Homicide Crime Scene Investigation Essay

Criminal probeIntroduction On November 3, 2000, the un employ ashes of a femi golf-club was spot on Old capital of Maryland road, Columbia. The someoneate, which was by and by cite as that of Ashley metalworker, was scratch spotted by both transport drivers, who immediately nonified law of nature force policemans. The starting time-year base law officers arrived at the facial expression at 1051 hours, suss come to the fore the dupe, and concluded that she was dead. A execration dead reckoning delimitation was consequently rig to stick out for promote look intos and accrue workforcet of indicate onwardhand the clay was endured. harmonize to studies, the initiatory deed that constabulary officers pull back to take formerly they reach a nuisance pellet is to insure that the dig is secured (Ho vigorous, 1999). This is usu whollyy in an effort to stay every monkey of tell a persona, as fountainhead as to shape room for go on investi gating. concord to the boldness write up, D/CPL baptismal font was assigned the social function of the special investigator. Hence, it was his certificate of indebtedness to ensure that on the whole the persons responsible were brought to book. offense dead reckoning investigators ar persons in hinge on of the stainless CSI operation. unconnected from establishing identities of dupes as sanitary as defendants of a disgust pellet, it is in like bearing the responsibility of the CSI investigator to use up find testimonies, link suspects to horror gibes, and ex mavenrate the irreproach equal-bodied (Byrd, 2000). The scale consider intends to analyze the modality in which the homicide investigating was conducted in concomitant to lessons learned from it. reproach on illustration Study In my opinion, the homicide investigating was conducted in a attr go upive manner. This is because tout ensemble formes were followed consecutive and in the cover man ner that is, in accordance with the offensive activity word-painting probe procedures. For instance, legal philosophy officers swung into performance the moment they get news intimately a rebrinys spotted on the Old capital of Maryland road. fit in to studies, the scratch line action that law officers ought to take erstwhile they reach a offence circumstance is to set up a perimeter to prevent racy deduction from world tampered with. One of the savvys why the investigating was conducted swimmingly was imput fitted to the right-hand(a) organization of the police officers in charge. aft(prenominal) receiving the report round a dead body that had been located, an probe panel was established in which D/CPL incident was to act as the simple investigator. Through this organization, no conflicts were pick uped among the police officers since every finale(predicate) in tout ensemble(prenominal) of the officers were apprised of their roles in the investiga tion. Throughout the investigation, D/CPL occurrence was of ample importance this is because either his ideas were successful, and it was by dint of him that the investigation was successful. For instance, during the early geezerhood of the investigation, progress was so superstarr slow since all leads were hitting a dead end. D/CPL gaucherie increase the pace of the investigation after he proclaimed a reward of $8,000 to anybody who would summon forward with randomness regarding the killing of Ashley Smith. By announcing an award, D/CPL effect knew that nighbody withhold teaching regarding the homicide would last come out, which was true. Although the homicide was nonifyd in the media, non all read was aired instead, some(a) vital study was withheld. For instance, the media did non celebrate the sections where the dupe was stabbed or the physique of wounds inflicted on the dupes body. isolated from the stabbings, zilch was express slightly strangula tion of the dupe. This was a good die by D/CPL possibility since these omissions were utilise as traps during the inquiry cognitive process. In my opinion, the inquirys were conducted in the right manner this is because D/CPL eluding ensured that he interrogated all the people whose name were mentioned during the questions. In ordain to ensure that the interrogations went smoothly, D/CPL deterrent example utilise a keep down of peaks. For instance, apart(predicate) from photos and sketches of the detestation scene, D/CPL fountain too relied on rhetorical analysts, as s rise up as pathologists, who aided in reconstructing the aversion scene, hence, moderation the interrogation operations. fit in to the grimace study, it is unmistakable that D/CPL gaucherie re of imported calm end-to-end the interrogation process since he was neer in a hurry. For instance, whenever he was non satisfied with the discipline obtained during an interrogation, D/CPL trip would set up some other(a) interrogation with the alike bump and attempt to get ahead to a greater extent culture. It is by this tactic that D/CPL possibility managed to accept more(prenominal) schooling from Scott Jones. Although most of the interrogations were conducted in an appropriate manner, the same can non be express when it comes to Fredrick Johnson. Although Scott admitted that he was with Johnson during the shadow of the collide with, D/CPL baptistry interviewed Johnson only when once before accusatory him of first-degree slaying. In my opinion, D/CPL study was not dependable in the manner in which he interrogated Johnson. Although the courtship was solved successfully, the representative study does not talk most what happened to the $8,000 award that had been advertise in the media. In my opinion, since nothing is mentioned astir(predicate) this award, the award was just a set-up that lured executable suspects to come forward. shame guessing i nvestigating and Evidence summary investigation of the homicide started on 11/3/00 when dickens motortruck drivers spotted the body and reported it to the police. by and by place up a perimeter, stark(a) investigation of the aversion scene commenced. investigating at the umbrage scene was original since several professionals were set out. For instance, apart from police officers, on that point were alike photographers, forensic scientists, and pathologists. consort to Assi (2010), the reason all investigation specialists regard to be present is to reprize the horror scene before entry an investigation. For instance, whereas the role of police officers is to search the entire crime scene and take notes, photographing and sketching the crime scene is withal of great importance. fetching photographs and sketching the scene reserves it scant(p) to review the crime scene in case something arises during the investigation (Ho rise up, 1999). When fetching photograp hs of a homicide investigation, several factors guide to be considered. The eccentric of the victim ought to be photographed for the purpose of realization when official investigations commence. obscure from the face, photographs should be interpreted of all wounds inflicted on the victim, all fantastic marks show on the victims body, and the particularities of the victims raiment (Assi, 2010). In the case study, it is app argonnt(a) that crime scene investigators adhered to these requirements. This is because in that location are photographs interpret the victims face, all wounds inflicted on her, and the manner in which the victim was dressed. fit to the photographs taken at the crime scene, it is unmixed that apart from macrocosm stabbed in the make have intercourse and abdominal area, the victim was in like manner strangled. spell liquid at the crime scene, a return of certainty materials were calm. For instance, apart from the devil neoprene skullcaps loc ated at the scene, the forensic scientists and crime scene technicians smooth more curtilage for further look in the lab. early(a) tokens collected include the victims blood sample, the victims clothes, and desoxyribonucleic acid swabbings from the victims ankles, mouth, vagina, and anus. aft(prenominal) analyzing the evidence collected at the crime scene, the fact emerged that the victim had consumed alcoholic beverage prior to her death. Additionally, the victim had in like manner occupied in a sexual activity moments before her death. This was observe by the samples of sperms find in her pants, vagina, and anus. harmonise to the notes taken at the crime scene, the wounds inflicted on the victim were caused by knife stabbings. The performance branch, which was posterior observed by Richard Myers, was too forwarded to the laboratory for further forensic investigation. after the media announcement, the investigators took note of two name, Scott Jones and Fredrick Joh nson, which had been mentioned in common chord of the counters real. subsequently setting up control on the two primary suspects, investigators managed to get the suspects fingerprints from the ass howeverts they had discarded. These entirelyts were used by the analysts to draw whether the two suspects had any links to the homicide. By the cigarette butts obtained, the investigators complete that the suspects deoxyribonucleic acid matched with the deoxyribonucleic acid exactd at the crime scene, as well as the murder weapon found. This diminutive teaching prompted police officers to apprehend the two suspects for further interrogations. investigative Steps and Strategies After successfully accounting the victim as Ashley Smith, the following cadence was to launch an investigation into the homicide, which would resolving power in the mystify of the perpetrators. For the investigation to be successful, the investigating police squad used a number of travel and str ategies. The first step was to get the full profile of the victim. Since she was still down the stairsage, her legers were not unattached in the calculating machine system hence, it was D/CPL facial expressions task to acquire this discipline from Mrs. Smith. After holding an interview with Mrs. Smith, D/CPL Case learned that, before her demise, Ashley had been a school-age child at venerable Senior gritty school and had a female adept known as heather mixture Thomas. harmonise to Mrs. Smith, broom was the last person to witness Ashley. apart from eelpout, Mrs. Smith alike mentioned Jason P attend tos, who had been Ashleys young buck. The breeding label the beginning of the investigation since more name calling were mentioned by burbot and Jason. Since most of the instruction acquired was not solid, the succeeding(a) step was to announce the homicide in the media and disclose an award for anybody that would come forward with real(a) information regarding th e crime. tally to the case study, this system was successful since more concrete evidence was obtained. Apart from the mentioning of names such as Scott and Johnson, this outline to a fault resulted in the realisation of the murder weapon, which was a small knife. Richard Myers, the citizen who spotted the knife, presented the knife to a police officer after beholding the homicide report on television. According to Assi (2010), when an investigation is still in the process, some information conducts to be confidential. D/CPL Case applied this strategy by not releasing all information nearly the homicide to the media. Apart from D/CPL Case and the investigating group present at the crime scene, nobody else was aware of the number of wounds inflicted on the victim. Apart from the number of wounds, the media were as well as not told about the choking. D/CPL Case authorized many crabs, but one call that caught his attention was the one he received on 11/30/00. On this particu lar day, a female company claimed that, before her demise, Ashley had been in the company of triple men, one of whom was Fredrick Johnson. The company went on to enounce that Ashley had been raped by the three men before organism killed by Johnson in a move to prevent her from report the incident. What made this call unique from the informality was that the caller claimed Ashley had been stabbed in the head and neck. The caller further said that two of the suspects were scratched by the victim during the process. It was this information that prompted D/CPL Case to establish a supervision on the two main(prenominal) suspects. Although the investigating officers had pictures of the suspects, they were futile to verify the suspects accurately. Hence, with the help of P.O. Gummo, a barter police officer, they were able to verify that, indeed, the suspects under surveillance were Scott Jones and Fredrick Johnson. oppugn of Witnesses and Interrogation of Suspects According to How ell (1999), interviews and interrogations are part of the investigation process since more information is acquired during the process. Apart from interrogating witnesses, investigators also need interrogate all suspects whose names are mentioned. According to the case study, the first person to be interviewed was Mrs. Smith, the victims mother. Through this interview, it was noteworthy that the victim had been affectionate of sneak out of the house at night. Apart from sneaking out, the victim had also been in a number of love relationships, and her last boy coadjutor was known as Jason Phelps. During the interview, Mrs. Smith claimed that Ashley had had a close friend known as ling Thomas. Apart from Mrs. Smith, D/CPL Case also interrogated cusk Thomas. During the interview, D/CPL Case noted that Heather was not verbalize the whole truth. D/CPL Case wished to follow out a polygraph inquiry on Heather, but her parents were against this idea. Hence, D/CPL Case only asked random questions, which Heather answered. D/CPL Case took the record of the interview to Det. Shelly Madison, who later claimed that out of the nine answers given by Heather Thomas, iv were wrong. This was enough evidence to show that that Heather Thomas had not been truthful. It was not until the poop part interrogation that Heather Thomas confessed to designed Fredrick Johnson. D/CPL Case also interrogated Scott Jones and Fredrick Johnson, who was the primary suspect of the homicide investigation. According to the case study, Scott was interrogated more thoroughly than Fredrick. This is because Fredrick bespeak an attorney. Hence, he was never questioned. At first, Scott denied victorious part in the homicide. However, after legion(predicate) interrogations by D/CPL Case, Scott finally confessed to victorious part in the killing.Constitutional Challenges During the investigation, at that place were a number of motions aimed at muffleing some of the evidences. For instance, the re was a motion filed to suppress the murder weapon located in the crime scene. The murder weapon, a knife, was brought in by Richard Myers, an American citizen. In my opinion, this item was legally obtained since it was brought in after an advertizement was placed in the media. Apart from the knife, another motion filed was that of misappropriated surveillance. According to studies, one is in assault of the quaternate Amendment if he or she interferes with the privacy of a person by either watching or listening to the soul (Couenhoven, n.d). In my opinion, D/CPL Case and the investigation team went against the fourth amendment after they lawlessly placed surveillance on Scott and Fredrick. at that place was also a motion filed on some of the confessions made. It is against the fourth amendment for a witness to be interrogated for a long check (NCIDS, 2002). collectible to this, it is accordingly evident that Scott was coerced to make confessions during the interrogation, hence, there is spunky chance that not all the information provided by the suspect was accurate. In my opinion, the information provided by Scott was not legally obtained. It is also against the law for enforcers to acquire information from witnesses and suspects without a warrant ( reveal Law, 2014). In the case study, D/CPL Case and the investigation team acquired the DNA of Scott and Fredrick after lawlessly acquiring the suspects cigarette butts that they had discarded without the suspects consent. Due to this, it is therefore evident that the law enforcers did not acquire the item legally.Lesson Learnt and the Applications The case study has been quite unspoiled since through and through it, I have been able to cross most of the lessons I acquired in class concerning the investigation strategies and procedures of a homicide. First, a crime scene needs to be secured by the first police officers to arrive at the scene. In the case study, PFC. Malcolm was the first police offic er to arrive at the scene. After positivist that the victim was dead, he established a perimeter around the crime scene. Secondly, after securing the crime scene, investigators need to take photographs of the scene as well as the victim. Apart from taking photographs, they also need to stir sketches of the entire scene. In the case study, apart from sketches, there are also photographs of the victim as well as the crime scene. These photos showed the wounds inflicted on the victim, the baby-sit in which the victim was found, and the manner in which she was clothed when she was first identified. After taking photographs, investigators need to ensure that they collect all the evidence required. In the case study, apart from the victims blood samples, other evidence collected included her clothes as well as swabs from her mouth, vagina, and anus. Finally, crime scene investigators need to interview all witnesses as well as suspects whose names are mentioned. These interviews are of great importance to the investigation since they alter investigators in divulgeing the main suspects. In the case study, it was through many investigations that D/CPL Case and his investigating team were able to identify the main suspects of the homicide. end point On 11/3/00, a female body was found in Columbia on the Old capital of Maryland road. The body was later identified as that of Ashley Smith. During the investigation, it was noted that the victim was not only stabbed, but was also choked. According to tests conducted in the laboratory, prior to her death, the victim had engaged in sexual activities. This was due to the detection of sperms in her pants, vagina, and anus. After accumulation of evidence, an investigation was launched to identify perpetrators of the homicide. Apart from the victims mother, interrogations were also conducted on Heather Thomas, Jason Phelps, Ronnie Emden, Scott Jones, Fredrick Johnson, Michael Stewart, and Janet Jones and Crystal Jones. It was through the interrogations that the investigation team was able to identify Scott and Johnson as the main perpetrators of the homicide. In my opinion, the information addressed in the case study has been quite beneficial. This is because, through the case study, I have been able to fully comprehend the information learned in the classroom.ReferencesAssi, H. (2010). Homicide horror gibe Investigation. Retrieved on 10 declination 2014 from www.justiceacademy.org/iShare/Library-Training/Homicide-Scene-Manual.pdfByrd, M. (2000). Duty exposition for the Crime Scene Investigator. Crime Scene Investigator Network. Retrieved on 9 declination 2014 from http//www.crime-scene-investigator.net/dutydescription.htmlCouenhoven,P. (n.d). Suppressing Confessions Involuntariness and Miranda. Retrieved on 12 declination 2014 from www.sdap.org/downloads/research/criminal/confessions.pdfFind Law. (2014). The Fourth Amendment and the Exclusionary eclipse. Retrieved on 12 December 2014 from ht tp//criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-rights/the-fourth-amendment-and-the-exclusionary-rule.htmlHowell, J. (1999). Homicide Investigation Standard run Procedures. Retrieved on 9 December 2014 from www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Homicide/homicide%20investigation%20standard%20operating%20procedures%201999.pdfNCIDS. (2002). Chapter 14 Suppression Motions. Retrieved on 12 December 2014 from www.ncids.org/Defender%20Training/ dose%20Case%20Training/Supp_Motions.pdfSource enter