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Blood Spatter
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1500’s Richard Hume in Englandearliest known use of blood
spatter. Hume was jailed for heresy
and convicted of suicide postmortem. He was murdered in his
cell which was then covered up by
making the scene appear as a
suicide.
Sam Shepard’s case. Blood
spatter provided evidence that the
murderer was
left-handed.
DNA
•
Identical twins have identical DNA, but
not identical fingerprints.
• Sir Alec Jeffreys developed DNA profiling
• First exoneration-Richard Buckland 17, had
learning disabilities
• Colin Pitchfork-mass DNA screening
• First used in court in 1980’s
• Serial Rapist- Tommie Lee Andrews
Blood group matched semen. DNA was relatively new to the
scene. Prosecutor stated impressive odds which he could not
substantiate. Hung jury. Retried and sentenced to 100 years
which was then reduced by
appeals and good behavior.
He was expected to be
released Halloween 2012,
but was instead ordered
to a rehabilitation facility.
Fingerprints
• Chinese used fingerprints as identification on
legal documents (700 AD)
• Francis Galton-studied and developed a classification
system of fingerprints
• Fingerprints are formed in the womb. Environmental
factors influence it including composition and density
of amniotic fluid that is swirling around fingers as they
touch surfaces. Chaotic-virtually no chance of the
exact pattern forming twice.
• 1892- First case of conviction based on fingerprint
evidence. 1892- First case in which a person is
convicted based on fingerprint evidence. Juan
Vucetich, a police researcher in Argentina, used
fingerprints to prove that Francesca Rojas murdered
her two children by taking her thumb print and
matching it to a bloody thumbprint left behind on a
door. When confronted with the evidence, she
admitted killing them because they stood in the way of
her marriage to a young lover. She received life in
prison.
Fingerprints continued
• 1902-Harry Jackson convicted on the basis of
fingerprints in England. His thumbprint was
found in wet paint from a window he had used
to enter the home.
• The Assistant Crime Commissioner at the time
was Edward Henry, the man who had produced
the Henry System of Fingerprint Classification
• After Jackson’s conviction, a letter to the Times
read, “Scotland Yard once known as the world’s
finest police organization, will be the laughing
stock of Europe if it insists on trying to trace
criminals by odd ridges on their skins.
• John Dillinger-tried to destroy his fingerprints by
pouring acid on them.
• Paul Revere-identified a general killed in battle
because of false teeth that Paul Revere had
made for the general.
Toxicology
Mathieu Orfila (1787-1853)
• Father of Toxicology
• Spanish chemist who was the first great
exponent of forensic medicine.
Orfila worked to make chemical analysis a
routine part of forensic medicine, and made
studies of asphyxiation, the decomposition of
bodies, and exhumation. He helped to develop
tests for the presence of blood in a forensic
context and is credited as one of the first
people to use a microscope to assess blood
and semen stains.
Odontology
• Forensic Odontologist uses knowledge of the teeth to:
1. Identify victims of mass disasters (app. 93%)
2. Help police in criminal investigations
3. Verify signs of abuse
• Ted Bundy
• A forensic odontologist compares dentals records with
the victim’s remains
1. Dental alterations—fillings, caps, bridgework, and
dentures
2. Teeth—size, shape, gaps, cracks, alignment, missing
or extra one, wears, stains
3. Dentition—the pattern made by a particular set of
teeth
• Bite marks are primarily found in child abuse,
assaults, and sex-related crimes.
• Teeth take longer to decompose and can withstand
extreme temperatures.
Odontology Continued…
• Age estimation
• Sex determination
1. Males larger
teeth
2. Females sharper
incisors
3. Teeth- good
source for DNA
• Ancestry estimation
The shape of the
decedent’s incisors
can be a useful
feature
Fewer than 10% of
European and African
decent have this
feature
Entomology
• Insects are extremely accurate at
indicating the estimate of time since death
• They can also establish whether a body
was killed in a different location from where it
was found.
• 13th century China-first application of
forensic entomology dates back to 1235 found in a book.
Following a murder in a rural village by slashing with a sickle,
the local death investigator assembled the farmers and laid
their sickles out in the sun. Flies began settling on only one
sickle, due to minute traces of blood and tissue still present,
despite it having been washed. The owner of the sickle then
confessed.
Ch 1 Questions-Answers
1. Briefly state the Locard Principle.
Whenever two objects come
into contact, there is always
a transfer of materials.
2. List steps that could be taken to solve a
scientific problem (a scientific method).
1.Observe a problem or questioned evidence
and collect objective data.
2.State a hypothesis or possible
solution to the problem.
3.Examine, test, and analyze to
support of refute the hypothesis.
4.Use deductive reasoning to
determine the significance of the
evidence.
5.Evaluate and verify.
Percent error of the test?
3. Name seven types of laws in the United States.
1.US Constitution
2.Statutory law
3.Common law
4.Civil law
5.Criminal law
6.Equity law
7.Administrative law
4. Discuss three differences between
civil and criminal cases.
Civil cases involve disputes between individuals,
government, organizations, or businesses, the
Case has to be initiated by one side. They assign blame
And a preponderance of evidence is required. The
Remedy is usually fines or a transfer of property.
Criminal cases are crimes against an individual. The
State initiates the case, becoming the plaintiff. The
State must prove beyond reasonable doubt to convict.
The remedy is in the forms of fines, community service,
Probations, or incarceration.
Both case may be heard before a jury.
5. What is the purpose of a preliminary hearing?
The judge decides whether there is
enough evidence for the case to go to
Trial. Bail may be determined.
6. Explain the plea of nolo contendere.
The accused does not deny the
Facts, claims no crime, or
Does not understand the charges.
7. What must the defendant prove to be
found “not guilty by reason of insanity”?
The defendant did not know what
He or she was doing was wrong or
Would harm another.
8. What are the differences between
misdemeanors and felonies?
Misdemeanors are crimes that are
considered less serious than felonies.
Felonies have harsher penalties.
9. What are the Federal Rules of Evidence, and
Why are they needed?
The rules of evidence were established to
Determine whether the evidence presented
Is acceptable to be admitted in court. This
Is necessary to prevent ‘junk science” from
Being submitted by nonscientists or those
Who are not scientists.
10.Explain the major differences between
The Frye standard and the Daubert ruling when
Dealing with physical evidence and whether the
evidence will be accepted in a court of law.
The Frye standard came about in 1923
Stating that the scientific evidence
Must be given by an expert witness
And have gained “general acceptance”
In the particular field of study. The jury then
decides the significance…
The 1993 Daubert ruling came about in
Response to a rapidly changing
Technological society. The Daubert
Ruling stated that the trial judge
Will decide on the admissibility of
Evidence based on five guidelines:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The technique must be testable
Subject to peer review
Have a stated rate of error
Follow standards
And have widespread acceptance.