Exam 3 Flashcards
What do we look for in handwriting
Differences! Not similarities
Letter formations
Handwriting slants
Rounded letters
Shape of letters
Letter formations
how is the letter constructed, how many strokes, one continuous stroke or many strokes combined to make the letter
Proportional size of letters
relationship between size of short and tall letters and between the height and width of a single letter
Line form
This looks at how smooth and dark the lines are, which indicates how much pressure the writer applies while writing and the speed of the writing
Formatting
This includes the spacing between letters, the spacing between words, the placement of words on a line and the margins a writer leaves empty on a page
Space between lines
do strokes from words on one line intersect with strokes in words on the line below and above it
A specific individual may form a letter differently depending on
where the letter falls in a word - beginning, middle or end, so an analyst will try to find examples of each letter in each placement
Forgery
the process used by criminals to make, alter, or falsify a person’s signature or another aspect of a document with the intent to deceive another
Forged documents
checks, employment records, legal documents, licenses, and wills
Literary forgery
This refers to a piece of writing, such as an historic letter or manuscript
Best literary forgers do what
They try to duplicate the original documents, so the materials used are similar to those used in the original document. They do this by collecting old paper or old books
It is essential for forgers to?
use aged paper to pass the microscopic examination tests
Ink in forgery
changed, so intelligent forgers would mix their own inks from material that would have been used at the time
Counterfeit money
feels different because real money is printed on special paper.
The #1 way people catch fakes is because it doesn’t feel right
COunterfeit detecting pens
inexpensive special pens/markers containing the element iodine.
When they come in contact with a counterfeit bill, the paper marked with the pen will change
color to a bluish-black.
Why do counterfeit pens work
This is because of starch, found in regular printer paper
Real money does not contain starch but has a different fiber.
When the pen is marked on real money, it will leave a pale yellow-brown line that fades quickly
Mcdonald triad
As youngsters many enjoyed torturing animals, setting fires, Bed-wetting (past toddler age)
Most serial killers exhibit at least one of these behaviors
Visionary motive type
Insane or psychotic, compelled to murder by entities such as the devil (“devil mandated”) or God (“God mandated”). David Berkowitz - “Son of Sam”
Mission oriented type
They believe that they need to “rid the world” of what they consider immoral or unworthy. Often the victims are prostitutes, young women, gay men
Green River Killer Gary Ridgway
Hedonistic killers
Derives pleasure from killing Jeffrey Dahmer
Thrill killer
primary goal is to inflict pain or create terror in the victims. The victims often are strangers, who the killer may have stalked for a period of time. These killers can go long periods of time without killing
Ted Bundy
Comfort (profit) killers
material gain and extravagant lifestyle are primary motives. The victims are usually close acquaintances or family members. Female serial killers are often this type
Ted Bundy victims
The majority of Bundy’s victims were young women with blonde/light brown hair parted in the middle
Bite mark evidence from his victims at Florida State University sealed his fate
Son of Sam David Berkowitz
During his killing spree, he sent letters to New York newspapers, signing them “Son of Sam,” a reference to a demon he believed lived inside the black Labrador retriever owned by his neighbor Sam Carr
Son of sam victims
Targeted young women with long, dark hair.
He also frequently targeted male-female couples who were seated in parked cars
Jack the Ripper
Unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888
Jack the Ripper attacks
Attacks ascribed to Jack the Ripper typically involved women working as prostitutes who lived and worked in the slums of the East End of London. Their throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to speculation that their killer had some anatomical or surgical knowledge
Richard Ramirez
The night stalker
Ramirez, avowed devil worshipper, randomly raped and murdered his victims in their homes. Satanic symbols were found at many of the crime scenes which became a calling card for investigators at his crime scenes
Co-lead investigator of night stalker serial murder case
Lt. Gil Carrillo
John Wayne Gacy
Murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men burying most under his house. Sometimes known as the “Killer Clown” for his habit of dressing in a clown costume and makeup
He lured his victims to his home with the promise of construction work
Jeff Dahmer
Also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster
He invited young boys to his apartment and then drugging, strangling, and dismembering them. He cannibalized some of his victims as well.
The zodiac murders
Most of the Zodiac killings took place in the San Francisco Bay Area during a five-year period
The victims (usually couples) were attacked on weekends, in areas near water, using a different weapon and a different automobile each time
Signed letters with circle with + on top
Green river killer
Gary Ridgway murdered scores of women in the Seattle area.
Ridgway pled guilty to murdering 48 teenage runaways and prostitutes who he had strangled and dumped into the Green River in the state of Washington
Dennis Rader
BTK – Bind, Torture, Kill
25 year crime spree in Wichita, Kansas
Robert Pickton
A Vancouver-area pig farmer who murdered as many as 60 female prostitutes
Barrel
The metal tube through which a projectile or shot charge is fired. May be rifled or smooth. The long, metal tube that guides a projectile out of a firearm
Bore
The inside of the barrel. “Smoothbore” weapons (typically shotguns) have no rifling. Most handguns and rifles have “rifling”
Muzzle
The end of the barrel out of which the bullet comes.
Magazine
is the place that stores the ammunition that has not been fired
Cartridge
A case that holds a bullet, primer powder, and gunpowder
Purpose of a primer
The purpose of a primer in a gun is to ignite the propellant powder within the cartridge, essentially acting as the initial spark that starts the combustion process which propels the bullet out of the barrel
The most common constituents of primers
lead styphnate
barium nitrate
antimony sulfide
Rifling
the term for helical grooves machined into the internal surface of a firearms’s barrel for imparting a spin to a projectile to improve its aerodynamic stability and accuracy (This improves stability in the flight of the bullet)
Gunshot residue
During the discharge of a firearm, escaping gases from the weapon deposit gunshot residue (GSR) on the skin of the shooter’s hands, on the clothing of the shooter, and on other objects located in close proximity to the shooter.
Included in this gaseous cloud of residue are particles composed primarily of primer residue
Tool marks
The surface of a tool leaves distinctive marks when it is forced against another surface.
The impressions made by any tool could link the tool to a crime scene and ultimately to the tool’s owner.
Indentation mark
an impression made by a tool when it is pressed against a softer surface. It is the negative impression of the tool
Abrasion marks
made when surfaces slide across one another. The harder surface leaves scratches on the softer surface
Cutting marks
produced along the edge of a surface as it is cut.
The type of saw blade used to dismember a body can be determined by examining the cut surface of the bone
Tool marks change?
Over time as they are used repeatedly.
additional characteristics that help distinguish a tool mark
Oxidation, or rusting of tools, as well as uneven sharpening
Glass
a hard, amorphous, brittle material made by melting three materials at very high temperatures
What materials melt to make glass
Silicon dioxide, or silica
Calcium oxide
Sodium oxide
Laminated glass
Two or more panes of glass bonded by a plastic middle layer are called laminated glass
Laminated glass is used in windshields
Tempered glass
Glass that has been subjected to extreme temperatures or chemical treatments to improve its strength is called tempered glass, or safety glass
When is tempered glass used
Tempered Glass is used in side and back windows. These types of glass protect passengers from the dangers of flying shards.
Bullet-resistant glass
“bulletproof”
a laminated and tempered glass composed of two layers, one hard and one soft.
Refraction
Light changes direction as it passes from one medium, such as air, into another medium, such as water
Radial fracture lines
start at the point of impact and move outward
Gun pic 1, 1
Barrel
Gun pic 1, 2
Bullet
Gun pic 1, 3
Cartridge
Gun pic 1, 4
Magazine
Gun pic 2, 1
Rifle or handgun barrel
Gun pic 2, 2
Lands
Gun pic 2, 3
Grooves
Gun pic 2, 4
Shotgun barrel
Gun pic 3, 1
Chamber
Gun pic 3, 2
Barrel
Gun pic 3, 3
Bore
Gun pic 3, 4
Muzzle
Gun pic 4, 1
Lands
Gun pic 4, 2
Calibre
Gun pic 4, 3
Grooves
Gun pic 5, 1
Casing
Gun pic 5, 2
Cartridge
Gun pic 5, 3
Bullet
Gun pic 6, 1
Primer
Gun pic 6, 2
Casing
Gun pic 6,3
Bullet with copper jacket
Gun pic 6, 4
Powder
Gun pic 7, 1
Bullet
Gun pic 7, 2
Cartridge case
Gun pic 7, 3
Propellant or powder
Gun pic 7, 4
Base of the cartridge case
Gun pic 7, 5
primer
Gun pic 8, 1
casing
Gun pic 8, 2
primer
Gun pic 8, 3
powder
Gun pic 8, 4
Bullet
