Criminal Investigation Case Study

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

CODE: CMJ2223

LECTURER: LESHAUN CHARLES

Case Study

Conduct a crime scene investigation for the scenario involving Helen Jewett and develop a

crime theory on who and how she was murdered.

Course Work Expectations:

1. Introduction

2. Critical Analysis of the question

3. Academic Writing conventions

4. APA citation standards

(see the grading rubric attached)

Total (20 Marks)

Scenario:

The Crime

She had been a beauty. Called the "girl in green" by many, Helen Jewett favored and

was favored by color of green. Almost everything she wore was that color. Her green

eyes were always casting flirting looks at the young clerks of New York City. Her

flowing green dresses and cloaks became a societal signature known by all in the

demimonde of the East.

However, now all that green was changing; gushing blood from the several axe

wounds to her head and shoulders was mixing in hideous tones. She was almost

Date administered: April 6, 2021 – Due date: April 9, 2021

decapitated due to the fury of the attack. All her notorious beauty paled on that night

of April 10th, 1836 as she lay on the floor of Rosina Townsend's brothel, one of the

most famous houses of prostitution in New York City.

The Victim

Helen Jewett had been New York City's most desirable and sought-after prostitute.

Born in Augusta, Maine, her father soon died, and she was raised by a kindly judge.

As a teen, however, she rebelled and fled to Portland to become a mistress to a

wealthy banker. Soon she would leave him, too, and go to Boston and then New York

to become at first a mistress then a prostitute. It was a common career path followed

by many young women in the nineteenth century. In New York she became

something of a "star" at several bordellos--Mrs. Posts on Howard St., Mrs. Waldron's

on Leonard St., Mrs. Gray's on Franklin St., Mrs. Berry's on Duan St., and finally at

Rosina Townsend's on Thomas St.

Besides her stunning good looks, her sexual skills had become legend. Apparently,

her appetite was insatiable, servicing a dozen rich rakes each night. She even liked to

take groups of men to bed with her at the same time, it was reported. Such mass

production was terribly lucrative and dangerous. Occasional epidemics of venereal

disease spread throughout the tenderloin and the women were blamed. On numerous

instances a former client, now diseased, return to take revenge on the prostitute who

gave him the "dreaded disease." Nonetheless, Jewett remained popular, a risk worth

taking for many. Some famous people--such as Washington Irving and Edgar Allan

Poe--were known to suffer from infatuation. In addition, she was aggressive and

seductive, setting her sights on someone who momentarily attracted her and

relentlessly pursing them until all the thrill was gone. She was feisty, too, and any

man or women who abused or insulted her in any way (but particularly in affairs of

the heart) would feel her wrath. One such man was Richard P. Robinson.

The Background

New York City, and the rest of the country for that matter, had undergone some

remarkable changes in the generation before Jewett's death. For example, the city's

population had grown rapidly; between 1814 and 1834 the number of inhabitants

increased 63 percent. It stood around 150,000, many of whom were bright and

aggressive young men coming from the countryside’s of the East and New England.

They had a faith that by working hard a good life might be attained. Other people

flooding the city were immigrants from Europe, particularly Ireland. The number of

arrivals at the Port of New York was more than four times greater in the 1830s than it

had been in the previous decade. While the young "dandies" from rural America

began to form a new middle class the "paddy" slipped into a disgruntled underclass.

Considerable tension resulted from the rapid and diverse growth that was occurring.

Riots and other mob activities, strangely quiet the previous 50 years, broke out anew

in most cities of America. New York City had so many upheavals in 1834 that it was

long remembered as "the year of riots." Many of these riots were anticatholic in

nature. Unlike the colonial mobs, however, these Jacksonian riots were violent with

much death and destruction of property. America was taking on a harder edge.

Crime increased as well. As a symbol of the age on January 30th, 1835, Richard

Lawrence tried to kill Andrew Jackson, the first such presidential assassination to

date. Lawrence went on to plead innocence by virtue of insanity, the first such use of

that defense in America. Professional burglar gangs went on extensive tours of cities

burgling and robbing homes and businesses indiscriminately. On occasion they would

attack a brothel. Confidence men found the naive newcomer easy to bilk. Fraud as

entertainment found its expression in the personage and career of P.T. Barnum.

Employee dishonesty arose at alarming rates as impatient young workers

supplemented their incomes by stealing goods and money from their bosses.

Sometimes the temptations of the city made the young live beyond their means, a

deficit they made up by theft. A new crime, embezzlement, was being created.

Policing in urban America had not kept pace with changing conditions. There were

some flirtations in Philadelphia in the 1830s, but largely the police of early nineteenth

century America was as it had been for two hundred years. There was a daytime

constabulary of detective type officers who were poorly trained or motivated. At night

there was a slightly larger number of watchmen who held a sleepy vigil for fires and

criminals. Both had been criticized for generations, but they were the right price for a

parsimonious society. Generally they sufficed but major crimes and disturbances

paralyzed them.

Most of these new city dwellers also wanted fun and recreation. Living in cramped

"gentlemen lodges" or poorer tenements these men sought outlets. Expanded

population, generally dominated by males, increased demand for a variety of vices.

Drinking was an important activity and by 1835 around 3000 licensed drinking places

existed, a ratio of one for every 50 persons. Gambling was important as well and

could be defended in some circles as "democratic." Gambling allowed any man an

equal opportunity to acquire a fortune and the social status that went with it, it was

rationalized. Any poor man, given the right luck, could become an instant rich one.

Was not that the American dream?

Perhaps the most important vice for the hordes of young hard-working men currently

was sex. There was an ideological bases for much of the youthful sex activities as

well. As one author has written: "This male dominated society allowed itself the

luxury of occasional sexual dalliances on the grounds that a man's transgressions

against the sanctity and purity of family life were far less serious than a woman."

Although less articulated, middle class society was defining women in two ways that

allowed for promiscuity to take place. There were the "good women," those pure

virginal types to whom a man aspired to marry and raise a righteous family. These

women needed to be protected against the natural aggressive appetites of their

husbands. Sex was for procuration and not recreation. Then there were the "bad

women," those whose weak character allowed them to be seduced and tainted, and

those who chose the life of prostitution. The latter could be found as street walkers,

dance girls in entertainment halls, and in the growing number of brothels. The brothel

girls were the royalty of the profession, and Helen Jewett reigned as queen.

The Suspects

Joseph Hoxie

Mr. Hoxie owned a major gold and diamond store. His daughter had fallen in love

with Richard Robinson, one of his clerks. They planned to marry soon, and Robinson

was thought to be the aggressive ambitious type to head up the store in the future.

While youthful indiscretions might be tolerated any major scandals had to be avoided

for the sake of the family and the business. Joseph Hoxie had the money and influence

to take care of any problems from the tenderloin.

Rosina Townsend

Rosina Townsend was in a highly competitive business and it was quite a coup when

the "star" prostitute had come to her establishment. But Helen was temperamental

demanding greater cuts of the earnings and special privileges denied the other

residents. Furthermore, there was a rumor that Helen was considering moving on to

another house.

Plug Uglies.

Recently, numerous street gangs had been forming in the tenderloin section of New

York City. The most notorious was the plug uglies. They robbed and raped on

numerous occasions terrifying the residents of the city. They were always a menacing

presence on the streets around the brothel district.

"Sister Stevens"

Stevens was another prostitute residing at Townsend's. She had formed an attachment

to "Pretty Frank" but was displaced by Jewett.

Richard P. Robinson

Robinson was a strikingly handsome young man of 22 when he met and fell in love

with Helen Jewett. Like many of the rich rakes who visited the prostitute houses of

the city he went by another name, Frank Rivers. The "girls" nick named him "Pretty

Frank." His long flowing blond hair and flashy cap and cloak were well known

signature items in the tenderloin districts of New York. In fact, later his style of dress

will become a fad among the young men.

Robinson, who worked for a reputable gold and diamond businessman by the name of

Hoxie, spent lavishly on Jewett. In addition, he had been seeing another woman at the

same time who mysteriously died of poisoning. To maintain his profligate lifestyle he

embezzled from his employer on a regular basis. When they found out the business

partners threatened to have him thrown in jail. However, one of the daughters of the

store owners loved him and on the promise of marriage the crimes were forgotten.

When Jewett heard of this arrangement, she was furious.

"You do not love this girl. You love me. You would but marry her, and rob her of her

happiness, as you robbed her father of his diamonds and money. A fine thing--to

atone for one crime with another," she rebuked him. After one prolonged absence

Jewett would write again: "Do you think I will endure this? Shall I, who have rejected

hundreds, sit quite under treatment only invented for my mortification? You have

known how I can love. Do not, oh do not, provoke the experiment of seeing how I can

hate. But in love or hate, your Helen. She then threatened to expose Robinson to his

soon-to-be wife.

The Evidence

Some of "the girls" at Townsends said they saw someone dressed like Robinson enter

her rooms at the brothel. He was the last person, they believed, to be with Helen

Jewett on the night of the murder.

A druggist said that Robinson had tried to buy some poison from him, but because of

the recent poisoning of another prostitute he was denied.

The axe was discovered in the room near the body. It was traced to Robinson's place

of employment.

One prostitute, Stevens, claimed that she saw Robinson flee the brothel the night of

the murder. However, Stevens mysteriously died shortly due to some arsenic in her

coffee.

A grocer, Robert Furlong, gave Robinson an alibi. But his bank account had

mysteriously grown and when this was questioned, he committed suicide.

When Robinson was brought to view and identify the body all he would say was that

"this was bad business.

Questions:

1. Who murdered Helen Jewett? How would you identify a suspect?

Use DOPE analysis. D=desire, who had the greatest desire?

O=opportunity, who had the greatest opportunity?

P=personality, who had the likely personality to do this crime?

E=evidence, who does the evidence point to?

(4 marks)

2. Discuss how the crime scene investigation should be conducted in this case. Include

discussion of the Tactical vs Strategic Investigative response. (4 marks)

3. What is the evidence that has been identified in this case and what further evidence is

needed to be examined? What is the significance of the evidence? (4 marks)

4. Identify any techniques you have learned to analyse any forensic evidence in this scenario.

(4 marks)

5. What is the possible witness evidence in the case? (4 marks)

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Grading Rubric for Case Study – (CMJ2223) – (CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION)

Criteria Needs Improvement/

Inadequate = 0 – 9

(Below Standard)

Basic/ Adequate = 10

– 14

(Meets Standard)

Proficient/ Above

Average = 15 – 17

(Exceeds standard)

Exemplary/Advanced = 18 –

20

(Far exceeds Standard)

Pre-Scene

List of questions

or statements

to be written up

before crime

scene is viewed

- Vague

questions/state

ments

- Questions show

little to no

relevance to the

scene

- Questions do

not aid in

evaluating the

scene

- Few specific

questions/

statements

- Some

questions

are relevant

to the scene

- Questions

limit the

evaluation of

the scene

- Mostly specific

questions/stat

ements

- Most

questions are

relevant to the

scene

- Questions

provide an

adequate

platform for

evaluating the

scene

- specific

questions/statement

s

- questions are

entirely relevant to

the scene and go

beyond asking the

basic information

about the crime

scene

- questions provide an

above adequate

platform for

evaluating the scene

Documentation

Description of

evidence and

scene sketches

and notes

- Scene is barely

described

- Description of

necessary

evidence needs

improvement

- Scene and body

sketch needs

improvement

- Scene is

somewhat

described

- Description

of necessary

evidence is

basic

- Scene and

body sketch

basic

- Scene is

adequately

described

- Description of

necessary

evidence is

proficient

- Scene and

body sketch

proficient

- Scene is fully

described

- All necessary

evidence is fully

described

- Description of

necessary evidence

is advanced

- Scene and body

sketch advanced

Evidence to be

collected

Physical

evidence

collected at

- Inadequate

amount of

evidence

collected

- Unreasonable

explanations

provided for

- Collected

some of the

necessary

evidence

- Some

reasonable

explanations

provided for

- Collected

most of the

necessary

evidence

- Provided

reasonable

explanations

- Collected all

necessary evidence

- Provided reasonable

explanations for

each item collected

- Evidence is of a

probative nature

crime scene and

why

collected

evidence

- Evidence does

not aid in

evaluating the

crime scene

collected

evidence

- Evidence is

limited in

the

evaluation of

the crime

scene

for each item

collected

- Some

evidence helps

in evaluating

the crime

scene

Evidence

Handling

Procedure for

collection and

handling of

evidence

- Very few

necessary

procedures

suggested

- Few procedures

suggested are

accurate

- Some

necessary

procedures

suggested

- Procedures

are accurate

- Most

necessary

procedures

suggested

- Procedures

are accurate

and some

supported

- All necessary

procedures

suggested

- Procedures are

accurate and

appropriately

supported

Contamination

Comment on

possible

inaccuracies in

crime scene

procedure and

how these may

be corrected

- One inaccuracy

noted

- Insufficient

motivation

provided for

correcting this

inaccuracy

- More than

one

inaccuracy

noted

- Some

sufficient

motivation

provided for

correcting

these

inaccuracies

- More than

one

inaccuracy

noted

- Sufficient

motivation

provided for

correcting the

inaccuracies

- All inaccuracies

identified

- Outstanding

motivation provided

for correcting these

inaccuracies

Questions on-

scene

List of questions

to ask

individuals on

scene or

individuals

following the

initial scene

investigation

- Only one

appropriate

individual has

been identified

- Questions show

little to no

relevance to the

scene and

deceased

- Questions

provide little

information

necessary for

further

investigation

- Some of the

appropriate

individuals

have been

identified

- Questions

show some

relevance to

the scene

and

deceased

- Questions

provide little

information

necessary

- Most of the

appropriate

individuals

have been

identified

- Questions

show

relevance to

the scene and

deceased

- Questions

provide some

information

necessary for

further

investigation

- Questions directed

to appropriate

individuals

- Questions are

entirely relevant to

the scene and

deceased

- Questions provide

additional

information

necessary for further

investigation

for further

investigation

Scene Conduct

Comment on

the appropriate

way of

managing a

crime scene

- Vague and

insufficient

description of

conduct on

scene

- Vague

description

of

appropriate

conduct on

scene

- Some details

- Clear

description of

appropriate

conduct on

scene

- Some details

- Clear and detailed

description of

appropriate conduct

on scene

Alternatives

Considering

your scene

investigation,

suggest an

alternative

manner of

death

- Provides an

alternative

manner of

death, but with

sufficient

support for why

this may have

been the case

- Has not

considered

collected

evidence or on-

scene questions

to motivate

reasons for

their suggestion

- Provides an

alternative

manner of

death, but

with only

some

sufficient

support for

why this may

have been

the case

- Has

considered

some

evidence or

on-scene

questions to

motivate

reasons for

their

suggestion

- Provides an

alternative

manner of

death, with

sufficient

support for

why this may

have been the

case

- Has

considered

most of the

evidence or

on-scene

questions to

motivate

reasons for

their

suggestion

- A logical and well-

supported

alternative manner

of death has been

provided

- Motivation is further

supported by the

collected evidence

and questions on-

scene

TOTAL