It’s important to address misconceptions surrounding the autopsy and cause of death. In the early stages of researching Marina Habe’s case, it became clear that most online sources consisted of a handful of blog posts that largely repeated the same limited—and often inaccurate—information.
One such blog post claimed, “The coroner determined that at least two different knives were used in the frenzied attack. By now, it was certain that there was more than one person involved in Marina’s murder.”
This statement is factually incorrect for several reasons.
First, the coroner did not determine that two knives were used, nor is it the coroner’s role to establish how many weapons were involved in a crime. A coroner’s responsibility is to document the nature, number, and location of injuries, as well as to identify the cause and manner of death.
Determining the type and number of weapons—and whether more than one attacker was involved—is the responsibility of homicide detectives, who analyze all available forensic and investigative evidence to construct possible scenarios.
Second, while investigators acknowledged the possibility of more than one perpetrator, they were careful not to state this as a fact.
As reported at the time, “Sheriff’s Lieut. Norman Hamilton said after an autopsy that there were indications that more than one person was involved. But he declined to give details.”1
Even if it were established that two knives were used, this would not, in itself, prove the involvement of multiple perpetrators. A single assailant could have employed more than one weapon.
Furthermore, as discussed in the Cause of Death section, most knives are capable of producing different types of wounds. Stab, cut, and stab-cut wounds made with the same knife can produce different wound characteristics.
Assuming that different wounds must mean different knives—and therefore different attackers—is flawed reasoning.
The claim that it was certain more than one person was involved is misleading and not supported by any official statements. While it remains possible that multiple individuals were involved, this has never been definitively confirmed.
After clearing up common misconceptions about the autopsy, the next step is to establish who actually performed it—and to clarify that it was not Dr. Thomas Noguchi, despite his high-profile work on cases like Sharon Tate’s.