Massello W
J Forensic Sci. 1986 Jul;31(3):1000-8.
The certification of suicide as the manner of death is frequently contested in court by the victim's survivors, particularly when there are life insurance benefits at stake. The evidence upon which the opinion of suicide is based must, therefore, meet the standard of proof required in law, if it is to be sustained by the courts. This standard of proof and some of its contingent common law doctrines are discussed, with references to several judicial opinions from cases which involved contested suicides.
自杀被认定为死亡方式的情况经常在法庭上遭到受害者幸存者的质疑,尤其是在涉及人寿保险赔付利益的情况下。因此,如果要得到法庭支持,判定自杀的意见所依据的证据必须符合法律要求的证明标准。本文将讨论这一证明标准及其一些相关的普通法原则,并参考一些涉及自杀争议案件的司法意见。