Chapter 9: Death Investigations Flashcards
4 Types of Murder
Spree Murder: killings at TWO or more locations with almost no time break between murders; killing TWO or more victims in a short time at multiple locations
Mass Murder: killing of FOUR or more victims at ONE location, within ONE event (short span of time)
Serial Murder: happens over time and involves the killing of several victims in THREE or more SEPERATE events
Sensational Murder: murder which arouses intense public interest
Murder (UCR)
- willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another
- based soley on POLICE INVESTIGSTION, as opposed to the determination of a court, medical examiner, corner, jury or other judicial body
- DOES NOT include deaths caused by negligence, suicide, accident; justifiable homicde and attempted murder are all scored as AGG Assaults
Modes of Death
-Four General Catagories
Accidental Death
Natural Death
Suicide
Murder: one person intentionally causing another to die
Categories of Homicide
Murder
First Degree: knowingly causes death of another after deliberation of the matter
Second Degree: knowingly causes the death of another while committing a criminal act and not acting under the influence of sudden passion
Manslaughter
Involuntary: recklessly causes another person’s death
Voluntary: causes the death of another person by being certain of taking the victim’s life and acting IN THE HEAT OF PASSION
SCENE CONSCIOUS
- first officer to arrive on scene of a homicide must be prepared to become SCENE CONSCIOUS:
- must become aware of the crime scene situation and be prepared to take certain immediate actions, the focus being on identifying any aspects of the scene that might be subject to:
- Chemical Change
- Change by Dissipation
- Change b/c something was moved
No aspect of the homicide investigation is more open to error than __________________.
the preservation and protection of the crime scene.
the sequential documentation of evidence that shows the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence
CHAIN OF CUSTODY
-Idea behind chain of custody is to establish that the evidence identified is in fact related to the crime under investigation (not planted)
Elements of a Dying Declaration
- Unavailability of declarent
- Statement is being offered in a murder prosecution or civil suit
- Statement was made under belief that his/her death was imminent
- Statement must relate to the cause or circumstances of what the declarent believed to be his impending death (must also be based on declarents ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE “the coffee must have been contaiminated”)
A ______ is frequently used to determine the cause of death.
FORENSIC AUTOPSY
One of five categories (manner of death):
- Natural
- Accidental
- Homicide
- Suicide
- Undetermined
The role of the Medical Examiner is to ________, ________, and _____________.
- determine the time of death
- the exact cause of death
- determine what, if anything, preceeded the death.
_________ in a homicide case, is one of the most critical variables in its investigation.
THE TIME OF DEATH
5 Stages of Decomposition
Stage 1: The Fresh Stage
Stage 2: The Putrefaction Stage
Stage 3: The Black Putrefaction Stage
Stage 4: The Butyric Fermentation Stage
Stage 5: The Dry Decay Stage
3 Sciences of Decomposition
Forensic Pathology: medical perspective
Forensic Entomology: studies insects and other vermin found in corpses
Forensic Anthropology: studies skeletons and human remains
Casper’s Law
-If all other factors are equal, then when there is free access of air:
a body decomposes:
TWICE as fast than if immersed in water, and
EIGHT TIMES faster than if burried in earth
The most important variable [in the rate of decomposition] is ______________.
the body’s accessibility to insects, particulary flies.
The ____ are the most sensitive part of the human body and, in death, do not react to _____, _____, or _____.
The Eyes
- Light
- Touching
- Pressure
____ and ____ temperature are the most important contributing factors.
- Water
- Air
- one reliable method for determining body temp is to insert a thermometer into rectum of deceased (do NOT insert into a wound)
- pre-death conditions such as stroke, sun stroke, and strangulation can result in increased boidy temps at death
Visual Evidence of Decomposition
- Body Color
- Changes in Eyes
- Body Temp
- Rigor Mortis
- Postmortem Lividity
GSW: Penetrating vs. Perforating
Penetrating: bullet enters an object an remains inside
Perforating: bullet passes completely through the object; creates an exit wound
Entry Wounds: characterized by a reddish-brown ring (abrasion ring)
Exit Wound: larger, more irregular, more blood
Gun Shot Wounds (p.288)
Contact Wound: muzzle is held against the body at time of d/c
Hard Contact: muzzle is held tightly against skin
Loose Contact: muzzle is held lightly against skin
Angled Contact: gun does not touch skin
Near Contact: muzzle is close, but does not touch skin
Intermediate Wound: close enough to skin to produce powder tattooing
Distant Wound: no marks, other than puncture
The ____ is the most destructive of all small arms.
Characterized by massive tissue damage and embedded wadding if fired within __ feet.
Examining the shotgun WADDING one can determine ____ and ____.
SHOTGUN
10 Feet
TYPE OF SHOT and the GUAGE OF GUN
Process of stiffening, or contraction of body muscles after vital functions cease
RIGOR MORTIS
- Considered a poor indicator of time of death
- Sets in: 2-4 hours post death
- Starts at the same time throughout the entire body; however, first observed in the jaws and neck
- tends to progess in a “head-to-toe” fashion; typicallu complete at 8-12hours
Purplish blood stain on the skin of the body closests to the surface on which it is lying
POSTMORTEM LIVIDITY
- may appear anywhere between 1/2 hour and four hours after death
- sometimes valuable in determining whether or not a body has been moved
- after lividity has set in for 12 hours, body will not diminish in color and will remain unchanged
GSW: Was victim alive BEFORE shooting?
Reddish-brown to orange-red tattooing= victim was ALIVE when the wound was inflicted
Gray-yellow powder marks= victim was DECEASED before the shooting
SMUDGING
- Smudging is a ring that results from gunpowder being depositied around the wound
- Has a dirty appearance and can usually be wiped off
- Significance of smudging= indicates that the victim was close to his or her assailant (although the firearm was not actually touching the skin)
TATTOOING
- Tiny pinpoint hemorrhages that result from the discharge of unburned powder being deposited into the skin
- Cannot be wiped away
Process of using artificial intelligence by computers to make inferences based on available information and to draw conclusions or make reommendations to the systems operators.
Expert Systems
Crime of accident that has not yet been solved, and is not the subject of a recent criminal investigation but for which new information could possibly materialize from new witness testimony, reexamined documents, or new activites of the suspect.
COLD CASE
- typically violent/major felony cases which are not subject to a statute of limitations
- a case is considered UNSOLVED until a suspect is IDENTIFIED, ARRESTED, and PROSECUTED for the crime
