scholarly journals Unusual Application of Insect-Related Evidence in Two European Unsolved Murders

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Francesco Introna ◽  
Cristina Cattaneo ◽  
Debora Mazzarelli ◽  
Francesco De Micco ◽  
Carlo Pietro Campobasso
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Insect Feeding ◽  
Trace Evidence ◽  
Probative Value ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Sharp Force

Insect-related evidence must be considered of probative value just as bloodstains, fingerprints, fibers, or any other materials. Such evidence if properly collected and analyzed can also provide useful details in the reopening of old unsolved murders, also called “cold cases”. This paper presents the case of two murders that occurred in two different European countries and remained unsolved for years. The remains of a girl found in Italy 17 years after her disappearance helped to solve a murder that occurred in Britain 8 years prior. The cases were unexpectedly linked together because of the similarities in the ritualistic placing of strands of hair and connections with the suspect. The trace evidence relating to insects and hairs played a relevant role in the conviction of the perpetrator. In Italy, the defense raised the doubt that the strands of hair found nearby the skeletal remains could be the result of insect feeding activity and not the result of a cut by sharp objects. Therefore, it was fundamental to distinguish between sharp force lesions and insect feeding activity on hair. This unusual application of insect-related evidence clearly emphasizes the importance of an appropriate professional collection and analysis of any physical evidence that could be of robust probative value.

scholarly journals USE OF INFORMATION AND REFERENCE COLLECTIONS FOR TRACE EVIDENCE EXAMINATIONS

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 309-316
Author(s):  
V.V. Kozhevnikov
Keyword(s):  
Group Affiliation ◽  
Trace Evidence ◽  
Forming Mechanism ◽  
Probative Value ◽  
Natural Objects ◽  
Quantitative Properties

In most cases while performing trace evidence examinations the research volume depends questions asked an expert. Issues are identifying (sameness determination, group affiliation) and non-identifying (establishing a trace-forming mechanism). Although identifying researches are more important while truth establishing and have some probative value in criminal and other processes, the research of non-identifying nature is also important. However, thanks to them an expert establishes the kind of trace-forming object on general features reflected in traces. Use of information and reference collections is a significant help while performing examinations of a non-identifying nature. Using natural objects from collections allows to establish qualitative or quantitative properties of real evidence, to attribute them to certain groups (kind) of objects. This is accomplished by comparing the research object with samples from collections, which results in coincidence or differences in their generic characteristics. Evaluation of these coincidences or differences allows determining that studied object belongs to (or does not belong) a group (kind, class) of the relevant objects in the collection or that it arose as a result of a certain trace-forming mechanism. For example if for an expert it is necessary to find out the trace-forming mechanism of dynamic traces, having the collection natural objects; it is possible to perform a number of expert experiments and according to these results to reach a certain conclusion. Thus, the use of information and reference collections while performing trace evidence examinations in procedural form (while performing examinations) is a simple and accessible support means for correct and scientifically substantiated answering to questions asked an expert. Effectiveness of using such collections depends on objects number or volume of information contained in, their systematization and classification, as well as expert ability to apply objects of these collections at one or another stage of expert research.

Enantiospecific synthesis and insect feeding activity of sulfur-containing cyclitols

2009 ◽  
Vol 344 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Bellomo ◽  
Soledad Camarano ◽  
Carmen Rossini ◽  
David Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Activity ◽  
Insect Feeding ◽  
Enantiospecific Synthesis ◽  
Sulfur Containing

The devil's mark: a socio-cultural analysis of physical evidence

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
ORNA ALYAGON DARR
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Social Embeddedness ◽  
Common Procedure ◽  
Probative Value ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Cultural Concepts ◽  
Witch Trials ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Devil

AbstractThis article discusses the search for ‘the devil's mark’ as an example of the social embeddedness of evidentiary methods. The belief in early modern England was that the devil branded the bodies of witches with symbolic yet concrete corporeal malformations such as marks and growths. Thus a bodily search for the devil's mark became a common procedure in witch-trials. The analysis here of the fierce debate about the probative value of this allegedly direct physical evidence demonstrates an affinity between the evidential dispositions of the participants and their social position. The meaning of this method of proof emerged in the context of different, sometimes inconsistent or even competing, cultural concepts.

Applying Microscopy in Forensic Science

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 490-491
Author(s):  
Henry C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Forensic Science ◽  
Real World ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Serial Killer ◽  
Trace Evidence ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Forensic Scientist ◽  
Forensic Scientists

Microscopy is of vital importance in the real world of the forensic scientist. In today's society, physical evidence is critical to the criminal justice system for the detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal acts. A trail of microscopic fibers led investigators in Atlanta to the conviction of the serial killer, Wayne Williams. Flecks of paint on a hit-run victim, analyzed microscopically, can be compared with the paint on a suspect vehicle to exclude or match it to the crime. The forensic firearms examiner compares the microscopic striations on a bullet to match it to the gun it was fired from. Microscopes are used throughout the modern forensic laboratory. They are essential in searching for evidence. They aid the examiner in identifying and comparing trace evidence. As the scales of justice symbolize forensic science, microscopes symbolize the trace evidence examiner.Because of the variety of physical evidence, forensic scientists use several types of microscopes in their investigations.

CRIMINAL RECORD, CHARACTER EVIDENCE, AND THE CRIMINAL TRIAL

Legal Theory ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Lippke
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Criminal Record ◽  
Specific Character ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Trace Evidence ◽  
Criminal Trials ◽  
The Real ◽  
Probative Value ◽  
Character Evidence

The question addressed here is whether evidence concerning defendants' past criminal records should be introduced at their trials because such evidence reveals their character and thus reveals whether they are the kinds of persons likely to have committed the crimes with which they are currently charged. I strongly caution against the introduction of such evidence for a number of reasons. First, the link between defendants' past criminal records and claims about their standing dispositions to think and act is tenuous, at best. Second, noncharacter, or trace, evidence should have primacy in determining the guilt or innocence of defendants. Third, character evidence will vary in its freshness and specificity. Other things being equal, only relatively fresh and specific character evidence has probative value. Moreover, such evidence will have greater probative value in criminal cases where the issue before the court is whether a crime has been committed than in cases where the issue is whether it was the defendant who committed the crime. Finally, we might be more sanguine about the introduction of fresh and specific character evidence under conditions likely to work against its misuse or misinterpretation. However, the relevant conditions may not often be satisfied in the real world of criminal trials and defendants.

scholarly journals Weapon injuries in the crusader mass graves from a 13th century attack on the port city of Sidon (Lebanon)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256517
Author(s):  
Richard N. R. Mikulski ◽  
Holger Schutkowski ◽  
Martin J. Smith ◽  
Claude Doumet-Serhal ◽  
Piers D. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Port City ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Mass Graves ◽  
Blunt Force Trauma ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Sharp Force ◽  
The City ◽  
The Town

Archaeological excavations close to St Louis’ castle in Sidon, Lebanon have revealed two mass grave deposits containing partially articulated and disarticulated human skeletal remains. A minimum of 25 male individuals have been recovered, with no females or young children. Radiocarbon dating of the human remains, a crusader coin, and the design of Frankish belt buckles strongly indicate they belong to a single event in the mid-13th century CE. The skeletal remains demonstrate a high prevalence of unhealed sharp force, penetrating force and blunt force trauma consistent with medieval weaponry. Higher numbers of wounds on the back of individuals than the front suggests some were attacked from behind, possibly as they fled. The concentration of blade wounds to the back of the neck of others would be compatible with execution by decapitation following their capture. Taphonomic changes indicate the skeletal remains were left exposed for some weeks prior to being collected together and re-deposited in the defensive ditch by a fortified gateway within the town wall. Charring on some bones provides evidence of burning of the bodies. The findings imply the systematic clearance of partially decomposed corpses following an attack on the city, where adult and teenage males died as a result of weapon related trauma. The skeletons date from the second half of the Crusader period, when Christian-held Sidon came under direct assault from both the Mamluk Sultanate (1253 CE) and the Ilkhanate Mongols (1260 CE). It is likely that those in the mass graves died during one of these assaults.

scholarly journals EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AS THE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING A METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TRACE FORMATION MECHANISM

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Grosheva
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Research ◽  
Plant Origin ◽  
Mechanism Of Formation ◽  
Trace Evidence ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Laboratory Bench ◽  
Evidence Analysis ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Expert Commission ◽  
Trace Formation

The article examines feasibility of conducting a series of experiments, results of which will serve as the basis for developing a method for establishing the mechanism of formation of plant origin stains on articles of clothing. Based on the analysis of special literature, the author introduces arguments for the need to develop such a methodology. In the course of experimental research, with the help of extras, circumstances of clothing contact with vegetation cover at various sites which can occur while crime commission have been simulated. The obtained data which will become the basis for creating a methodology for establishing a mechanism of grass layers’ formation on articles of clothing is obtained. A flowchart of dependence of the mechanism of stains formation on properties, states of interacting objects and nature of contact has been developed. During investigation of the mechanism of stains formation similar to grass stains, a multidisciplinary forensic trace evidence and botany forensic analyses should be initiated. After receiving research objects and materials review, the Expert Commission conducts external examination of provided physical evidence. For this purpose, clothes are laid out one by one on a laboratory bench, each item is described separately and photographed according to the rules of forensic photography. The next stage is the study by a forensic botanist of identified layers of plant origin in order to establish their nature. Then a trace evidence examiner conducts forensic trace evidence analysis of identified layers of grass stains. Based on the analysis of the complex of identified features and properties shown in the flowchart, the Expert Commission formulates the synthesizing part of the conclusion according to which the conclusion as to the mechanism of trace formation is drawn.

scholarly journals The Assessment of Expert Evidence on DNA in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Ramalinggam Rajamanickam ◽  
Mohd Safri Mohammed Na’aim ◽  
Tengku Noor Azira Tengku Zainudin ◽  
Zainunnisaa Abd. Rahman ◽  
Mohd Zamre Mohd Zahir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Public Prosecutor ◽  
The Public ◽  
Probative Value ◽  
Dna Evidence ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Cast Doubt ◽  
The Right ◽  
Independent Organization

Abstract One of the most common forms of evidence used by the Public Prosecutor in a courtroom to prove a case is DNA evidence. The DNA evidence process started when the police collected the physical evidence relevant to the alleged offence at the crime scene. The collected evidence will then usually be sent to the Department of Chemistry Malaysia for DNA analysis. The chemist will extract the DNA from the relevant physical evidence by using specific techniques. The outcome of the analysis will be used to complete the investigation of the case. Being an independent organization, the Chemistry Department strives to provide impartial forensic science analysis. Thus, from the analysis, sometimes DNA evidence does not necessarily implicate the accused with the alleged offence but may also disclose the involvement of a third party in the alleged offence that may cast doubt on the prosecution’s case. This can be seen in the Federal Court’s case of Public Prosecutor v Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman [2008] 4 CLJ 1. The evidence will then be presented by the prosecution before the court to assist judges in making the right decisions. This indicates the important role played by an expert in the court decision making process. In this context, questions always arise as to the probative value of DNA evidence given by experts in the courtroom. Can the court convict a person solely on DNA evidence? This article focuses on the position of DNA experts in Malaysia under section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950. It was found that although the DNA evidence is given by the experts, the probative value depends on the nature of the evidence itself.

Use of SEM, X-ray analysis and TEM to localize Fe3+ reduction in roots

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 392-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Wergin ◽  
P. F. Bell ◽  
Rufus L. Chaney
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Root Hairs ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Young Root ◽  
Insoluble Precipitate ◽  
Uptake And Transport ◽  
Scanning Electron

In dicotyledons, Fe3+ must be reduced to Fe2+ before uptake and transport of this essential macronutrient can occur. Ambler et al demonstrated that reduction along the root could be observed by the formation of a stain, Prussian blue (PB), Fe4 [Fe(CN)6]3 n H2O (where n = 14-16). This stain, which is an insoluble precipitate, forms at the reduction site when the nutrient solution contains Fe3+ and ferricyanide. In 1972, Chaney et al proposed a model which suggested that the Fe3+ reduction site occurred outside the cell membrane; however, no physical evidence to support the model was presented at that time. A more recent study using the PB stain indicates that rapid reduction of Fe3+ occurs in a region of the root containing young root hairs. Furthermore the most pronounced activity occurs in plants that are deficient in Fe. To more precisely localize the site of Fe3+ reduction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to examine the distribution of the PB precipitate that was induced to form in roots.

Averting robo-bees: why free-flying robotic bees are a bad idea

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-729
Author(s):  
Roslyn Gleadow ◽  
Jim Hanan ◽  
Alan Dorin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Food Security ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Plant Insect Interactions ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Insect Interactions

Food security and the sustainability of native ecosystems depends on plant-insect interactions in countless ways. Recently reported rapid and immense declines in insect numbers due to climate change, the use of pesticides and herbicides, the introduction of agricultural monocultures, and the destruction of insect native habitat, are all potential contributors to this grave situation. Some researchers are working towards a future where natural insect pollinators might be replaced with free-flying robotic bees, an ecologically problematic proposal. We argue instead that creating environments that are friendly to bees and exploring the use of other species for pollination and bio-control, particularly in non-European countries, are more ecologically sound approaches. The computer simulation of insect-plant interactions is a far more measured application of technology that may assist in managing, or averting, ‘Insect Armageddon' from both practical and ethical viewpoints.

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