Forensic Biology Exam 2

True or False: Every person’s handwriting is unique.

True

True or False: A questioned document is any document with handwriting.

True

When was handwriting analysis first used in a US court?

1868

When was handwriting analysis evidence accepted is court?

1923

What is the Daubert standard of evidence?

provides a systematic framework for a trial court judge to assess the reliability and relevance of expert witness testimony before it is presented to a jury

When was the Daubert standard created?

1993

What are the details of Robinson v. Mandell

1868: forged will was exposed

What are the details of the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder?

1932: document examiners testified that Bruno Hauptmann wrote the ransom notes for the
kidnapped son of pilot Charles Lindbergh

What are the details of the DeAutremont brothers case?

1927: postal inspectors used handwriting analysis to identify Hugh DeAutremont, who was wanted for a train robbery.

What can cause variation in handwriting?

different writing instruments, mood, age, illness, use of drugs/alcohol/medications

What are the three characteristics of handwriting?

1. letterform

2. line form

3. formatting

What are the four steps for analyzing a handwriting sample?

1. Sufficient amount

2. Obtain exemplars

3. Compare characteristics

4. Peer review by another document analyst

How can you minimize conscious writing effort?

• don’t show suspect the questioned document

• don’t provide any punctuation/spelling guidance

What are some shortcomings of handwriting analysis?

• quality of example determines quality of analysis

• subjective

• relies of expertise of examiner

What is forgery?

The act of falsifying a document or signature with the intent to deceive or defraud.

What methods do banks use to prevent check forgery?

• chemically sensitive paper

• font size

• high-res borders

• embedding fibers

What are some ways to detect forgery?

• mechanical erasures alter paper fibers that can be seen under microscope

• solvents may expose crossed out writing

• exposure to UV/infrared light can distinguish between inks

• some inks/leads burn slower than paper

How many bank notes are counterfeit?

1/10,000

What is the most commonly counterfeited bill?

$20

True of False: Counterfeit money feels the same as real money

False

True or False: Real money is printed on wood-fiber paper

False

What substance do counterfeit identification pens contain?

iodine

What are some motivations behind the global movement to change currency to plastic?

• harder to counterfeit

• more durable

• less expensive to produce

What Amazon program was launched to help combat counterfeit products?

Project Zero

How do biometric signature pads help prevent fraud?

• identity authentication

• records signature and biometric data

What methods are used to analyze forgeries?

• n-gram tracing

• paper analysis

• ink analysis

• infrared reflectography

What is N-gram tracing?

method of detecting document forgery by examining the repeating patterns of pen strokes within a questioned document, breaking down the handwriting into small sequences of characters

What methods are used to prevent counterfeiting?

• banknote technology

• Micro-optic lenses within the surface

• security thread

What are intelligent banknote neutralization systems?

system that uses a degradation agents to mark stolen banknotes, making them difficult to re-enter circulation

What is SEALGN@TURE?

copy-sensitive code that can be embedded in to the design of banknotes

What are fusion polymer substrates?

material that protects against counterfeiters by embedding level III material into the polymer substrate

What are holograms?

common security feature that has been used on banknotes since 1988

What are RollingStar security threads?

security feature that helps distinguish real banknotes from counterfeits

What are LumaChrome color-shifting foils and threads?

color-shifting material that is difficult to reproduce

What is felonious assault?

attack committed for the purpose of inflicting severe bodily harm or death

What are different names for felonious assault?

aggravated assault, felonious battery, assault with intent to commit murder

What are the four elements of felonious assault?

1. Attempted to commit an assault or performed an action that would cause a reasonable person to fear immediate assault

2. Intended to hurt another person or make them fear

3. Able to commit the assault, appeared able to commit assault, or though he was able to commit assault

4. Committed assault with dangerous weapon

What is the difference between justifiable and excusable homicides?

Justifiable homicides occur during the performance of legal duties or the exercising of a right, putting the person not at fault. In excisable homicides, the person is at fault but the reason lessens the fault enough that it is not a criminal homicide.

Are all homicides felonious?

No

What is the difference between murder and manslaughter?

Murder requires malice aforethought while manslaughter does not.

What is the medico-legal examination pathway?

What types of questions can an autopsy answer?

• time/cause of death

• possible weapons

• fatal wounds

• direction of attack

• signs of struggle/self-defense

• signs of rape

• toxicology

What is the postmortem interval?

time elapsed from death until discovery and examination

What is the survival period?

time from injury until death

Why is establishing PMI and survival period necessary?

legal questions of alibi and opportunity

True or False: Physico-chemical changes that begin after death progress in an orderly fashion.

True

Rates of development of postmortem changes are influenced by what?

unpredictable changes within body and environment

True or False: The longer the PMI, the narrower/more precise the death estimate is.

False

What is algor mortis?

The body cooling to the environmental temperature after death

Where should body temperature be taken to get the most accurate reading?

rectum or liver

What factors affect the rate of cooling?

• size of body

• clothing/coverings

• movement/humidity of air

• immersion in water

When do the corneas become cloudy if the eyes are open following death?

2 hours or less

When do the corneas become cloudy if the eyes are closed following death?

12-24 hours

What happened to the corneas three days postmortem?

They become opaque.

What happens to the eyes when gas collects in the body?

They bulge out.

What happens to the eyes during advanced decomposition?

They become endopthalmic, retracting into the body.

What can the stomach contents tell us about death?

time of death and what was eaten shortly before death

What is rigor mortis?

freezing of the joints and stiffening of the muscles

When does rigor mortis set in?

1-3 hours after death

What affects rigor mortis?

body temperature and metabolic rate

How long will a body remain in rigor mortis?

24-36 hours or until rigor is physically broken

What can rigor mortis tell us?

whether or not a body has been moved

What is livor mortis?

Reddish purple coloration in dependent areas of the body due to accumulation of blood in the small vessels of the dependent areas secondary to gravity

When does livor mortis set in?

30 min to 2 hours after death

When does livor mortis reach its maximum?

8-12 hours after death

What are the three reason that livor mortis is important to examine?

1. estimate time of death

2. indicate if body has been moved

3. indicate cause of death

What is a cadaveric spasm?

instant rigor mortis usually caused by sudden death like a gunshot

What happens to the body as rigor mortis passes?

The abdomen turns green, and as the discoloration spreads, the body begins to swell with bacterial methane gas.

What occurs to the body during the bloat phase?

Air is forced from the skin, causing epidermal sloughing and hemoglobin degradation.

What is purging?

When the increased internal pressure of the body forced decomposed blood and bodily fluids out of body orifices.

The rate of tissue deterioration depends on what?

environmental temperature

True or False: Decomposition occurs evenly throughout the body.

False

What can entomology tell us?

• if body has been moved

• if body was disturbed

• position and presence of wounds

Where do bugs gather?

• body: in ears, eyes, nostrils; beneath waist; underneath shirt cuffs and pant legs

• skeleton: soil; pelvis and sacrum; eyes, ears, cranium

What occurs in dipteran larval development?

Blow flies are used to determine time of death.

The day or the range of days in which the first insects laid eggs on the corpse can be determined by an analysis of the oldest stage of insect on the corpse and the temperature of the region in which the body was discovered.

What occurs in the study of insect succession over time?

Different insect species are involved in each decompositional stage - analyze the insect assemblage associated with the
remains to determine a window of time in which death took place.

Requires the knowledge of insect succession and regional, seasonal, habitat, and meteorological variations.

What types of wounds are encountered in investigations?

• firearm wounds

• incised wounds

• stab wounds

• puncture wounds

• lacerations

Is the bullet wound smaller or larger than the diameter of the bullet?

Smaller because the skin stretches with the bullet and then retracts.

The combined contusion ring and entrance opening corresponds to what?

the bullet caliber

What is the smudge ring?

a black ring created by small particles originating from the surface of the bullet

What is the main difference between a close-range and a long-range firearm discharge?

Close-range wounds will exhibit smoke deposits while long-range will not.

What size shotgun wound is produced when at close-range vs. longer-range?

• contact to 12 in: 0.75 - 1 in

• 3-6 feet: 1.5-2 in

What is used to determine the gauge of the shotgun and the size of the pellets?

wad and pellets

Do shotgun pellets normally exit the body?

Rarely, except when used in suicide shots to the head

If someone has discharged a handgun, will residues appear on the palm?

No, unless they hold the gun with both hands like police officers.

What are incised wounds?

Wounds that are narrow at the edges and gaping at the center, caused by a sharp-edged instrument.

What determines the severity of incised wounds?

• shape and sharpness of weapon

• part of body being cut

• amount of force used

What causes death from stab wounds?

• severe damage to vital organ

• internal bleeding

• shock

• secondary infection

Shape and depth of stab wounds are determined by what?

• shape, size, sharpness of blade

• manner in which blade is thrust into and pulled out of body

What are characteristics of puncture wounds?

• small with little to no bleeding

• easily overlooked

• cause death similar to stab wounds

What are lacerations?

Open, irregularly shaped wounds caused by clubs, pipes, pistols, or other such blunt objects.

Can be inflicted accidentally.

How do lacerations cause death?

severe head injuries

What determines the severity of lacerations?

• amount of force

• amount of time over which force is delivered

• region struck

• amount of body surface over which force is delivered

• nature of weapon

True or False: The greater area over which a force is delivered, the less severe the wound will be.

True

What are defense wounds?

Wound suffered by victims attempting to protect themselves from an assault.

Where are defensive wounds commonly found?

palms, fingers, forearms

What is ligature strangulation?

Pressure on the neck is applied by a constricting band that is tightened by a force other than the body weight. Results in a ligature mark that encircles the neck in a horizontal plane across the larynx.

What is the mechanism of death in strangulation?

Occlusion of the vessels that supply blood and thus oxygen to the brain

What can change the appearance of a ligature mark on the neck?

• nature of ligature

• amount of resistance

• amount of force

What is manual strangulation?

Produced by pressure of the hand, forearm, or other limb against the neck, compressing the internal structures of the neck