Chp 9 Flashcards
All deaths that involve the killing of one human being by the act or omission of another
Homicide
Evidence will reveal that death resulted from deliberate intentional and premeditated killing
1st degree murder
If the death is caused by deliberate and intentional killing yet premeditation cannot be demonstrated by the investigative evidence
Second degree murder
A form of criminal homicide is generally defined as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought
Manslaughter
Least serious form of criminal homicide involves neither are planning nor intent
In voluntary manslaughter
Intentional killings that result from some form of provocation on the part of the victim
Voluntary manslaughter
Examples1) a father who spontaneously kills the person who sexually abused his child
2)A wife who in the heat of passion killed her husband and his lover upon discovering them in her bedroom
Voluntary manslaughter
Usually involves the claim of self-defense where it can be proven that deadly force was necessary to avoid death or great bodily injury to the person or a third-party
Justified homicide
Involves accidents where either 1) victims are responsible for their own death or 2)person is killed under legal and unavoidable circumstances
Excusable Homicide
Four or more victims killed at one time in one location
Mass murder
What are the two subcategories of mass murder
Classic mass murder and family mass murder
A single homicidal event involving two or more locations and no emotional cooling off period between the murders
Spree murder
Three or more separate homicidal events committed in three or more separate locations by the same killer who experiences and emotional cooling off period between each event
Serial murder
When the victims eyes remain open after death a thin film appears over the external area of the eyes producing a cloudy or glazed appearance.
Corneal clouding
With in how many minutes or hours does the eye clouding begin
Can appear as little as an hour after death, but is usually fully present within 3 hours
The discoloration of the skin that begins immediately after death
Livor mortis / lividity
Stiffening of the body for a brief time. Following death
Rigor mortis
Rigor mortis- warm and not stiff
Time of death 3-6 hrs
Rigor mortis body is warm and stiff
Time of death is 6-12 hrs
Rigor mortis- body is cool and stiff
Time of death is 12-36 hrs
Rigor mortis body cool and not stiff
Time of death is usually greater than 36 hours
The cooling or warming of the body following death
Angie mortis
External decomposition of the bodies soft tissue
Putrefaction also know as decomp
Within how many hours after does the body begins to show outward signs of bloating
36 to 48 hours
How many hours will be entire body shows signs of decomposition
72
After how many days will the body appeared to look fully bloated
4 to 10 days
After how many days will black putrefaction take place?
After 10 days
And how many days does the body undergo dried decay until it is devoid of all tissue leaving only skeletal remains
In 50 days to approximately one year after death
Skeletal remains can be used to examine and determine the following
Age gender ethnicity identity Appearance Cause of death
The stretching of the skin around the bullet point of entry
Abrasion ring
Small pepper like spots randomly disbursed in a circular pattern on skin around the wound caused by small particles of foreign matter and or gun powder projected onto the skin by force is produced by the shooting
Stippling/tattooing
A small dark ring appearing on tissue directly around the bullet entry hole
Bullet wipe
Exhibits raised sections of skin surrounding the bullet entry hole
Shored exit wound
Is best determined from the victims body through examination of the entry wound
Shooting distance
Shooting distance is commonly classified in four categories
Contact
Close
Intermediate
Distant
produced by a gun muzzle placed directly on the body at the time the bullet is discharged
Contact wound
Explosive gas is travel inside the womb producing a
Stellate entry wound
Or star-shaped
An imprint of the guns muzzle
Muzzle contusion
Wounds classified as close
6-8 inches
Show stippling/tattooing
Intermediate distance wounds
8 inches to 3 ft from body
Show stippling/tattooing
Distant wounds
Beyond 3 ft
do not show stippling/tattooing
Shooting trajectory
Shots taken at straight or 90 degrees angle round abrasion rings
Oval for steeper or more angular trajectory
The bullets entry hole is often shouldered or angled in the direction of the bullets travel
Stippling/tattooing can help to determine which shot killed the victim if multiple shots fired
Stippling/tattooing is reddish they were alive
If it is yellowish or gray they were dead
Shotgun contact wounds
Seldom have exit wounds unless there are slugs in the shot gun
Stippling/tattooing will not be present
Close distance shotgun wounds 5ft or less
Stippling/tattooing is present as well as an abrasion ring
Intermediate wounds shot gun
5-10 ft
Stippling/tattooing and abrasion ring may be present
Distant wounds
Beyond 10 ft
Do not show stippling/tattooing
Refers to a constriction placed at the muzzle end of a shotgun to control the degree to which the pellet mass spreads or scatters when it is projected
Choke (shotgun choke)
Produced when flesh is penetrated or sliced by an object with a sharpened edge
Incision wound
The forceful penetration of the skin with an object sharpened only in its tip
Puncture wound
Shallow cutting-type incisions on the fingers, the palms of the hands, and the underside of the forearms
Defense wounds
Edges of skin surrounding the opening of the wound
Wound marginal
Helps distinguish standings produced by single edge knives from those of other type knives
Are the directions,either vertically or horizontally, in which the muscles flow through out the body.
Lines of cleavage
Bruises surrounding the wound that are caused by striking of the skin by the hilt of the knife or the area where the blade connects to the handle.
Hilt marks
Variation of blunt force trauma wounds
Contusions
Avulsions
Artifacts
Bruising of the skin in areas where force is applied
Contusions
Ripping or tearing of the skin produced by the impact of the trauma
Avulsions
Portions of skin torn from the body by the force of the trauma
Artifacts
Caused by the leakage of blood beneath the skins surface in reaction to some type of striking action or trauma
Bruising
Bruising
Red Less than 24 hrs Blue-purple to black 1-2 days Green to yellow 5-10 days Yellow/brown to brown 10-14 days Normal skin color after 12 weeks
Condition where the body is deprived of the amount of oxygen necessary to sustain life, leading to unconsciousness or death
Asphyxia
3 categories of asphyxia:
Suffocation
Chemical asphyxiation
Strangulation
The physical restriction of flow of oxygenated blood to the brain, vital organs, and extremities
Strangulation
Ex:Hangings
Air passages necessary for respiration are obstructed preventing the blood from being replenished with oxygen
Suffocation
Gases and other deleterious foreign agents entering the bloodstream prevent oxygen from being absorbed into the bloodstream
Chemical asphyxiation
Ex: automobile exhaust
Reduced oxygen in the blood stream
Hypoxia
Blood that contains little or no oxygen
Anoxia
Plum blue color on the skin over most of the body
Lips eyelids finger nails especially
Cyanosis
Asphyxiation by suffocation broken into 3 categories
Smothering
Choking
Drowning
Infamous legend in crime scene investigation folklore
Burking (William Burke)
Combines mechanical asphyxiation and smothering
Internal air way to the lungs(trachea) is blocked, which prevents oxygen from reaching the lungs
Choking
Wrinkles on finger pads
Wrinkled fingers and pads
Wrinkled palms
Wrinkled feet
Skin separating from the hands
3 hrs or less
Referred to as washerwoman fingers 12 he period
2days
3 days
Submerged for 1 week degloving
3 subclassifications of asphyxiation by strangulation
Manual
Ligature
Hanging/strangulation
Compression of arteries and veins in the neck rather than restriction of air flow through the throat
Manual strangulation
Manual strangulation:
To restrict blood flow in the neck region
To block the airway within the throat(trachea)
10 lbs or less
30lbs or more
Purposefully restrict blood flow to the brain to heighten sexual sensations while masturbating
Autoerotic asphyxiation
Poisoning substances most often encountered
Drugs/narcotics/alcohol Arsenic Cyanide Thallium Aconitine Atropine Ricin
Pg 298 symptoms
Homicide typologies
Contract homicide Gang homicide Kidnap homicide Drug related homicide Insurance/inheritance homicide Erotomania Domestic Authority Extremist Serial
Someone mentally fixated on someone
Stalking harassing
Erotomania homicide
4 types of serial homicides
Visionary-psychological issues
Mission- targets victims
Hedonistic -fulfill fantasies and selfish desires
Power control-fulfilled sexual desires through torturing and controlling
