Suicide?

[Rakhel]

Liquid drain cleaner was found coursing through the system of the Nicaraguan diplomat discovered dead last week in his Bronx apartment, police sources said today.
The body of Cesar Mercado – who had recently been diagnosed with HIV – was full of Spanish brand drain-cleaner, the empty bottle recovered in his blood-splattered Grand Concourse apartment, sources added.
Mercado, 34, was found at 10:30 a.m. Thursday with slash wounds to his throat and 12 stab wounds to the abdomen.
He was found lying on the floor in a pool of blood by his driver, who had shown up to chauffer him to the UN General Assembly.
Two knives were found and the bathroom sink was filled with blood.
It’s undetermined if the diplomat committed suicide or was murdered.
Investigators are testing the DNA of hair strands found in both Mercado’s hands and bloody fingerprints found at the scene.


Read more: Liquid drain cleaner found in Nicaraguan diplomat - NYPOST.com

How in the world can they assume suicide?

 

[xkatz]

The Mossad strike again... O__O

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Sounds like torture to me

 

[croak]

Drain cleaner wasn't working fast enough so he grabbed some knives and went wild on himself?

But yeah, I see what you mean.

 

[kiwimac]

Doesn't sound like a suicide to me.

 

[HonestJoe]

How in the world can they assume suicide?

Where in the world does anyone assume it was suicide? The statement is that it hasn't been determined whether his death was suicide or murder. This is the very opposite of assumption and precisely the correct approach for investigations to take. The only assumption is yours.

 

[Rakhel]

To even investigate it as if it were a suicide makes no sense. To say they can't determine? That is not typical language used here. 'Foul play is suspect' is the typical usage when they aren't sure. However, because this man was a UN diplomat,on his was to the UN assembly, who just happened to find out he had HIV, 'It’s undetermined if the diplomat committed suicide or was murdered.'
Please.

 

[HonestJoe]

To even investigate it as if it were a suicide makes no sense. To say they can't determine? That is not typical language used here.

Again it is you making the assumption. There is absolutely nothing in the report suggesting this is being investigated as a suicide. All we have is a statement from a journalist pointing out that no official determination has yet been made on how he was killed. You are reading far too much in to what is a perfectly neutral statement.

 

[Rakhel]

You assume this is the only paper or even news organization reporting on this.
The first night this story aired on CBS, they said the same thing, and that was before the drain-cleaner was mentioned.
So no, it is not just me that is assuming that this death is also being investigated as a suicide as well as a murder.

 

[HonestJoe]

You assume this is the only paper or even news organization reporting on this.

That's not relevant. You quoted an article and commented on it. I read the article and responded to your comment on it.

So no, it is not just me that is assuming that this death is also being investigated as a suicide as well as a murder.

That isn't the point. Even if it were a direct quote from the investigators, the statement "it hasn't been determined whether it was suicide or murder" doesn't say anything how the investigation is being carried out (other than showing that the investigators are quite rightly not prejudging the situation).

They're investigating a suspicious death. A number of things happened to the unfortunate victim, some or all could have contributed to his death and any of them could have been carried out by himself or someone else. Until they start building up a body of evidence to start addressing those questions, they can't (and shouldn't) treat it as either murder or suicide.

 

[croak]

Looking at this again, I suppose he could have been attacked and, figuring he wouldn't make it, or deciding he might as well end it, chugged down the bottle of drain cleaner. Then again, being slashed in the throat and abdomen would make getting the drain cleaner rather difficult. Then again, maybe he was in the middle of committing suicide via drain cleaner when somebody decided to come in and hack away at him. The medical examiner would check to see which method finished him off.

Or maybe he was force-fed drain cleaner by his killer.

In any case, I would assume the attacker's intent was to kill him, but if the dipolmat was killed by drain cleaner he voluntarily drank in an effort to commit suicide, it might mean the attacker would be charged with attempted murder, rather than murder.

Now, knowing his chaffeur was coming, it might not have been the best time for attempting suicide. He could have the night before, for instance. Then again, maybe he had the faint hope that someone would rescue him.

More on the suicide angle: Bloody fingerprints in Nicaraguan diplomat Cesar Mercado's apartment are his, police sources say

I still say murder.

 

[xkatz]

I still say murder.

I agree. Murder... By someone posing as an avian creature living somewhere in Lebanon!!!1

 

[croak]

I agree. Murder... By someone posing as an avian creature living somewhere in Lebanon!!!1

I'm not a poser!

And I have no reason to kill anyone.

Well, beef is rather good... and fish... and chicken... and lamb....

 

[Midnight Pete]

The Mossad strike again... O__O

That would have to be the sloppiest Mossad hit ever ... :sarcastic

 

[Midnight Pete]

Looking at this again, I suppose he could have been attacked and, figuring he wouldn't make it, or deciding he might as well end it, chugged down the bottle of drain cleaner. Then again, being slashed in the throat and abdomen would make getting the drain cleaner rather difficult. Then again, maybe he was in the middle of committing suicide via drain cleaner when somebody decided to come in and hack away at him. The medical examiner would check to see which method finished him off.

Or maybe he was force-fed drain cleaner by his killer.

In any case, I would assume the attacker's intent was to kill him, but if the dipolmat was killed by drain cleaner he voluntarily drank in an effort to commit suicide, it might mean the attacker would be charged with attempted murder, rather than murder.

Now, knowing his chaffeur was coming, it might not have been the best time for attempting suicide. He could have the night before, for instance. Then again, maybe he had the faint hope that someone would rescue him.

More on the suicide angle: Bloody fingerprints in Nicaraguan diplomat Cesar Mercado's apartment are his, police sources say

I still say murder.

It's impossible to "chug down" a bottle of drain cleaner. A person would puke their guts out if they tried.

 

[Duck]

How in the world can they assume suicide?

Maybe they assume that he fell down on the knives 12 TIMES as he staggered around after drinking/injecting the drain cleaner? And then tried to cut his throat to keep from drinking more drain cleaner? or something...

 

[croak]

It's impossible to "chug down" a bottle of drain cleaner. A person would puke their guts out if they tried.

The whole bottle, maybe not. But you could probably get down enough to kill yourself.

 

[Midnight Pete]

The whole bottle, maybe not. But you could probably get down enough to kill yourself.

That would be a very unpleasant death. Corrosives dissolving you from the inside-out. :cover:

 

[croak]

That would be a very unpleasant death. Corrosives dissolving you from the inside-out. :cover:

And it can take up to a month to do the job. Drain cleaner poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Not fun at all.

 

[dust1n]

Aye, the journalist can only right hard facts (supposedly) and if he was not given more information, that is all the journalist would be allowed to right. Now why the investigative team doesn't say something along the lines of "Well, it's more than likely a murder, but we haven't guaranteed that yet" is beyond me.