Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Username:
Password:
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

There aren't any users online.

[James]

I'm going to have my serial killer use garotting as the means of murder, using piano wire. I have two areas where I hope someone can help me. I have heard that sometimes garotting can result in decapitation. Is this correct?

Secondly, I want my murderer to use piano wire, which suits his (or it could be her - you never know!) psychological profile. How easy is it to get hold of piano wire? I went to my local music shop and they said they don't sell the stuff. The nearest they had was guitar strings. I also tried a piano tuner, and he said he doesn't sell the stuff either, as stringing a piano is a skilled business. He only tunes it.

So where would someone get piano wire? I don't want to go down the road of the murderer finding a tired old piano, buying it and removing the strings. It would just hold up the plot.

[Kathy Wendorff]

Here you go, James:

http://www.pianosupplies.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=PianoWire

Or, if that link doesn't work, just Google piano wire

Kathy W.

[Lee Lofland]

Guitar strings are precisely the same thing just on a different scale and, they're readily available. I think you'd be wise to think hard about using this as a choice of weapon because thin wire is difficult to hold (it could easily cut the murderer's hands) unless the killer fashions some sort of handle on each end of the ligature. Also, it takes a lot of strength to kill an adult using a ligature. Think about how hard you'd fight if someone cut off your air supply. Normally, this would not be a good choice of weapon for a female to use against a male.

I've seen a few deaths caused by garrotting and hanging. Neither of the killers used the same material - pantyhose, twine, leather strap, rope, shoestring, etc., and rarely was the skin even broken. Not even remotely close to a decapitation. One guy used baling wire which would be similar to your scenario. In that case the flesh was badly bruised, but I don't recall any bleeding at all.

[I have requested this comment be deleted.]

Why not have the killer use a tree saw?  That could cause decapitation.