Latest News on Forensic Science and Criminal Law
-
Join 223 other subscribers
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Forensics: Taking apart the “science” of matching objects and patterns to innocent defendants
An extensive review of forensic exaggerations brought into criminal courts. Only two US states have statutes allowing appellate review of cases where junk forensic experts run amok. (Excerpts) “The legal concept of newly discovered evidence including a change in science,” … Continue reading
Man’s murder confession spurred by DNA phenotyping mug shot
This case deserves a closer look. Parabon DNA lab did the testing. The method of developing physical traits from DNA samples is a burgeoning business. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/18/ryan-riggs-texas-man-confesses-murder-dna-image/ More discussion on the issues involving these genetic mug shots from the ACLU (American … Continue reading
Gunslinger Billy the Kid hangs out with his crew, one who shot him a couple years later.
American 1880’s outlaw and historical serial killer, Billy the Kid (William Bonney) sat for a tintype with some of his cohorts. Billy (second from left) was soon after shot down by the man on the far right (Pat Garret) who … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged document examiner, facial recognition, Forensic science
Leave a comment
Blood spatter continues: It’s purveyors and assumption spur critics to express weaknesses
This is a continuation of our previous blog on blood drops and criminal justice. It is expressly “old school” and experts really heavily on “experiments” both in courtrooms and their ‘spatter” rooms. Calling this science is also present in … Continue reading
Cops lost track of supposed mafia victim’s body but vow they won’t give up looking for it because they “never give up.”
Unidentified remains of of crime victim commonly disappear from police or coroner’s record keeping due to many factors. California has a statute requiring dental data and DNA samples be preserved and sent to the Department of Justice in Sacramento for … Continue reading
DNA ‘expert” shows she ain’t so expert
Plus the judge is not very happy. Ouch. In a double murder case in South Africa. The cross examination on her voir dire left alot of criticism to her creds and behavior on the case. It appears she only got … Continue reading
Unsafe toxicology testing goes rampant in the UK – Forensic Regulator on the case
Intentional tampering cases in forensic drug case going beyond the original few hundred originally published. She said: ‘The organisation concerned held accreditation to the appropriate quality standard, but the malpractice was not discovered by the usual quality checks. ‘This raises … Continue reading
Cautions suggested on using Bayesian Stats for all forensic purposes
Steve Lund and Hari Iyer are stat guys from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. They bring forth a broader look at the ever popular use of “likelihood ratios” to support personal and scientific opinions of “match” probabilities. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-nist-urges-caution-courtroom-evidence.html
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged DNA likelihood ratios, forensic examiner error, Forensic science
Leave a comment
Excellent look at determining homicide versus a staged suicide
Worth a look. A forensic pathologist present AT THE CRIME SCENE testifies in a murder trial on his use of tell-tale bits of info from the death scene. Smart cops called him into the investigation. I can’t wait to see … Continue reading
FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends 