Forensics final 1

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, popularized crime scene investigation

The application of scientific knowledge to legal investigations

father of forensic toxicology, called in to testify Madame Lafarge

Father of anthropometry (body measurements)

wrote the book on fingerprints

discovered procedure to determine blood group from dried bloodstains

gave us blood types, can use this to place somebody at a crime scene

bullet/ gun comparison

ist crime lab in world (lyons, france), coin case, exchange principle - every contact leaves a trace

questioned documents (book)

suggested using all sorts of sciences in crime scene investigations

case of the sickle, used insects to solve the crime, flies gathered on bloody sickle of farmer

wrote an article in nature magazine, use finger prints as individual id

developed first DNA profiling test

case of the burned body, burned to pigs to find out if woman killed her husband

polarizing light microscopy

wrote the book on fingerprints

first testified in court for detection of arsenic in body, marsh test for arsenic

applied microscopy to analytical methods for crime solving, introduced a lot of microscopes

set up first crime lab in the US in Los Angeles

First director of the FBI

set up procedure to detect sperm under microscope

The pig that died by the fire had smoke in its lungs, but the pig who was killed prior to the fire and burned did not. The woman murdered her husband and set it up as a accident.

Must be admitted by scientific community otherwise it can't be presented in court

Murder weapon was a sickle. Farmers were made to lay out their sickles for investigation. The sickle the flies gathered around because of the blood was the murderer.

Judge is gate keeper for scientific testimony.

Gatekeeping rule applies to any expert who goes to court.

scientists must devise new tests to account for new mistakes

analyze DNA of dried blood stains, body fluids
comparison of hairs and fiber
identification of botanical materials

examine handwriting on questioned documents, computer applications and burned documents

examine firearms, weapons, bullets, garments, and objects for gunshot residue and determine distance of target

chemistry unit, examine for identity: drugs, glass, paint, explosions, and soil
Applies principles of chemistry, physics, and geology

hidden fingerprints

drugs/poisons/toxins in body fluids and tissues

threatening messages, match voice with suspect

examine and record physical evidence, digital imaging, infrared, uv/xray
prepares photographic exhibits for court

lie detector

go out, collect and package evidence, take back to lab

1. FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation
2. DEA, Drug enforcement administration
3. ATF, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, firearms, and explosives
4. U.S. postal inspection service
5. U.S. fish and wildlife

1. analyze physical evidence
2. provide expert testimony to persuade jury
3. training police in proper techniques of collecting evidence

record images of prisoners and pictures of crime scene

Anything that can link a suspect to a crime scene and establish that a crime was committed

secures the scene

collects and packages evidence

Determine cause and manner of death

takes charge of investigations

identifies skeletal remains

estimate time of death using insect development

does autopsy for coroner

grid, spiral, stripline, quadrant zone

crime scenes without physical barriers (underwater, explosion)
con - destroys evidence

larger outdoor scenes, many people, parallel lines in some directions

larger outdoor scenes, modified double lines
more thorough but time consuming

indoors, divide large area into smaller zones, smaller zones = more thorough

sealed in airtight container

every person who hand.es evidence must sign evidence label, if not then the evidence cant be sent to court

explosives and live ammo

evidence that comes from several sources (mitochondrial DNA, fingerprints (patterns), blue denim)

evidence that comes from only one source EX: fingerprints (minutiae), nuclear DNA

standard reference samples from videos and/or suspects

Unknown evidence is material found at a scene but where its source is unknown (blood, bullet, fiber)

property attributed to a single source EX: used tire and shoe impressions

property of evidence that can be associated only with one group EX: blood type

ballistic information network, can match bullet to crime scene

enables state, local, and federal crime labs to compare an exchange profiles

automotive point data agency

not gov controlled, compare and identify crime scene shoe prints

fingerprint identification

national resource center for missing persons and unidentified people

document examiners can scan text writings such as threatening correspondence

replaced IAFIS, controlled by FBI, facial recognition

procured by commercial genealogy, purpose is to find familial match/identify relatives

temporary evidence, easily changed or lost, usually observed by 1st officers EX: cigarette smell

produced by contact between people or objects EX: hairs and fibers

items that may associate a victim or suspect with a scene or eachother EX: personal belongings

evidence in the form of witnesses made under oath in court (direct evidence)

produced by direct contact between person/object or between objects EX: fingerprints

produced by specific event or actions EX: whether lights were on or not

Conditional evidence

determine contribution of physical evidence

Chemical change in the muscles that causes them to become rigid (stiff),Begins within 24 hours of death and disappears within 36 hours

Settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground. Begins 20 minutes to 3 hours after death, continues up to 16 hours after death and then is
fixed. indicates if body was moved after death

Process in which body temperature cools until it reaches ambient (room) temperature

coroner - elected official, cannot perform an autopsy
medical examiner - appointed official, can perform an autopsy

caused by non-sharpened objects, could break skin eventually

caused by weapons with sharp edges

induces interference with intake of oxygen

sharp, blunt, gunshot, asphysxia, drug overdose

homicidal, suicidal, accidental, natural, undetermined

Asian - circular eye orbit, small and round nasal cavity
European - oal eye orbit, long and narrow nasale cavity
African - Square eye orbit, wide nasal cavity

Male - longer, square jaw, pronounced brow bone, larger mastoid process
female - smooth brow bone, less pronounced mastoid process, smaller jaw

Male - length and width of sacrum are equal, subpubic angle less than 90 degrees, v shaped
Female -wider more, circular, wide angle (u shaped)

Post Mortem Interval, time since a person has died

long bones

If the insects lay first in an specific area other than the eyesockets and nose

increase at a certain rate in the eye after death

blowfly

Colin Pitchfork raped and killed 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in the 1980s and was the first murderer to be exonerated using DNA evidence.

bite marks on victim + eyewitness testimony
Victim profile - ex girlfriend (long brown hair parted down middle)
Modus operandi - feigned injury, pretend to be authority, lead to car, hit over head, handcuff
method of murder - strangulation + beat with metal bar

serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Dressed up as a clown to lure them as well as killed one by claiming he had a job offer for him. He buried their bodies in the crawlspace of his house.

Defense claimed he shot the kid in self defense. Prosecution claimed he was an overzealous neighborhood watchdog who was looking for somebody to hurt and killed him out of racial prejudice. Powder proved the boy was over him struggling for the gun, and in it, the gun shot at the boy.

The police only bared off the bedroom, let family and friends wander around crime scene

Amanda Knox and her boyfriend were both accused of sexually assaulting and murdering Meredith Kurcher in Italy because Amanda allegedly returned home the next day.

killed his parents because they wouldn’t give him money, yellow fibers that showed something was rolled across carpet, mother was found wrapped in a yellow blanket, unique type of organic material that was not in his area that was on his car, the pollen came from the horse chestnut tree that was near the location of the bodies

product rule was relevant because of the class evidences large number of unique fivers that linked to him

bodys of special agents had soil that differed from the area their bodies were buried. Indicating they were buried, moved, and then buried again.

killed his elderly paitients with diamorphine. Killed himself in prison to have a sense of control. Police had difficult investigating due to most of the victims either being cremated or buried for too long.