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Ian Halperin claims Kurt Cobain 'was murdered' as author reveals evidence in new book 'Case Closed'

'It’s scientifically impossible that Kurt killed himself with the shotgun based on the forensics and pathological evidence,' said Ian Halperin

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: An award-winning documentarian who is urging a fresh murder investigation into Kurt Cobain's death case claims that the Nirvana frontman was unlikely to have shot himself and instead died of a severe heroin overdose. Ian Halperin, a New York Times bestselling author, claims he has evidence that the frontman of Nirvana had 70 times the fatal amount of heroin in his system when he was discovered with a gunshot injury to the head at his Seattle residence in April 1994. 

According to Halperin, it implies that it is "scientifically impossible" that Cobain, who died at the age of 27, could have shot himself. The fact that supposedly no prints were discovered on the shotgun, according to the 58-year-old author, is another obvious indicator that somebody else was involved. Halperin states to have communicated with authorities in Seattle who think the case was mistakenly "steered away" from murder and written off as another drug overdose fatality. He also cites Norm Stamper, a former Seattle police superintendent, who previously claimed that a fresh investigation was necessary, as per The Sun.

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Who is Ian Halperin?

Ian Halperin is a New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Rolling Stone Magazine Award for Investigative Journalism. He is the author of many well-known books, including 'Love and Death: The Murder Of Kurt Cobain' and 'Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story', and a biography of Céline Dion. Halperin has provided content for Court TV and '60 Minutes 2' and has appeared on programs including 'Dateline NBC' in 1992, 'The Today Show' in 1952, Howard Stern, and Paula Zahn, as per IMDB. His expose book, 'Bad & Beautiful', which he wrote after posing as a model in 2001 to expose the fashion business, became a best-seller around the world. In the 2002 London Daily Mail year-end roundup, Jackie Collins dubbed it her "book of the year."As per Good reads, his book, 'Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson', was a number one best seller on the New York Times list on July 24, 2009. The docu-maker is also a renowned saxophonist and composer. He has performed at clubs and festivals all over the globe on his tours.

What is Ian Halperin claiming about Kurt?

"Cobain was murdered based on the evidence I have," Halperin revealed to The US Sun after the release of his new book, 'Case Closed: The Cobain Murder: The Killing And Cover Up of Kurt Cobain'. "He had 70 times the lethal dose of heroin in his system. Forensic pathological experts say it's impossible for anybody to withstand that much heroin for more than a second, let alone turn around, lift a shotgun, turn the shotgun, and try to blow their head off." He added, "It’s scientifically impossible that Kurt killed himself with the shotgun based on the forensics and pathological evidence."

On what basis is Halperin making these claims?

The author Halperin claimed that there has never been a case in human history of someone taking 70 times the lethal dose of heroin for a normal individual. He said, "The smoking gun is the heroin intake. Nobody would be able to withstand that amount," as cited by The Sun.

'Dead men do not wipe their own prints'

Halperin further detailed, "To be clear, the heroin was 70 times more than a normal person, who had not used before, could withstand and three times the amount the most severe junkie with a long-term problem and tolerance could withstand before dying. There is no precedent for this. Kurt had been off drugs." The author continued, "He came back from rehab and wanted a new start in life.  Someone shot him up. Most probably two people. Also, I write there were no fingerprints on the gun they found. Dead men do not wipe their own prints. Cops who have been off the record sources for 25 years think the investigation was steered away from murder."

How did Kurt Cobain die?

On April 5, 1994, the music legend was discovered dead at his Seattle residence at the age of 27. Police said at the time that Cobain died by suicide with a single shotgun shot to the head and that a suicide note appeared next to the musician's body, which was located by an electrician. However, the events regarding Cobain's death have sparked several theories of conspiracy over the years, with many fans thinking he was killed, as per NBC.

'Shame on us for not doing that'

Former Seattle police chief Stamper, who held the position from 1994 to 2000, including the period of Cobain's death, said in the 2015 film 'Soaked in Bleach': "If I were the chief today, I would reopen this investigation. We should in fact have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead." Stamper further says in the documentary, "If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered, as opposed to having committed suicide, and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that. That was in fact our responsibility."

'It really warrants a reopening and reinvestigation'

Halperin insisted that the investigation be "one hundred percent" reopened in light of the remarks made by the former top cop. He continued, "Especially with the former police chief of Seattle now saying that they got it wrong, I think it really warrants a reopening and reinvestigation." he further adds, "Why is it so important? Because Kurt Cobain was the greatest star we've seen in the last 40 years. He's in the same breath as John Lennon, a game changer, the voice of a generation and his fans and his people deserve to know how he really died instead of being under false pretenses. Many of them have no idea still about the murder theory."