Sergeant that lied his way into becoming the executioner of the Nuremberg defendants, did this. Although other people claim he intentionally moved the coils so that Julius Streicher would strangulate to death instead of the drop snapping his neck immediately.
Absolutely accurate. A hanging done by a professional executioner will kill the subject nearly instantly by breaking the neck so violently above v1 that the brain stem ruptures.
An amateur hanging, without a forceful enough drop AND proper placement of the ligature will result in a slower strangulation type of demise. Bad way to go, IMHO.