Cover-Up Scandal: Coroner Who Performed Autopsy on Kurt Cobain Allegedly had Affair With Courtney Love
The late Kurt Cobain, the iconic frontman of the '90s grunge band Nirvana, continues to be a subject of fascination and speculation even decades after his death.
Recently, bestselling author Ian Halperin has made shocking claims about the examiner who conducted Cobain's autopsy, Dr. Nikolas Hartshorne, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to Halperin, Dr. Hartshorne allegedly boasted of an intimate relationship with Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, which he claims compromised the objectivity of the autopsy findings.
The alleged revelations come in light of a leaked copy of Cobain’s autopsy report, which had never before been made public due to privacy laws in Washington state.
The report, signed by Dr. Hartshorne and the late Dr. Donald Reay, confirms Cobain’s cause of death as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound. It also reveals the presence of various substances in Cobain’s system, including morphine, codeine, diazepam, opiates, and benzodiazepines, as well as needle track marks along his arm.
Halperin has long questioned the official version of Cobain’s death, arguing that the excessive amount of heroin in his system would have made it impossible for him to have killed himself.
In his book, Case Closed: The Cobain Murder, he presents alleged evidence suggesting foul play and suggests that Cobain was murdered. Halperin also challenged Love to take a lie-detector test to prove her innocence, an offer she has always denied.
Dr. Hartshorne, a self-proclaimed fan of Nirvana and Courtney Love, admitted during an interview with Halperin in 1996 that he should have been recused from the autopsy.
He reportedly stated that he believed he was too presumptuous in his findings and confessed to having a “conflict of interest.”
Halperin also alleged that Dr. Hartshorne insinuated having a romantic relationship with Love.
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Halperin's allegations not only question the integrity of the autopsy but also challenge the initial investigation into Cobain's death.
The author argues that Seattle police were steered away from considering Cobain's death as a potential murder, and he cites former police chief Norm Stamper's admission that a new investigation should be launched.
Halperin hopes that justice will prevail and that further evidence will come to light, just as it has in other high-profile cases like Tupac Shakur and Martha Moxley in recent years.
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Nirvana was considered one of the most influential rock bands in the early 2000s, especially with the release of their 1991 album Nevermind and its lead single, Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Cobain's death drew international attention and became a topic of debate amongst fans of the band and conspiracy theorists alike.