In 2002, a woman of West African origin was arrested in Glasgow in connection with the murder of a young boy whose torso was found in the Thames in London. The child’s torso, clad only in a pair of orange shorts, was spotted floating in the Thames near Tower Bridge on 21 September, 2001. It had […]
Crime Labs
Hagy on trial today in 1984 slaying
Two Roanoke women killed less than six months apart. Their unclothed bodies left about a mile from each other. Both strangled during or after sex. For almost a quarter-century, any connection between the slayings of Cynthia Denise McCray, a 21-year-old black woman dumped under an Interstate 581 overpass, and Audrey Anne West, a 33-year-old white […]
UK Detectives solved murder case using dog DNA
No murder weapons were ever found in the case of Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi. However, scientists used DNA profiling to prove that samples collected during the investigation were a billion times more likely to come from two specific dogs than any other animals. The results conclusively linked them to Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi’s death. The dogs used in the […]
Guilty in 1979 Julius Schnoll murder
William Hess has been found guilty in the 1979 death of Julius Schnoll, a Farmington Hills supermarket supervisor who was shot in the head execution-style 30 years ago. The trial against a second man suspected in the murder, Darrell Kastel, will begin April 26. The prosecution stated that two men, Kastel and Hess, killed 62-year-old Julius Schnoll on […]
No government bodies regulate forensic labs
No government bodies regulate forensic labs, that should make you wonder. If DNA plays such a huge role in criminal court, why is it that there is no federal oversight? Even the best labs can make mistakes. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology landed at the center of the high-profile case of Cynthia Sommer, a […]
Arson Case Not on Agenda
Arson Case Not on Agenda as Texas Panel Reconvenes: the Innocence Project Online reports that after a long hiatus and months of national controversy, the Texas Forensic Science Commission will meet on Friday January 29, but the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham is not on the agenda. New commission chair John Bradley said he […]
Crime Scene Preparations
Crime Scene Preparations: Forensic Magazine has a good article describing the proper way to handle a crime scene. The best way for a successful chain of evidence starts by doing your homework. In this case, by stocking up! “Also remember that working a crime scene should be a team effort for you and your department. One of […]
Who really killed Mrs. Bernice Martin?
On March 8, 1987, fire fighters were called to the Mayfair Gardens Elderly Housing Complex, Manchester, Connecticut. They found Mrs. Bernice Martin, 88 years old, barely breathing, and badly beaten. She died later that evening in the hospital. To many the case is closed. Convicted for her murder is her granddaughter’s former husband, Richard A. […]
Crime Lab Ruling Under Review
Crime Lab Ruling Under Review, as reported by the New York Times: “Just six months after a narrowly divided Supreme Court announced that crime lab reports may not be used against criminal defendants at trial unless the analysts responsible for them testify, the court heard arguments on Monday about how the new system is working […]