Hank Skinner was blamed for a triple homicide in 1993 in which he supposedly killed his girlfriend at the time, Twila Busby, and her two grown sons. He was convicted of the crimes and has been on death row since. Skinner's former attorney did not test the crime scene evidence for his clients DNA. Skinner claims his innocence and also says that his ex girlfriend's uncle was the responsible party. A neighbor of Twila Busby's uncle claims that they seen the uncle tearing out and replacing carpet in his van the day after the murders. Northwestern University's Innocence Project is to thank for shedding doubt onto the case and bringing it to prosecutors attention. Skinner's request for a blood DNA test has delayed the execution and rightfully so since there is still time to prove his innocence given the nature of all these "new" details. The stop of execution came one hour before Skinner was to be executed.
Recently in Blood/Bodily Fluids Category
I recently just finished the latest of Jeff Lindsey's books about everyone's favorite serial killer; Dexter by Design. This book is the fourth in the Dexter Series, of which the Showtime Show Dexter is loosely based off of. Most people are aware of the show but few people are aware of the fact that the show actually started off as a book series by crime writer Jeff Lindsey. In the fourth installment of the series, the character Dexter faces a very unique kind of criminal: a performance artist murderer. Someone is leaving a trail of very decorative bodies scattered around Miami and it is up to Dexter and his sister Deborah to find out who exactly would want to hallow out a human stomach and fill it with a tropical fruit basket for all of Miami to see. But things are not what they seem. I really enjoyed this book because it put a lot of twists on what exactly motivates one to kill. Without giving away too much of the book, the main suspects intentions seemed to be motivated by art as the killer tries to capture human emotion and anguish in a permanent canvas. I am very excited to read Lindsey's next novel (due to come out sometime this year). Rumor has it that Dexter will meet a cannibal in this fifth novel and I eagerly wait to see how Lindsey will incorporate this into the series. For those who follow the show, the Dexter books do NOT follow along with the show. They are very similar but they contain very different plotlines and character twists. I highly recommend reading this series if anyone is interested in this type of literature. Though a lot of what takes place in these types of stories can be sort of laughed at by what we learn in class, they are very interesting and highly entertaining books which give sort of a different spin on what we learn about in class. I highly recommend looking into them if you love to read a good mystery book.
Wow...try to do a search on "blood splatter analysis training" and you will get just about nothing that your looking for. After we discussed crime scene investigation last week (and watching a season of Dexter), I started to wonder where individuals could go for training on blood spatter analysis. I did however find 2 sources that gave a decent amount of information. The only thing that I really found out was that you need a strong background in biology, chemistry, physics, math, and it wouldn't hurt to have a background in criminology. The link below is to the wikipedia page that I found on Blood Spatter Analysis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodstain_pattern_analysis
This link below is to the home page of the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts:
Enjoy!
http://www.centredessciencesdemontreal.com/autopsy/flash.htm
Above is a link to an interactive game called, "Autopsy of a Murder."
After a little introduction to the crime, you will be given 5 pieces of evidence to click on. Once you click on a piece of evidence, you will be asked to click the answer to which you think is the best accessory to analyze the evidence. You are given 5 choices: photograph, measurements and diagram of the crime scene, polilight, revealing prints, taking samples. Once you choose one, it will tell you if it is relevant or not, and if it is, give you more information about your choice.
You will also be given the option of 4 labs (genetics, chemistry, ballistics, or fingerprint) to test your evidence in. Once you have chosen the correct lab, it will give you a little background information before entering the lab. If you scroll over the name of the lab, it will give you details as to why each lab is important. You will then click on all equipment available and learn about it (some equipment have animations, so be on the look out for those). You can also click on the person in each lab and learn about them (training required, their role, as well as what they do). If you so chose, there is a the pioneer file where you will learn about a person from history who held that position and read a short snippet about a famous case they worked on.
Though it is not the most exciting game ever, I felt it was very informative and I read a lot about information I hadn't previously known.
Above is a link to an interactive game called, "Autopsy of a Murder."
After a little introduction to the crime, you will be given 5 pieces of evidence to click on. Once you click on a piece of evidence, you will be asked to click the answer to which you think is the best accessory to analyze the evidence. You are given 5 choices: photograph, measurements and diagram of the crime scene, polilight, revealing prints, taking samples. Once you choose one, it will tell you if it is relevant or not, and if it is, give you more information about your choice.
You will also be given the option of 4 labs (genetics, chemistry, ballistics, or fingerprint) to test your evidence in. Once you have chosen the correct lab, it will give you a little background information before entering the lab. If you scroll over the name of the lab, it will give you details as to why each lab is important. You will then click on all equipment available and learn about it (some equipment have animations, so be on the look out for those). You can also click on the person in each lab and learn about them (training required, their role, as well as what they do). If you so chose, there is a the pioneer file where you will learn about a person from history who held that position and read a short snippet about a famous case they worked on.
Though it is not the most exciting game ever, I felt it was very informative and I read a lot about information I hadn't previously known.
The life and story of the BTK killer, also known as Dennis Rader. This 53 page story takes you through everything! His life as the BTK killer in Wichita, Kansas and his life as Dennis Rader in Wichita, Kansas. This is a chilling story that gives you the complete facts, details, and photgraphs. It is worth reading!
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/unsolved/btk/index_1.html
Recently, I just started watching the show "Dexter" on TV. It made me think of all the "greatest" serial killers of the world. Did you notice that they were all people that just lived next door that you would have never imagined in that role? Well watching the show has really made me interested in the topic. Below is the "Dexter" website. You should really check out the show if you haven't already.
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