CRIMINAL JUSTICE FORENSICS
Read “An Illustrative Homicide Case Involving Blood Patterns” in your text, and review the included photos of evidence.
Looking at the bloodstain patterns on the husband’s clothing, and considering what you have learned about bloodstain patterns, are the patterns consistent with his story? If you do not think they are, why not? If your opinion is one that believes they add credibility to his story, document your reasoning based on the evidence.
Based on the blood pattern evidence shown in the photos, provide your interpretation as to what might have happened in this case.
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS ALREADY COMPLETED ABOVE
THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT IS TO:
Provide feedback to two of your classmates’ posts.
Each response should be a minimum of 200 words and should include your thoughts associated with their posted information.
Additionally, you are to contribute to the discussion by adding support or constructive alternatives to your classmates’ posts.
First Student Response Julian Lobato
Hello Everyone,
When the husband received his phone call from his estranged wife, and she explained to him that someone was trying to break in, as he went to her apartment and found that the door was lock because he did not have a key anymore, so he broke the window to get in, the evidence does show that window was broken from the outside, the husband did call the police after he already held the victim in his arms cradling her , telling the police that’s how he got her blood all over him.
There is contact transfer on the husband clothing but that could have been happen after the fact. Contact transfer happens if a bloody object comes into contact with a target surface, the pattern of that object is transferred to the target surface in blood (Gaensslen & Larsen, 2013). In opinion I think that there would have been a bigger blood pool in the front of the husband jacket, and how did he get blood on the back of his jacket. It looks like spurts of blood as he was turning away. He could have got the blood transfer on knees after he felt remorse and try to comfort her, the blood transfer is non-consistent unless he was cradling her standing up. The blood pattern seems to be going downward.
It can be a medium-velocity spatter this type of spatter can be caused by a blunt object, such as bat or intense beating with a fist. It can also result from a stabbing. Like the two knives that were found at the scene. Unlike with low-density spatter, when a victim is beaten or stabbed, arteries can be damaged. If they’re close to the skin, the victim bleeds faster and blood can spurt from wound as like on the husband clothing and as his/her heart continues to pump. This does result in a larger amount of blood and a very distinctive pattern. In reality if I was the investigator I would have to see more of the crime scene in ordinary to establish my findings, but I do think the husband did kill his ex-wife and try to cover it up.
Reference:
Gaensslen, R.E. & Larsen, A.K. (2013) Introductory Forensic Science http://www.bridgepointeducation.con|content.ashford.edu
Second Student Response from Kwanda Woodard
Forensic scientists can specialize in bloodstain pattern interpretation and those who do often belong to specific professional organizations such as the international association of bloodstain pattern analysts. Sometimes bloodstain pattern interpretation experts also have expertise in forensic biology or in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The dried blood in bloodstain patterns must go through DNA analysis in addition to pattern interpretation because it is important to know whose blood made the patterns so it is helpful for specialists to have knowledge of both areas. Blood patterns may be called dried blood patterns bloodstain patters, blood spatter patterns, and sometimes even blood spatter, Despite the various terms, they refer to the same thing from blood leaving the body and hitting a target surface. Arterial Spurts occur when an artery is cut and a characteristic pattern of large spurts of blood near the injured person is observed. The spurts are produced as the heart beats, forcing blood through the arteries under pressure and forcing blood out of the body through the wound onto the nearest target surface. A person cannot live long with a several artery. Blood is pumped out of the body in large quantities, blood pressure drops quickly , shock ensues, and the person dies.
Reference:
Gaensslen, R.E. & Larsen, K.(2013).Introductory Forensic Science. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.