Signature
in the Courtroom: Whose Crime is it Anyway
by
Michael McGrath, MD
Abstract: So-called
offender signature is central to the field of
criminal profiling, providing the basis for
linking crimes to each other and to an
offender. This concept has been introduced
into the courtroom and has been upheld at
times on appeal. This article explores the
notion of signature and discusses its
application in the courtroom with specific
reference to the case of New Jersey v.
Fortin, where such testimony was not upheld
on appeal. The concepts of individuation and
identification, as they relate to signature,
are also reviewed. It is the author’s
contention that signature evidence, while
often having investigative utility, at times
lacks probative value.
Frame-By-Frame
Analysis: An Interview Technique
by Det.
John J. Baeza, NYPD (ret.) & Det. John O.
Savino, NYPD
Abstract:
Frame-by-Frame
Analysis (FFA) is term used by the
authors to reference an interview concept
that all criminal investigators can benefit
from when interviewing a victim and, at
times, even a suspect. The best way to
understand this concept is by comparing it to
a movie. If we watch a movie in real time we
may understand what is going on but we might
not observe all of the details. However, if
we run the same movie in slow motion, frame-by-frame,
we may better recognize the details of the
action as it occurs. The criminal
investigator must use this concept if they
wish to capture all the details of a crime
during a given interview. Knowing the details
of a reported crime is crucial to linking
cases, solving crime, and prosecuting crime.
It is also key to separating false reports of
crime from those that are genuine.
Sexual
Homicide: Literature Review and Research
Findings, Part 1
by Brent
E. Turvey, MS
Abstract:
This work provides a comprehensive
literature review of the sexual homicide
research findings. It is the goal of Part 1
in this 2-part paper is to review and discuss
the body of research relating to sexual
homicide within the existing forensic,
psychiatric and criminological literature.
This will entail addressing the following
questions: First, what defines a sexual
homicide, and are there any agreed upon
evidentiary thresholds? Second, how abundant
and competent is the literature on sexual
homicide? And third, what are the backgrounds
of those involved in examining and
interpreting sexual homicides, and are they
commensurate? This literature review lays a
contextual foundation for the research
published in the forthcoming “Sexual
Homicide: Research Review and Findings, Part
2.”
This paper, in
both of its parts, will provide
investigators, behavioral scientists and
forensic scientists with additional tools to
assist in accurately recognizing,
investigating, and assessing sexual
homicides, while preparing the ground for
further and better research into this type of
crime.
