Someone can correct me if I am wrong but the primary reason for the determination of death in a autopsy when murder is suspected is to prove it beyond doubt.
Otherwise, it would be a field day for the defendant's attorney if a suspect was ever caught...
You're correct. In every suspicious death, the prosecution has to have someone who can testify as to the cause.
Then, they would "confirm" the cause of death; we can already determine what it was without the autopsy. The journalist must be fresh out of high school.
you mean to prove beyond doubt that he is really dead? I still want my share of the 90,000 frozen clams from the La. Senator. I wonder why I never hear anything about this?
An autopsy is typically performed anytime there is an "unattended death".