Ah, conspiracy theory storytime with Mom
Alright, some of you might remember Kurt Cobain--I sometimes forget that it was seven years ago this day that his body was found, dead of a gunshot wound to the head (or what was left of his head). Being a Nirvana fan, I've always found the idea that it was murder, not suicide which ended his life an intriguing one. That's not to say that he wasn't suicidal--god knows he was. Hell, if In Utero doesn't read like a suicide note, then I don't know what does. Still, that doesn't mean that he's the one who pulled the trigger (so to speak), and it has been a common theory that he may have in fact been killed by Courtney Love, albeit through a hitman.
And so, I come not to praise Kurt, but to unbury him, and present you with some facts (according to the police reports, autopsy, and private investigator who was actually employed by Courtney) which may make you think that this was not a simple suicide. (That, or I've been reading Sam Shepard's Suicide in B-Flat):
- Kurt was divorcing Courtney: Preceding his death, Kurt asked his lawyer Rosemary Carroll to start drawing up divorce papers and to remove Love from his will.
- Someone was using Kurt's card after his death: Someone repeatedly tried to use his credit card after he had died (one transaction was over $1,500), but the attempts stopped when his body was discovered. The police have acknowledged this fact, which means that someone had access to Cobain's body--someone had been at the crime scene before Kurt's body was discovered on April 8th.
- Dylan Carlson: Kurt's friend, known him before Courtney. The gun was purchased in his name; he claims that Kurt wanted it for protection. "Kurt said he wanted the gun for protection. Kurt was concerned if he bought the gun in his name, the police would come and get that gun too." Oh? So why would he care if the cops would come for it, if he was only going to use it to kill himself? Moreover, "Kurt was found on Friday morning, April 8th. According to Tom Grant, he and Dylan Carlson had stopped for gas, Dylan made a phone call. When he came back to the car, he said a friend just told him a body was found at the Lake Washington house. Grant was unsure as to whether it was Kurt or someone else. But, after turning on the car radio, they soon learned that the person found dead was Kurt Cobain. Tom Grant states that "Dylan remained silent and I detected no visible reaction from him. It was if he already knew. Later we heard on the radio that Kurt's body was found in the 'greenhouse'. I turned to Dylan and asked, 'What's the greenhouse?' He told me it was a room above the garage. 'Why didn't we look there?' I asked. 'It's just a dirty little room. I think they keep some lumber in there or something', Dylan replied." from http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/students/T.Getgood/kwm_page/
- The shotgun was loaded with three shells: Why load with three if you're only gonna need one shot? For protection, perhaps?
- There were no fingerprints on the gun: No fingerprints were ever found on the gun--so what did he do, blow his head off and then clean off the gun? Not likely. The gun was not tested by the Seattle Police Department for fingerprints until May 6th, almost a full month after he was found. It was then subsequently returned to Love, who had it destroyed.
- He had already overdosed on heroin: Cobain's heroin blood level was 1.52 mg/l. This would require a minimum injection of 225 mgs of heroin, three times a lethal dose. How would he even be able to shoot himself if he had overdosed?
- There was no sucide note: According to some sources, the so-called "Kurt Cobain Suicide Note" was actually a letter to his fans, telling them he was quiting music. Some of the letter doesn't match his handwriting, either.
- The second note: According to the private investigator Tom Grant, who was hired by Courtney, she was in possession of a second note, which explained the first in detail, particularly that Kurt was leaving her. This note wasn't known of until she accidentally let it slip in an interview in Rolling Stone.
- He didn't leave his license out for identification: instead, the police had to reach into his wallet.
Am I saying I believe this? No. Do I dismiss it? No. Is it crucial to the existence of the universe? No. But I liked Nirvana, and if he was murdered, someone ought to be prosecuted.
If he was murdered, why label it a suicide? I don't believe it was any government conspiracy--why would the Seattle police hold off on arresting Courtney or anyone else, if this is a suicide? Doesn't make sense. So maybe it is a suicide. Or maybe not. Either way, I don't listen to Hole.