Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994 left millions of fans devastated and mourning. There have always been conspiracies surrounding his death, one of the most popular surrounding his wife, Courtney Love. And now, a new private forensic investigation has reopened old theories.
© FilmMagic, IncCobain died on April 5, 1994, at 27, from what was believed to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound in his Seattle home. His death was ruled a suicide by the King County Medical Examiner, but a newly published, unofficial forensic review is challenging that conclusion, claiming the evidence may instead point to homicide, reviving decades-old theories.
Love has long been blamed by members of Nirvana’s fanbase, accused with no evidence of orchestrating Cobain’s death for control of his estate, claims she has repeatedly denied.
© Getty ImagesAn insider tells the Daily Mail that for Love, the renewed scrutiny feels painfully familiar. “Over the years and decades since Kurt’s death, she has heard every story about his death, how it was her fault. Just one misery after another,” the source said. “She loved him more than anyone else she has ever been with… but now that there is another conspiracy of how he died, it is her version of Groundhog Day.”
While many are eager to see what the investigation can bring, the source said she would love for Cobain “to be able to rest in peace, but it looks like that will never happen.” “And as the years continue, it will be something else,” they added.
© TettyAmid the headlines, the insider explained that Love “is going to choose to honor him instead of reliving that horrible moment in her life and not give it any life it doesn't need.”
Back in 2011, Love expressed her anger over his suicide, telling Vanity Fair, "If [Cobain] came back right now I'd have to kill him, for what he did to us,' Love said at the time. 'I'd f***ing kill him. I'd f*** him, and then I'd kill him. He tried to kill himself three times! He OD'd at least five times."
© GettyThe investigation - conducted by an independent, private-sector team of forensic scientists - reexamined Cobain’s autopsy and crime scene records and concluded that several elements were inconsistent with suicide.
Among them: blood patterns, damage to Cobain’s mouth, the condition of his organs, and the positioning of the weapon. One of the researchers, crime scene reconstruction expert Bryan Burnett, reportedly said after reviewing the materials, “This is a homicide. We’ve got to do something about this.”
© GettyThe team’s peer-reviewed paper alleges that Cobain may have been incapacitated by a forced heroin overdose before being shot, with the scene later staged to resemble suicide.
Independent researcher Michelle Wilkins argued that organ damage and signs of oxygen deprivation were more consistent with overdose than an instantaneous gunshot death. “The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn’t happen in a shotgun death,” she said.
Official authorities, however, are not persuaded. Both the King County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Seattle Police Department reiterated that they are not reopening the case, standing by their original determination that Cobain died by suicide.
Amid the investigation, Love was spotted out in Los Angeles on a casual walk with a friend and her dog, her first public sighting since news broke. She wore a striped jumper and a blue satin mini skirt, looking relaxed.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupObservers also noticed a diamond ring on her left hand, sparking quick speculation. But DailyMail reports she is not engaged.
