Bleach, Blood & Lies: A Look Back On The Death Of Kurt Cobain 20 Years Later – Part One

Shawn Helton
21st Century Wire

In the early hours of April 8th, 1994, the body of Kurt Cobain was discovered at his Lake Washington residence in Seattle by Veca Electric employee Gary Smith. The iconic singer and guitarist for the popular rock group Nirvana was said to have died from a ‘contact perforating shotgun wound to the head’ just three days earlier on April 5th. 

Was the well-known singer’s death a suicide or murder?

IMAGE:  Bleached and Buried: a contemplative Kurt Cobain performing at the height of his Nirvana fame.

Reports suggest that the 27 year-old’s heroin blood level indicated that he had three times the lethal dose of heroin in his bloodstream prior to the shotgun being used. Expert accounts state that due to the amount of heroin in his system, he would’ve been incapacitated almost immediately and unable to perform the task of shooting himself. Kurt’s body was found six days after he was last seen alive at his Seattle residence. 

From Aberdeen to Hollywood Babylon

Kurt rose to fame out of the humble logging town called Aberdeen, which was once dubbed the “Port of Missing Men” in the early 1900′s because of its high murder rate. Kurt’s band Nirvana became known in a Pacific Northwest music scene that focused around acts such as the Melvins and Mudhoney. While every band was different in the so-called ‘Seattle grunge’ movement, the scene’s style seemed born out of 60′s garage rock and punk while referencing bands like Black Sabbath, its heavily distorted sound and raw sensibility were undaunted by the overindulgent metal instrumentation of the late 80′s, creating an alluring musical landscape that crossed several genre’s.

IMAGE: Electra Complex: Courtney Love’s mother Linda Carroll was a psychotherapist and her father Hank Harrison, was a former manager of the Grateful Dead. Even though he claims to believe his daughter murdered Kurt, Hank has been caught in many inconsistencies in his own storytelling regarding the Cobain case. According to investigator Tom Grant, Hank appears to be more interested in profiting from book deals since Kurt’s death and less concerned with the facts in the case.

It wouldn’t be long before Kurt met his future wife Courtney Love, a vagabond hanger-on and drifter who latched on to the indie rock scenester stratosphere like a vampire, morphing into whatever would give her the best ladder to climb in the entertainment world. Courtney performed in series of defunct bands prior to starting her band Hole in 1989, along the way she was featured in the cult film Sid & Nancy, playing the part of Gretchen, Nancy’s best friend. Courtney closed out the Reagan-Bush era gigging, stripping and modeling her way to marginal notoriety before capturing Kurt and his fame. Courtney’s band Hole was never a hit until after Kurt was gone.

Hole released their second album Live Through This just four days after Kurt’s death on April 12th, 1994. The album subsequently launched Courtney into mainstream success as the record was showered with ‘best album of the year awards’ no doubt piggybacking off the death of Kurt.

IMAGE: Nancy becomes Sid: Kurt & Courtney during a ‘Sassy’magazine shoot in 1992 – It has been said the Spungen was murdered under suspicious circumstances, even though Sid Vicious (John Ritchie) was charged in her death.

The Pacific Northwest had a gritty music scene that seemed built on beer stained amps, dirty punks and backroom junkies. It was this setting that provided a seedy backdrop for one of the most shocking celebrity deaths in modern history, a death that has been shrouded in mystery to this day.

A cold case gets colder

In anticipation of the 20th anniversary of Kurt’s death, the Seattle police department’s cold case division unearthed some ‘four rolls’ of undeveloped film taken at the scene, claiming that this was definitive proof that the initial ruling in the case should stand - death by suicide.

However, after reviewing dozens of photographs of the scene at the Lake Washington home, the SPD has only produced two previously unseen photos that depict some of Kurt’s belongings near his body, namely his wallet, a cigar box full of drug paraphernalia, crumpled cash, sunglasses, cigarettes, a lighter, a dirty cigarette burned towel and a winter cap. While the objects themselves are not unusual, particularly given the fact that Kurt was a well-known heroin user who also smoked cigarettes, the feeling you get is somewhat uneasy as evidence of Kurt’s apparent suicide has been sitting dormant in the SPD’s file room for nearly two decades without being viewed.

Why did the SPD not finish developing all the rolls film when Kurt’s case was still open and how could this be a reinvestigation when all the evidence couldn’t have been properly looked at in the first place?

The further you look into this case, the more unanswered questions seem to appear surrounding the death of the Nirvana singer, some of which seems to be due to the handling of forensic evidence and how the crime scene had been reported from the start. 

A murder investigation

Kurt’s body was located in the family greenhouse above the double garage at his residence. Many have questioned whether it was possible for the Nirvana frontman to have killed himself by way of a shotgun due to the amount of drugs in his system. This has prompted many theories in the wake of his death, some theories that have yet to be put to rest. Let’s take a closer look at the timeline leading up to the star’s death and the forensic evidence surrounding his case.

IMAGE: Searching for the truth: Tom Grant a private investigator and former detective for L.A. County. 

Much of the evidence and background we are about discuss in this article has been gleaned from Tom Grant, a veteran private investigator and former detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who had intimate knowledge of the case. Tom was initially was hired by Courtney Love on April 3rd, 1994, to locate her husband after he had recently left a rehab facility in Marina Del Ray, California. Tom’s investigation led him to Seattle as Kurt was last seen at his residence on April 2nd, 1994.

Below are the most recent photograph’s released by the SPD regarding Kurt’s death. It was inaccurately reported that Kurt had left his license out so police could identify him, as it turns out the police had disturbed the crime scene and pulled his ID out of his wallet prior  taking the photo. It’s these kinds of details that help paint a clearer picture of Kurt’s death as the SPD has been caught in many such contradictions of the crime scene, most notably, authorities inappropriately reported that Kurt was barricaded in the greenhouse by using stool. Photo’s taken of the scene would later prove this was false but in the court of public opinion the damage was already done, as media outlets quickly spread this story without retraction.

IMAGE: The world is a stage: Kurt’s belongings seemingly arranged near his lifeless body.

IMAGE: Personal effects: black tar heroin on a spoon with other drug paraphernalia and syringes contained in a Tom Moore cigar box found at the scene.

When in Rome

On March 2, it was reported that Kurt had checked in at Rome’s Excelsior Hotel, as he was said to be recuperating from a grueling world tour in which he had lost his voice during what would turn out be Nirvana’s last show at Terminal One in Munich, Germany. Nirvana subsequently cancelled the rest of their European tour due to Kurt’s illness, as he was recommended to take at least a month off.

On March 3rd, Courtney and her close friend Michael DeWitt, (aka Cali) traveled to Rome with Frances Bean Cobain. Cali and Frances apparently stayed in the suite next to Kurt and Courtney, as Cali was the family nanny. There was said to have been a heated exchange between Cobain and Love resulting in talk of a divorce. This culminated in Love leaving the hotel for a night out, without her rock star husband. 

Kurt apparently angered by the dispute earlier, wrote a letter informing Courtney that he would be leaving her. Courtney later returned to the hotel room and the pair temporarily reconciled after Courtney read his note. It was then stated that champagne had been ordered, as Kurt later fell into what would be a 20 hour coma on the morning hours of March 4th, after apparently ingesting some 50 Rohypnol pills while drinking. The incident was reported as an ‘accidental overdose’ as Courtney herself admitted to Select magazine while fully made-up on the way to the hospital that Kurt’s overdose was “not a suicide thing.” 

Later through the dark magic of the entertainment industry and Courtney’s ever-changing comments to the press, many media outlets would inaccurately report this was Kurt’s previous suicide attempt following his death. The Rome letter to Courtney was distorted and often refered to as a ‘suicide note’ in mainstream press without any evidence to substantiate that claim. 

Courtney was later told to get rid of the Rome letter by the SPD.

IMAGE: Kurt & Courtney in an ambulance following Kurt’s subsequent overdose from Rohypnol and champagne. It has been reported that Courtney herself may have spiked Kurt’s drink without his knowledge during the course of their fiery stay in Rome.

Dr. Osvaldo Galleta was the attending doctor who treated Kurt in Rome following his accidental overdose. Dr. Galleta said he didn’t believe Kurt to be suicidal, here is an excerpt from his comments:

“We can usually tell a suicide attempt,” adding: “He did not seem like a young man who wanted to end it all.”

If the incident in Rome wasn’t a suicide attempt, how did 50 Rohypnol pills make into Kurt’s champagne, as he would’ve had to unwrap each one from a foil wrap individually, suggesting suicide, which Kurt and Courtney and the doctor who treated all agreed this was not such an attempt?

The drug  Rohypnol, also known as ‘Roffies’ is highly potent and has often been used to incapacitate unknowing victims before being raped or abducted in some way. Roffies render the victim unable to remember what happened to themselves under the influence of the drug, as it is odorless as well as tasteless and cannot be detected when administered.

Many friends and associates of Kurt have stated publicly that they never thought he was suicidal, including Kurt’s best friend Dylan Carlson, Mark Lanegan of the band Screaming Trees and one of the Cobain entertainment attorney’s Rosemary Carroll to name a few.

Tom Grant met with Rosemary five days after Kurt’s body was discovered and she seemed highly suspicious of his death:

“He wasn’t suicidal, Tom. Kurt wasn’t suicidal.”

Rosemary apparently confided in Tom that just a couple of weeks prior to Kurt’s so-called suicide, Courtney contacted her wanting “the meanest, most vicious divorce lawyer,” that she could get.

Kurt had also contacted Rosemary just before his death and wanted Courtney taken out of his will.

Another important detail to take note of took place on the May 2nd, 1993, following an accidental heroin overdose, Courtney subsequently injected Kurt with a host of drugs that would only intensify his ‘total opiate threshold,’ as she claimed she was trying to revive him before paramedics arrived. Courtney wasn’t charged with administering illegal drugs to Kurt after the incident. It was suspected that the reason Courtney was not charged with any misconduct was because of her close connection and friendship with Narcotics Detective Antonio Terry of the Seattle Police Department. 

It’s important to remember that Courtney had an inside track on the SPD, as her friend on the force, Detective Terry had busted some local drug dealers at her behest, even though she herself used illegal drugs. Detective Terry would later turn up dead in the line of duty in what seemed to be an unrelated incident.

Did Courtney’s inside connections within the SPD affect the outcome of how Kurt’s death was investigated?

It was stated that police arrived on the scene of a verbal domestic dispute at the Lake Washington property on March 18th, as Courtney had claimed Kurt had locked himself in a room and was looking to kill himself. This was proven false when Kurt clearly stated that he did not want to hurt himself. Police confiscated Kurt’s weapons in response to Courtney’s assertions.

Why did Courtney apparently lie to police about Kurt and why did authorities take his weapons, as Kurt stated he wasn’t a danger to himself or others?

On March 25th, an apparent “tough love intervention” was staged by Courtney to convince Kurt that he needed to kick his drug habit in order to be a “good daddy,” this was seemingly ironic because it was Courtney who also still using and subsequently got the family caught up in legal trouble following a revealingVanity Fair piece called ‘Strange Love’ by writer Lynn Hirschberg in 1992, it was suggested by Courtney that she used drugs while she was pregnant with her daughter Frances during the interview, causing a media firestorm about the safety of the rock couple’s daughter and for a brief time a fight for her custody.

Also during the ‘Strange Love’ article, Courtney stated that their baby was likely to be due on the same day as the MTV awards and that Kurt should still play the awards show even if Courtney was to give birth, subsequently Frances Cobain was born a few weeks earlier:

“It’s the same day as the MTV Video Awards, I think it’s very important that Kurt play that, but he doesn’t think like I do. If I was him, I’d have to play the video awards. I appreciate money. Kurt doesn’t see it the same way.”

The interview with Hirschberg was wrought with statements like the one above and it resulted in many threats levied against Hirschberg, eventually culminating in physical attack by Courtney at the Oscars in 1995. 

Among those listed as being at Kurt’s staged intervention were Dylan Carson, Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, guitarist Pat Smear all of whom had their own bouts with drug addiction, as some were alleged to be hooked during that same time period. 

IMAGE: Drone Doom: Musician Dylan Carlson was tasked with helping Tom Grant look for Kurt in Seattle, as Kurt’s best friend, he never believed that Kurt was suicidal. It is also interesting to note that his father was said to have worked at the Department of Defense.

In the days leading up to his death, while still in Seattle and before his stint in rehab, Kurt was seen purchasing a 20 gauge Remington shotgun with his best friend Dylan Carlson on March 30th. The shotgun was ‘setup for light load’ making it unlikely to go through walls or doors. It has been stated that Kurt was afraid of intruders coming into his Lake Washington home and wanted some kind of protection, apparently needing Carlson to make the actual purchase because he didn’t want the shotgun in his name. Kurt recently had four weapons confiscated by police and didn’t want this one taken as well. According to a police report made on April 12th, 1994 by Sgt. Don Cameron, Carlson tried to dissuade Kurt from buying the shotgun until he came back from rehab. Kurt refused and took the shotgun to his residence, going against Carlson’s suggestion to leave it at his home.

IMAGE: A photograph of Kurt’s shotgun from Stan Baker Sports – the still is from investigator Tom Grant’s Case Study Manual.  Kurt’s shotgun was fully loaded with three shells prior to his death, which would indicate that it was bought for protection, not suicide. There were no legible prints found on Kurt’s shotgun which could indicate an error when processing evidence, or that the prints themselves were deliberately wiped off the firearm by someone. It wasn’t until one month after Kurt’s body was found that the shotgun was checked for prints.

After heading to the airport by cab, Kurt realized he had shotgun shells on his person from the recent purchase that he and Dylan made. According to Dylan’s statement to police, this would be the last time both men would see or speak with each other, as Kurt subsequently gave the ammunition to the cab driver, as he was bound for a flight to Marina Del Ray for his stay at Exodus Recovery Center.

It’s important to note that Kurt had possession of the shotgun prior to going to rehab, this a point that has often been missed by many media outlets following Kurt’s death, as they have stated inaccurately that he purchased the shotgun after leaving rehab.

Prior to Dylan helping Kurt buy the shotgun evidence suggests that Kurt wanted to walk away from the music industry, leaving a reported $9.5 million dollar contract on the table for a headline slot during Lollapalooza, this did not go over well with Courtney or Nirvana’s business managers at Gold Mountain. Courtney was apparently angry over the fact that Kurt wanted to walk away from the large contract.

Marina Del Ray, the Peninsula Hotel and Seattle

IMAGE: The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel where Courtney Love stayed in the week days leading up to Kurt’s body being found.

On March 26^th, following the intervention with Kurt, Courtney made her way to the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Later during Courtney’s stay at the hotel, it was revealed she subsequently phoned Kurt at Exodus Recovery Center – a total of 13 times on April 1st. 

Who was unstable at the time Kurt or Courtney?

The very next day on April 2nd, it was reported that Courtney had an overdose, this was later said to be a planted story sent to the associated press by Courtney, according to her to scare Kurt and get his attention so he would contact her.

On April 3rd, Courtney hired private investigator Tom Grant. According to her, someone was allegedly trying to use Kurt’s credit card and she needed to know who it was and what activity was on the card. Bizarrely, Courtney had said she had lied to his credit card company and had the card cancelled, she also claimed he had no access to any other money without this card. Kurt’s credit company confirmed that in at least two attempted purchases someone had used his card following his death but once his body was discovered these attempts abruptly stopped.

So why would Courtney call a PI to find out the activity of Kurt’s credit card and then lie to have it cancelled without Kurt’s consent and if she didn’t have contact with Kurt, how was it possible for her to know the card was missing  and being used by someone else?

Missing the truth

As Courtney and Tom mulled over more details about Kurt’s access to money, she claimed she didn’t know where his location was. It was later revealed that earlier that morning she received a phone call from her friend and  family nanny, Cali, stating that he had seen and spoken to Kurt at the Lake Washington property that same morning.

Cali was the last person to speak to Kurt, that we know of. Tom has tried in vain to get him to take a polygraph over the years, with one excuse after another.

Courtney had then asked Tom to send a unit in Seattle to watch other locations as well as a drug dealer’s apartment.

If Courtney knew of Kurt’s whereabouts earlier that morning, why didn’t she tell Tom straight away and why did she instruct Tom to send someone to watch other locations Seattle, other than the Lake Washington house, if that was the last place he was seen alive?

On Monday April 4th, Courtney filed a missing persons report using the name  Wendy O’Connor, Kurt’s mothers name, she also advised Tom to send the Seattle surveillance team to various luxury hotels and try to locate Kurt, even though it was said that Kurt hated fancy hotels. Courtney also suggested she didn’t want to alert Kurt to anyone looking for him, however, she later called a hotel where they thought Kurt might be, this lead turned up empty and left the Lake Washington house without surveillance once again. 

In the missing persons report filed by Courtney, her friend Detective Terry was listed as the point of contact for “further info.” If you remember, Terry was the also the same person who failed to charge Courtney with any wrong doing after Kurt’s accidental overdose on May 2nd, 1993 when she illegally administered drugs to him, extremely aggravating his condition which could have resulted in his death.

IMAGE: Till death do us part: Wendy O’Connor seen here with Kurt and Courtney.

With all the contradictions from Courtney and the false police report she had just made, things were not adding up. It appeared as if the investigation had been deliberately taken away from where Kurt was last seen, the couple’s Lake Washington property.

Why was attention diverted away from the Lake Washington house?

We would later learn that Kurt died on April 5th, 1994 but his body wasn’t discovered until three days after his death. 

We should remember that more than 60 children killed themselves following Kurt’s death, in apparent “copycat suicides,” much of the media seems to have been complicit in not searching for the truth in this case, which has most likely contributed to some of deaths following Kurt’s demise.

This is just Part One of 21Wire looking into Kurt’s final days, look for the next installment soon, as we’ll explore other damning evidence surrounding this case, the search at Kurt’s Lake Washington home, the documentary Kurt & Courtney, possible suspects in his death and the motive to kill the Nirvana star…

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