cold case

"I will tell you right now that if I were the chief [of police] today I would reopen this investigation."

 - Norm Stamper, Chief Of Police in Seattle at the time of Kurt Cobain's death


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"Oh hey, I've solved it."

"Hm?"

"The Cobain case. I solved it."

"I thought you solved it last week."

"That's... last week I thought I did, but this time I've really solved it."

"Ok so let's hear it."

"So let's start with what we know. We know he was found dead at home in Seattle with a shotgun across his body, a visible head wound and a suicide note."

"Correct."

"We also know that there was a high concentration of morphine and traces of valium in his bloodstream following death. And also that his body was found roughly three days after the actual death. So the actual dosage and concentration of heroine at the time of death is effectively unknown. We know that the shotgun shell was found on the wrong side of Kurt's body. We know that Tom Grant is a private investigator who prior to this had an established unblemished record as a police officer and who now vociferously believes that Kurt Cobain's case is not a straightforward suicide. We know that Kurt had talked to his attorney about drawing up a will that excluded Courtney because he was thinking of divorcing her. His body was discovered by a complete stranger who had come to install the security lights in the greenhouse. These are the facts, released to the public, verified, undisputed."

"Okay."

"Now for the more tenuous evidence. Things uncorroborated but reported by people close to the investigation. Tom Grant was not hired to find Kurt Cobain but to stop him from spending her money. Dylan Carlson, the person who purchased the shotgun for Cobain was allegedly receiving money from Courtney Love to pay his rent and fuel his heroin addiction. According to Tom Grant, Courtney and Dylan communicated heavily during this time and most information was communicated through Carlson, implying that any information regarding Kurt's whereabouts were provided to Carlson first."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Essentially, I believe Kurt died of a heroin overdose, perhaps intentional, perhaps not. Dylan Carlson discovered the body and then informed Courtney who instructed Carlson to make it seem more like a suicide. Then removed herself as much as possible from the specifics in order to maintain deniability, authorising Carlson to act with autonomy and full discretion. That explains why the details surrounding the note and the shotgun seem so strange. If he had been discovered dead and his body tampered with and planted inside the house, it would have to have been by someone who had access to insider information regarding Kurt's habits and preferred habitats, and also someone who had free access in and out of the house. This limits suspects to those who were very close to the person."

"... But why frame it to be a suicide? Why go through all that trouble?"

"That's the question. If Kurt had simply died of an overdose - it would be a damn shame. If Kurt had died by suicide it would be a little more tragic, but the overall result is the same. So who would stand to profit from Kurt's death appearing to be a suicide? Maybe someone who didn't want a lot of investigation into the cause and events leading up to his death. Someone who didn't want private and public investigators snooping around."

"You mean Courtney."

"Yes."

"But why? What was she afraid of the police finding out?"

"I don't know. Only one person can answer that...

but imagine how it would look if you're discovered to be having an affair while your husband is miserable and depressed and found dead at his home. And what if the person you're having an affair with is the person who discovered his body. Would you worry that people might conjecture that you both conspired to have him murdered to keep your affair a secret? Or maybe you would fear that people might conclude that the thing that killed Kurt was finding out that his wife had been unfaithful. And if so, would you fear how the people who loved Kurt would react? Would you be afraid of being cut out of the will? Would you worry they may try to take your daughter away from you?"

"I mean... wow."

'Right?"

"Have you told anyone else this?"

"You're the first. I've drafted a letter though to the local newspaper and I'm planning to get in touch with Tom to discuss the theory and whether or not this makes any difference to the investigation."

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I can't let you do that."

"Y- what are  you


---


Sergeant Donald Cameron, one of the homicide detectives involved in the case, specifically dismissed Grant's theory, claiming, "[Grant] hasn't shown us a shred of proof that this was anything other than suicide." Cameron, however, has been accused of being a personal friend of Love's.[26] Dylan Carlson told Halperin and Wallace that he also did not believe that the theory was legitimate, and in an interview with Broomfield implied that if he believed that his friend was murdered, he would have dealt with it himself. In Kurt & Courtney, he specifically states that he would kill Love and any others involved if he believed that they had murdered Cobain.[27] He has criticized Grant's investigation.


Filmmaker Nick Broomfield, deciding to investigate the theories himself, brought a film crew to visit a number of people associated with both Cobain and Love, including Love's estranged father, Cobain's aunt, and one of the couples' former nannies. Broomfield also spoke to The Mentors' bandleader Eldon "El Duce" Hoke, who claimed that Love had offered him $50,000 to kill Cobain. Although Hoke claimed that he knew who killed Cobain, he did not mention a name and offered no evidence to support his assertion. However, he mentioned speaking to someone called "Allen" (Allen Wrench), before quickly interjecting, "I mean, my friend", then laughing, "I'll let the FBI catch him." Broomfield incidentally captured Hoke's final interview, as he died days later when he was struck by a train in the middle of the night.

- Wikipedia article on the Suicide of Kurt Cobain