Chapter 3: THE CRIME SCENE

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Chapter 3 THE CRIME SCENE

• Oh, how simple it would all have been had I
  been here before they came like a herd of buffalo
  and wallowed all over it.
• A. Conan Doyle, in The Boscombe Valley Mystery,
  1892

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CRIME SCENE

• Students will learn
• The steps to take when processing a crime scene.
• The type of evidence that determines what
  packaging should be used.
• Why the chain of custody must be preserved.
• Students will be able to
• Isolate, record, and search for evidence at a
  mock crime scene.
• Collect and package evidence at a mock crime
  scene using to proper forensic procedures.

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CORPUS DELICTIBody of the Crime

• You must prove
• that a crime occurred
• that the person charged with the crime was
  responsible for the crime
• Top Reasons for Committing a Crime
• Money
• Revenge
• Emotionlove, hate, anger
• Source of Evidence
• Body
• Primary and/or Secondary Crime Scene
• Suspect(s)

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CRIME SCENE TEAM

• A group of professional investigators, each
  trained in a variety of special disciplines.
• Team Members
• First Police Officer on the scene
• Medics (if necessary)
• Investigator(s)
• Medical Examiner (if necessary)
• Photographer and/or Field Evidence Technician
• Lab Experts

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CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

• Based on the scientific method and the Locard
  Exchange Principle, logic and forensic techniques
• Involves
• Recognitionscene survey, documentation,
  collection
• Identificationcomparison testing
• Individualizationevaluation and interpretation
• Reconstructionreporting and presenting

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PROCESSING ACRIME SCENE

• Isolate and secure the scene
• Document the scene
• Search for evidence
• Collect and package evidence, maintaining the
  chain of custody
• Submit evidence to the crime lab

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FIRST OFFICERON THE SCENE

• A Assess the crime scene and assist those hurt
• D Detain the witness
• A Arrest the perpetrator
• P Protect the crime scene
• T Take notes

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CRIME SCENE SURVEY

• Walk-throughperformed by the crime scene
  investigator, the first officer and sometimes the
  lead detective
• Purpose
• Mentally prepare a reconstruction theory
• Note any transient or conditional evidence that
  could change over time.
• Note weather conditions
• Note points of entry or exit, as well as paths of
  travel within the crime scene
• Record initial observations of who, what, where,
  when, and how
• Identify special needs within the crime scene for
  personnel, precautions or equipment and notify
  superior officers or other agencies

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DOCUMENTATION

• Notesdate and time, description of the location,
  weather and environmental conditions, description
  of the crime, location of the evidence relative
  to other key points, the names of all people
  involved, modifications that have occurred and
  other relevant information
• Photographyphotos of scene and surroundings,
  mid-range to close-up photos with various angles
  of each piece of evidence, photos as viewed by
  any witnesses.
• Sketchesinclusion of date, time, scale,
  reference points, distance measurements, names of
  investigators, victims, suspects, and a legend
  (key)
• Videographyallows narration (non-subjective) to
  be included

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SEARCH METHODS

• Line or strip methodbest in large, outdoor
  scenes
• Grid methodbasically a double-line search
  effective, but time-consuming
• Zone methodmost effective in houses or
  buildings teams are assigned small zones for
  searching
• Wheel or ray methodbest on small, circular crime
  scenes
• Spiral methodmay move inward or outward best
  used where there are no physical barriers

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CRIME SCENE SKETCH
Date August 14, 2005 Criminalist Ann
Wilson Time 1135 am Location 4358
Rockledge Dr, St. Louis, Mo.
N
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COLLECTING AND PACKAGING EVIDENCE

• One individual should be designated as the
  evidence collector to ensure that the evidence is
  collected, packaged, marked, sealed, and
  preserved in a consistent manner
• Each item must be placed in a separate container,
  sealed, and labeled
• Most fragile is collected and packaged first
• Different types of evidence require specific or
  special collection and packaging techniques
• The body is the property of the coroner or
  medical examiner. The collection of evidence on
  the body is done by that department

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PACKAGING

• Most items should be packaged in a primary
  container and then placed inside a secondary one.
  These are then placed inside other containers
  such as paper bags, plastic bags, canisters,
  packets and envelopes depending on the type and
  size of the evidence.

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CHAIN OF CUSTODY

• There must be a written record of all people who
  have had possession of an item of evidence.
• The evidence container must be marked for
  identification
• The collectors initials should be placed on the
  seal
• If evidence is turned over to another person, the
  transfer must be recorded.

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CRIME SCENE RECONSTRUCTION

• Stages
• Data collection
• Hypothesis formation
• Examination, testing and analysis
• Determination of the significance of the evidence
• Theory formulation

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INVESTIGATORS

• The wise forensic investigator will always
  remember that he must bring all of his life
  experiences and logic to find the truth. This
  means common sense, informed intuition, and the
  courage to see things as they are. Then he must
  speak honestly about what it adds up to.
• Dr. Henry Lee
• Chief Emeritus for Scientific Services and
  the
• former Commissioner of Public Safety for the
  state of Connecticut

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THE MEDICAL EXAMINER AND THE CORONER

• A medical examiner is a medical doctor, usually a
  pathologist and is appointed by the governing
  body of the area. There are 400 forensic
  pathologists throughout the U.S.
• A coroner is an elected official who usually has
  no special medical training. In four states, the
  coroner is a medical doctor.

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MEDICAL EXAMINERS RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify the deceased
• Establish the time and date of death
• Determine a medical cause of deaththe injury or
  disease that resulted in the person dying
• Determine the mechanism of deaththe
  physiological reason that the person died
• Classify the manner of death
• Natural
• Accidental
• Suicide
• Homicide
• Undetermined
• Notify the next of kin

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THE CORPSE

• The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far
  off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your
  time is spent lying on your back. The brain has
  shut down. The flesh begins to soften. Nothing
  much new happens, and nothing is expected of
  you.
• Mary Roach. Stiff. W. W. Norton
  Company. 2003

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ACTIVITY Evaluating a Crime Scene
Crime scene The body of a scientist, whose name
and identity are being withheld, is discovered in
a science lab at the local high school. The body
is located in the corner of the classroom in a
sprawled position, faceup. The victim is wearing
a disguise of some kind, and a small amount of
dirt is lying nearby. There is some evidence of a
struggle, and foul play has not been ruled out. A
broken beaker is found next to an overturned
microscope. It appears that the victim may have
attempted to identify the aggressor by writing an
incriminating note, which is found torn and
crumpled next to the body. Blood, hair, and fiber
evidence are collected at the scene along with a
variety of fingerprints. Police are baffled by
what actually took place. Consider each of the
possible scenarios as to how the scene was
handled. Carefully review each, taking into
account proper crime scene processing.
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Scenario A
One morning, a teacher, Mr. Woodward, enters a
classroom to find the body of a former science
teacher sprawled on the classroom floor. He
immediately checks the body for a pulse. Hearing
a janitor in the hall, he calls him into the
room. The janitor notices the blood around the
body and, wearing gloves, attempts to clean it
up, hoping to avoid its spread to the rest of the
room. Meanwhile, Mr. Woodward runs next door and
calls the principal, Mr. Glynn. The principal,
having just entered the office, hurries down to
the crime scene. He moves around the area,
carefully avoiding the body. Making a quick
decision, he calls the superintendent at home,
who immediately calls the police. The first
officer to arrive at the scene puts up a barrier
and posts guards at the entrance to the room. The
forensic technician soon arrives to process the
crime scene.
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Scenario B
An early morning janitor spots the body through
the classroom door and immediately calls the
police. The first officer to arrive enters the
room and walks around the body, accidentally
stepping in the blood and tracking it through the
soil, leaving a bloody shoe print on the floor.
He quickly wipes his shoe on the lab coat and
checks the body for a pulse. Finding none, he
calls for additional help. As he waits, he views
the crime scene. Spotting the torn and crumpled
paper on the floor, he smooths it out and pieces
it together. Some blood, apparently from the
body, is on the note, making it difficult to
read, so he replaces it where he found it. The
second officer to arrive at the scene puts up
barrier tape and isolates the scene, preventing
the teacher and principal from coming in. The
forensic technician soon arrives to process the
scene.
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Scenario C
Patrolling the halls in the early morning hours,
security officer Morgan notices a light on in the
classroom. She slowly opens the door and notices
the body on the floor. She immediately calls for
backup and secures and isolates the scene,
preventing anyone from entering the room. As the
supporting officers arrive, she places a barrier
around the area and posts guards at the scene.
The second officer to respond attempts to enter
the area but is not allowed to enter until the
forensic experts have completely recorded the
scene and collected the evidence.
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Questions

• 1 What is physical evidence? List some examples.
• 2 Use what you have learned to describe how the
  crime scene was contaminated as well as how
  incorrect procedures were used in Scenario A.
  What was done correctly?
• 3 Use what you have learned to describe how the
  crime scene was contaminated as well as how
  incorrect procedures were used in Scenario B.
  What was done correctly?
• 4 Use what you have learned to describe how the
  crime scene was contaminated as well as how
  incorrect procedures were used in Scenario C.
  What was done correctly?
• 5 Make a sketch of the crime scene your teacher
  has set up in the back of the classroom. Be sure
  to include all measurements, scale, and a legend
  identifying what piece of evidence corresponds to
  the position in the sketch.
• 6 After you have completed the sketch, take
  detailed notes describing the scene an all
  information pertinent to the crime.
• 7 What type of evidence should be collected from
  the crime scene?
• 8 Make a list of the controls that would need to
  be collected in this case for comparison.
• 9 Discuss the type of packaging that should be
  used for each type of evidence in the scene.
  Explain your reasoning.
• 10 What steps should be taken in this case to
  maintain the chain of custody?

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Additional Projects

• Each group of students can find, or be assigned,
  a case where the crime scene was compromised.
• For example,
• the Manson murders,
• the O. J. Simpson case,
• the Enrique Camarena case,
• the Jon Benet Ramsey case,
• Ted Binion murder case,
• the KFC crime,
• Mexico murders investigation involving Canadians
  (specifically connected to a former KCI grad),
• Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald case
• A poster should provide a synopsis of the crime,
  the case, and how it was botched.

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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

• Dr. Michael M. Baden is a renowned pathologist
  and was the Chief Medical Examiner in NY City and
  for Suffolk County.
• Dr. Baden was on the panel that investigated the
  assassinations of president John F. Kennedy and
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has been involved
  as an expert in forensic pathology in many cases
  of international interest including
• The remains of Tsar Nicholas of Russia and his
  family
• The Claus Von Bulow murder trial
• Expert witness for the defense in the O.J.
  Simpson trial
• Re-autopsy of Medgar Evers, Civil Rights leader
• Re-examination of the Lindberg Kidnapping and
  murder
• Autopsies of the victims of TWA Flight 800
• Dr. Baden is the host of HBOs Autopsy series and
  is featured on many of the crime talk shows.

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MORE INFORMATION

• For additional information on crime scene
  investigation, check out Court TVs Crime
  Library
• www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/crime
  scene/5.html
• On Michael Baden and the autopsy
• www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/autop
  sy/1.html