CSI Final

Most important camera setting when photographing blue star/luminol?

Bulb & Shutter Speed

At a crime scene, someone is stabbing with a bloody knife, but there is no blood on the wall behind them. What is this called?

Void

What angle forms a circle of blood when dropped?

90 degrees

An expert who examines Terminal Ballistics 

Forensic Pathologiest, ME

An expert who examines External Ballistics

CSI

The first step in crime scene reconstruction is equivalent to creating a hypothesis

Data collection 

What is an autoerotic death?

accidental death, electric shock, suscpension,

When do flies begin to lay eggs in the body?

20 minutes after death

Components of a Cartridge

Cartridge, Cartridge Case, Bullet (projectile) 

Cartridge

A self-contained unit of ammunition, which includes the bullet, propellant (powder), and primer, all housed in a case. 

Cartridge Case

Bullet

Unfired things you put into a gun to kill someone

cartridge 

After a gun is fired, what flies out of the side and drops to the ground.

Cartridge Case

What goes through the muzzle of a gun?

Bullet/projectile

Latent Prints

invisible, oil secretions, contact of friction skin, majority of prints

Patent Prints

visible, contaminated friction ridge skin touches another surface

Plastic Prints

true dimensional impressions, pliable material such as window putty, warm butter

Friction Ridge Skin 

presents on the hands and feet of humans, raised ridges and recessed furrows 

Basic Pattern types of Fingerprints

Arch 5%, Loop 65%, Whorl 30%

What does a fingerprint compose of?

Core, Delta, Minutiae (Ridge ending, bifurcation, dot)

Porous surface

paper, cardboard, untreated wood

Nonporous Smooth Surface

carnished and painted surfaces, plastic or glass

Nonporous Rough Surfaces

vinyl, leather, textured countertops

Special conditions surfaces

human skin, adhesive tapes, blood prints

Black Powder Processing

Carbon based, powder adhere to moisture, used on non-porous and semi-porous surfaces.

Ninhydrin

chemical reaction with amino acids in sweat, apply with brush or spray, reaction accelerated by heat, purple color is Ruhemann’s purple, fades over time

Super Glue Fuming

Moisture in fingerprint residue and cyanoacrylate fuming results in white coating, can be done in an atmospheric or vacuum chamber

Who examines Internal Ballistics?

Forensic firearm examiners

What is internal ballistics?

Conditions and functionality of weapons, association with bullets and cartridge cases. Evaluation of ejection patterns. Gunshot residue and shotgun patterns

What is terminal Ballistics?

Effects of the projectile on the body, body position of the victim at the time of wounding, range of the wound, entry or exit, wound path

What is External Ballistics? 

Trajectory of the bullet after leaving the weapon, where was the weapon fired and where was the victim at the time of firing? 

What is a trajectory?

arched path a bullet follows in flight. At scene we track the back-extrapolating bullet paths

Bullet Wipe

discolored area on the immediate periphery of a bullet hole

Corresponding Defect

damage which aligns and appears to be the result of a single flight path

Leading Edge 

portion of a defect produced by the initial contact between the bullet and the target surface that produces a shoulder or impression 

Pinch Point

small area of paint that was pinched between the bullet’s initial contact and the painted sheet metal surface

Penetrating defect

entry and bullet remains inside

Perforating defect

enters and creates a corresponding exit

Spall defect

created at terminal point of the bullet but does not puncture through exit surface 

Width/Lenth =

Inv Sin

Passive Blood Stains 

created by force of gravity, avg voume is .05ml per drop, large circular stains 

Transfer Blood Stains

created when a bloody object comes into contact with a non-bloody object or surface. Contact: transfer, swipe, or wipe

Projected blood stain

blood being propelled or expelled by a force greater than gravity. Cast off, expirated (nose mouth or wound), arterial Im

Impact Spatter

blood receives a blow or force, resulting in the random distribution of smaller droplets of blood

Rigor Mortis 

stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body a few hours after death, usually lasting from one to four days.

Livor Mortis

purplish-red discoloration of the skin caused by blood settling in the lowest parts of the body after death due to gravity. It begins within 20 to 30 minutes after death

Algor Mortis

the third stage of death, is the change in body temperature post mortem, until the ambient temperature is matched.

How to obtain fingerprints off of dead human skin?

Standard methods can be used on intact bodies, if burned or mummified, we can use rehydration of skin. Latent prints on skin combines glue fuming and magnetic powder

Laceration

torn and ragged wound in the skin. Deep cut or tear where edges are pulled apart. Minor cuts to deep wounds

Contusions

bruise, injury to tissue caused by direct blow or blunt force. leaked blood pools around tissue

Cutting Injury

Sharp force caused by a sharp-edged object creates a well-defined separation of tissues. Knife or razor blades. Usually longer then deep.

Clos Contact

bullet pressed against skin

loose contact

small gap between skin and gun

near contact

up to 5 inches away

intermediate range

5 to 40 inches away

indeterminate range

no distinguishable characteristics for distance estimation