Wrongfully Convicted Haunted by Unexpunged Record
May 07, 2013
With hundreds of men and women now freed from prison by exculpatory DNA tests or successful appeals by advocacy organizations, more states are grappling with questions of what they owe the wrongfully convicted, and how to prevent former prisoners from slipping into poverty or back into prison.
Decision Expected Soon in St. Paul Crime Lab Case
May 06, 2013
The drug case that exposed shoddy work at the St. Paul police crime lab could be resolved within days. At a hearing, Dakota County Judge Kathryn Messerich said she will issue her order "as quickly as possible."
July 4 Targeted for Attack, Wife's DNA Not on Bomb
May 06, 2013
The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings told F.B.I. interrogators that he and his brother considered suicide attacks and striking on the Fourth of July as they plotted their deadly assault, according to two law enforcement officials.
Lethal DNA Tags Could Keep Innocent People Out of Jail
May 06, 2013
DNA so dangerous that it doesn't exist in nature has been given its first useful role — keeping innocent people out of jail.
Independent Validation Test of Microscopic Saw Mark Analysis
May 06, 2013
Microscopic saw mark analysis is a well published, generally accepted, and commonly used method. The presented study is an independent validation test of microscopic saw mark analysis.
Cyanide Used More Often for Suicides, Toxicologists Say
May 06, 2013
As police continue to investigate the death of UPMC neurologist Autumn Klein, toxicology experts noted that cyanide poisoning deaths, while gruesome, are extraordinarily rare.
Accuracy of Evidence in Mississippi Capital Case
May 06, 2013
Racial bias. A faulty confession. Untested scientific evidence. One could reasonably argue that the "accuracy" of Willie Manning's conviction and death sentence are in doubt. The state has at its disposal the relatively simple means to answer some of the most basic questions raised by the case — test the evidence!
Latent Evidence Class Uncovers Cow Remains
May 03, 2013
Heather Burkard was not expecting a whole cow’s head when a local butcher offered her a cow “skull” for her to use in her latent evidence class at Surry Community College’s Elkin Center. However, that is exactly what she found when she arrived at the shop to pick up the remains.
Iowa Senate OKs Expanded DNA Sampling
May 03, 2013
Legislation to expand DNA sampling of people convicted of certain crimes was approved by the Iowa Senate, although it sparked a passionate debate in which opponents contended civil liberties are being eroded in the fight against crime.
Troubled St. Paul Crime Lab's New Leader Faces Big Challenge
May 03, 2013
The city of St. Paul has hired a criminalist with nearly two decades of experience to run the struggling police crime lab. Rosanna Caswell, who has begun her new job as forensic lab manager, is responsible for improving the lab after years of shoddy science and little oversight.
Reversal of Fortune: A Prosecutor on Trial
May 03, 2013
For 30 years, Ken Anderson was the face of law enforcement in Williamson County, Texas, first as a bearded district attorney asking the court for tough sentences, and for the last 10 years handing those kinds of sentences out as a judge. Earlier this month, walked into the courthouse again, this time as a defendant.
Quantitative Analysis of High Velocity Bloodstain Patterns
May 03, 2013
The goal of this study is to establish statistically significant classifications of blood spatter patterns resulting from the interactions between a weapon, suspect and victim.
Evidence Shows Jamestown Cannibalism
May 02, 2013
The harsh winter of 1609 in Virginia’s Jamestown Colony forced residents to do the unthinkable. A recent excavation at the historic site reveals the dismemberment and cannibalization of a 14-year-old English girl.
Developing an Empirically Based Ranking Order for Bone Sampling
May 02, 2013
This study established an empirically based ranking of skeletal elements according to each bone’s capacity to provide usable genetic material for a DNA identification and assessed how these results varied over longer post mortem intervals (PMI).
New A-to-Z Guide for Preserving Biological Evidence
May 02, 2013
A new handbook by NIST and NIJ provides forensic laboratories, law enforcement agencies and the judicial system with state-of-the-art guidelines and recommended best practices for preserving biological evidence so that it is available at any time to solve “cold cases,” confirm the guilt of criminals or exonerate the innocent.
Three Removed Backpack from Boston Suspect's Room
May 02, 2013
Three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were arrested and accused of removing a backpack containing fireworks emptied of gunpowder from Tsarnaev's dorm room three days after the attack to try to keep him from getting into trouble.
DNA, Fingerprints Collected in Fatal California Child Stabbing
May 02, 2013
Fingerprints and DNA evidence from the northern California home where an eight-year-old girl was stabbed to death over the weekend, apparently by an intruder, were sent to a state crime lab as detectives sought to identify a suspect, police said.
Carl Zeiss Microscopy Holds Workshop Series on Scanning Electron Microscope Products
May 02, 2013
Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC, has announced that it is holding three workshop series on its innovative scanning electron microscope (SEM) products.
Wrongful Convictions: Watch a Seminar with Dr. Jon Gould and John Firman
May 01, 2013
If you missed the latest Research for the Real World seminar on wrongful convictions, there's good news! The presentation, "Wrongful Convictions: The Latest Scientific Research and Implications for Law Enforcement" by Dr. Jon Gould and John Firman is now available to view online.
Safeguarding Forensic DNA Samples
May 01, 2013
Boise State Univ. professor Greg Hampikian is known internationally for his work in DNA forensics, and he has developed a solution that permanently marks DNA samples to prevent contamination.
Forensic Confirmation Bias: When the Evidence Doesn't Speak for Itself
May 01, 2013
As a growing number of wrongful convictions in the U.S. judicial system are brought to light, psychologists are exploring what caused these miscarriages of justice and how they can be prevented.
Trial for 1987 Slaying of Jimmy Casino to Wrap Up
May 01, 2013
He was a smooth-talking swindler who operated Orange County's most notorious and lucrative strip club, the Mustang Topless Theater. Born James Stockwell, he rebranded himself Jimmy Casino and lived the extravagant lifestyle of a character from an Elmore Leonard novel.
Students Seek Solutions in Splatters and Stains
May 01, 2013
After being handed the cup containing blood and saliva, Alison Pierce soaks the liquid with the pipette, and then sprays it onto the paper taped to the wall. As the liquid oozes down the paper, Pierce explains to students, who are dressed in large yellow lab coats, that blood stains containing saliva will be connected by the mucus strands.
Broadened DNA Law Aids Crime Solving
May 01, 2013
A year after the Nebraska State Patrol conducted a record 8,700 DNA tests on felons, it made an unprecedented 75 matches to the DNA database maintained by the FBI.
DNA Samples Taken from Home of Boston Suspect's Widow
April 30, 2013
Investigators have removed bags of evidence including some containing DNA samples from the home in Rhode Island where the widow of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been living.
