Criminal Investigations Final

Manner of Death

How a person dies: homicide, suicide, accident, or natural cause. Three considerations. 1. The nature of the injuries sustained by the decedent (Not always injuries) 2. The characteristics of the decedent (Age, things to show who they are/ name/ medical information, health) 3. The circumstances of the death (Where was the body found, were there any abrasions/condition of the body, forced entry, are there needles, shell casing, weapons, blood)

Autoerotic death

an uncommon occurrence where an individual dies via an accidence during solo sex-related activity

defense wounds

injuries sustained by a victim when attempting to protect or defend himself or herself

50% of suicides by firearms are

via a handgun to the right temple

Murder

The FBI defines murder “willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another” Homicides are rare; Higher rates in urban areas: 77% of victims are males, and 88% of known offenders are males between 20-24. When the victim is black, 89% of the time, the offender is black, 81% for whites.

Cause of death

the action and injuries that led to a person’s death, such as gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and so forth

asphyxia

cause of death that occurs when a person is prevented from breather, such as when strangled

Petechial hemorrhages

an indicator of strangulation death where small red dots appear in the inner surface of the eyelids, the whites of the eyes, or their skin surfaces

autopsy

the definitive word on the manner and cause of death. Two parts: external examination and internal examination

primary considerations of homicide investigations

circumstances, motive, physical evidence, digital evidence, and time of death

Postmortem interval (PMI)

the amount of time that has elapsed from the time of death to the discovery of the body

algor mortis

the cooling of the body upon death

livor mortis

the pooling of blood in a body upon death

rigor mortis

the stiffening of muscles upon death

rape

As defined by the FBI, refers to “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim”

drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA)

a sexual assault that is facilitated by an offender through the use of legal or illegal substance

behavioral-oriented interview

an approach taken when interviewing a sexual assault victim in which documenting the behavior of the offender is a primary goal

Biological evidence

in perhaps no other type of criminal investigation does biological evidence play such a potentially significant role as it does in the crime of rape

(1) oral, nasal mucous, vaginal, and rectal specimen samples; (2) the victim’s clothing that was worn at the time of the assault; (3) fingernail scrapings from the victim; (4) any foreign material or debris on the victim’s body; (5) other substances that may be in the form of stains on the victim’s body; (6) pubic hair combings; (7) swabs and photographs of bite marks and (8) blood and urine samples for toxicology screening

Sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE)

a nurse with special training for forensic matters who conducts physical forensic examination of sexual assault victims

Contact rapists

sexual offenders who are often “friends” or acquaintances of the victim; their motive is usually their sexual pleasure

sexual aggressor rapists

sexual offenders who are most often strangers to their victims; their motive is anger and control

anti-snitching mindset

the belief among some citizens that providing information to the police about crimes is to be avoided and that cooperating with the police can lead to negative consequences

domestic violence

although definitions vary, typically refers to violence committed by intimate partners, immediate family members, or other relatives

Battered women syndrome

a woman is so fearful from experiencing cycles of violence that she no longer believes escape is possible

Stockholm syndrome

a battered woman is essentially a hostage to her batterer. She develops a bond with and shows support for and kindness to her captor, perhaps because of her unfamiliarity with more normal relationships

cycle of violence

three cyclical phases in physically abusive intimate relationships keep a woman in the relationship: (1) a tension-building phase that includes minor physical and verbal abuse, (2) an acute battering phase, and (3) a makeup or honeymoon phase. The honeymoon phase lulls an abused woman into staying with her abuser, and the cycle repeats itself.

traumatic bonding theory

a battered woman experiences unhealthy or anxious attachments to her parents, who abused or neglected her. The woman develops unhealthy attachments in her adult relationships and accepts intermittent violence from her intimate partner. She believes the affection and claims of remorse that follow because she needs positive acceptance and bonding with the batterer.

psychological entrapment theory

a woman feels she has invested so much in the relationship she is willing to tolerate the battering to save it

multifactor ecological perspective

staying in physically abusive relationships is the result of a combination of factors, including family history, personal relationships, societal norms, and social and cultural factors.

restraining order

order issued by a judge upon a victim’s request that requires the respondent (offender) to stay away from and not have contact with the victim. Violation of a restraining order is a crime

child abuse

can take several forms, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse.

Child abuse characteristics

Boys and girls are equally at risk of minor physical abuse, Physical abuse occurs disproportionately among economically disadvantages families, Children are at the highest risk of sexual abuse between ages 7-12, Girls are significantly more likely to be sexually abused than boys, Neglect generally declines with age; the mean age is 6, and boys and girls are equally at risk for neglect, Caretakers who abuse their children tend to experience high stress and may have poorly developed coping skills, Sexual abusers are usually in a position of authority or trust over their victims, They are usually men and typically in their early thirties, although a significant proportion are adolescents, such as siblings or babysitters, Single female caretakers are the most likely to be reported for neglecting their children, younger mothers, those with large families, and those who experienced neglect themselves are also more likely to neglect their children’s needs

Robbery

the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force, threat of force, and/or by putting the victim in fear

street robberies

robberies that occur outside in public places, often on the streets or sidewalks (normally random)

mugging

a robbery that occurs without using a weapon; mugging is not a formal crime classification – armed robbery. (strong armed robbery)

the 8 robbery characteristics

(1) the target of the robbery

(2) the apparent degree of planning involved in committing the robbery, If they wore a mask, wig, gloves, is there a lookout person or a getaway driver, this shows that they planned it

(3) how the robber approached the target

(4) what was said by the robber (or write, in the case of a robbery note)

(5) the nature of the demand(s)

(6) the weapon(s) used

(7) the type of force used

(8) the method of departure

Confrontations

in which the offender demands money or property from the victim through verbal commands. Violence may follow if compliance is not provided

Blitzes

in which the offender uses violence first to gain control over the victim. Once this is accomplished, the robbery occurs

Cons

in which the offender first uses a distraction to then surprise the victim with the robbery demand (e.g., asking the victim for a cigarette before robbing him or her)

Snatch thefts

occur when no communication or interaction occurs before the robbery; the offender simply grabs the property (e.g., a purse) and flees

Dye packs

packs tellers place in bags of stolen cash, unbeknownst to bank robbers; dye packs are programmed to explode, causing cash and potentially other items to be stained

Bait bills

paper currency with serial numbers recorded to identify the bills as stolen

burglary

the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft

Modus Operandi:

Inferences about how and why the perpetrator selected a target, The perpetrator’s method of entry, The type of property taken and not taken, The apparent amount of planning that took place before the burglary, How the perpetrator searched for property

Novice burglar

·       Usually operates with 2 or more people

·       Little to no pre-planning

·       20-25 years old

·       Cases that are cleared the most

·       They are not very good at it

Mid-range burglar

·       In the middle, they float in between

·       Some planning is done

·       Often operate by themselves or with limited help

·       In the span of 20 burglaries, they may get got on the 10^th

professional burglar

·       Anyone over the age of 25+

·       Significant amount of planning

·       Less likely to be caught

·       Operate alone

CRAVED property

 property most likely to be taken in burglaries; property that is concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable.

5 ways to convert stolen property to cash

Selling to known persons, trading for drugs, fencing, pawnshops, spelling to randoms

professional fence (fencing)

a person or business that knowingly buys and sells stolen property

License plate reader (LPR)

Teaching designed to scan vehicle license plates continuously; used to identify stolen vehicles

chop shop

where stolen cars are disassembled to sell their parts

arson

the willful or malicious burning or attempting to burn with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling, house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property, of another.

Incendiary

fires classified as caused by arson

natural fire

(e.g., caused by lightning, direct sunlight; no direct human involvement)

accidental fire

e.g., stove fires, children playing with matches)

suspicious

e.g., not natural or accidental, but arson cannot be proved)

incendiary fire

e.g., arson; fires determined to be set deliberately and maliciously)

undetermined

the cause of the fire is unknown and cannot be established

Larceny

the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another

cybercrimes

crimes that require using a computer or other electronic device to commit them

Fraud

a false representation of a matter of fact- whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed- that deceives and is intended to deceive another so that the individual will act upon it and that results in some loss or other injury

offenders may use stolen credit card to

Make purchases, Open new credit cards using the victim’s name, Open bank accounts in the victim’s name and write worthless checks from those accounts, Take out loans in the victim’s name, Obtain telephone or other prepaid credit cards, Submit false income tax returns to obtain refunds, Obtain social security payments

Skimmers

small devices attached to a point-of-sale that are difficult to identify as illegal, Criminals secretly attach the device to the card reader; when a customer inserts a card into the device, it reads and copies the data from the magnetic strip

doctor shopping

this is a method used to perpetrate prescription drug fraud. It involves a person visiting multiple doctors to obtain multiple prescriptions: Forge prescription pads and Opioids are the most misused prescription drug

Cyberattacks

crimes in which a computer system is attacked; usually, the intent is to disable it, vandalize it, or steal information from it.

sextortion

involves threats and/or coercion by an offender, usually related to the release of sexually oriented photographs of the victim

spoofing

involves one person masquerading as another through information distortion

doxing

the action or process of searching for and publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent

Child phonography

The production of the pornographic images, The distribution of the pornographic images, Downloading/possession of the pornographic images

adversarial process

 a way to describe the court process in this country; the prosecution and defense are opponents, each highlighting certain evidence in the case, and the judge is the referee

miscarriage of justice

an expression referring to an incorrect judicial outcome; an innocent person is convicted, or a guilty person goes free

impeach

to make a witness or provide some testimony that the witness provides unbelievable. This is the goal for cross-examination

leading questions

these are questions that are phrased in a way that suggests the desired answer, and they are often used in cross-examination to guide the witness toward a specific response

Jihadists

people who believe in the religious duty of Muslims to spread the religion through militant means

Radicalized

having learned to accept and believe in extreme ideas promoting violent actions’ legitimacy to accomplish political ends

domestic-based terrorism

terrorism committed by U.S. citizens, typically motivated by extreme beliefs

right-wing extremism

is more often motivated by racism or beliefs against the government

left wing extremism

domestic-based terrorism whose adherents are often described as anarchists

special interest extremism

domestic based terrorists are often motivated by animal rights and the environment

state-sponsored terrorists

terrorists who receive funding, support, training, and/or protection from a government

lone wolf terrorists

Terrorists who act on their own without attachment to or help from a terrorist group or a government.

Biometrics

Technologies capable of identifying a person by measuring a feature of that person’s unique physical characteristics.

thermal imaging

technology that detects heat within closed structures

unmanned aerial vehicles (UVAs)

Also known as drones, these are remote-controlled flying machines that can be used for surveillance.