The Forensic Injustice: The Case Of Lacy Peterson

Laci Peterson, a 27-year-old wife who was eight months pregnant, disappeared on December 24, 2002. When the body of the California woman and her unborn child were found four months later, her husband, Scott, was charged with two counts of murder. Detective Craig Grogan gave a sworn statement that he had probable cause to believe Mr. Peterson committed two counts of the crime of 187 Penal Code, homicide, on or about December 23 or 24 of 2002, in the county of Stanislaus. April 17, 2003 the Judge of the Superior Court in Stanislaus County, California issued a warrant for the arrest of Scott Lee Peterson. The court found that the District Attorney’s office did, in fact, have probable cause to bring Scott Peterson in. The Judge specifically

Investigator Sam Reilly will also be called to testify, in that he was the first investigator on the scene. Shortly after the murder, Officer Reilly went to the defendant’s home at 2435 Damen Street, apt #2B and forced down Mr. John Hudsons’ and Dale Buckner’s door. While at the apartment, Officer Reilly Recovered a .38 revolver (matching the gun from the crime scene), a black leather jacket, and a newly registered Black Cadillac Sedan; which matched the description of the getaway car. Due to officer Reilly’s work, pertinent details of the defendant’s background and belongings have been brought to trial and will help us prove that the defendants did, beyond a reasonable doubt murder, and assist in murdering Mrs. Sara Lazar. Upon arrest, the defendant’s both refused to make a statement concerning the killing of Mrs. Lazar.

He bleached his hair, grew facial hair, and in his car he had fifteen thousand dollars in cash, his brother’s I.D., 4 cell phones, and a survival kit (Hawkins ). The cops believed he was running from the law, but I believe Scott was fleeing from the haters. The whole nation despised him. In my opinion, he was blamed for a murder he did not commit, and he wanted to start a new life where he wasn’t plastered as a murderer. Reviewing all the physical and theoretical evidence, my mind is set that Scott is an innocent man. I don’t think anyone should have the right to label him as a killer because of the way he coped with his losses. Everyone handles situations differently and his, I believe was through shock—I also think Scott realized he was about to have a full time job as a daddy and wanted to get the most of of his freedom. I think Laci wanted to incriminate Scott to get back at him. I am convinced that Scott Peterson is guiltless and blameless

During the year of 2015, a case that the Innocence Project was working on at the time was the Joseph Buffey Case. Joseph Buffey was convicted in 2001 in West Virginia of rape and robbery. Mr. Buffey pled guilty to the crimes based on the advise of his counsel and witness misidentification which was the heart of this investigation. On May 11, 2015, Mr. Buffey was excluded by DNA and the real perpetrator was later found. Mr. Buffey served a total of 15 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. DNA Exonerations makes up 334 total cases that the Innocence Project has worked on. The following numbers overlap with the 334 cases. 237 cases involved misidentification by witnesses, 154 were the result of improper forensics, 92 were due to

Scott Peterson (Scott Lee Peterson) 30, Laci Peterson's husband of more than 5 years at

The question whether or not Steven Avery is guilty or innocent still hangs. With Making A Murderer season 2 in the works, the use of the source material is now being questioned. A prosecutor who assisted in the exoneration of Steven Avery back in 2003 fires shots at the filmmakers. The prosecutor claims they “manipulate and distort the truth.”

Darryl Hunt is an African American born in 1965 in North Carolina. In 1984, he was convicted wrongfully of rape and murder of Deborah Sykes, a young white woman working as a newspaper editor. This paper researches oh his wrongful conviction in North Carolina. Darryl Hunt served nineteen and a half years before DNA evidence exonerated him. The charges leveled against him were because of inconsistencies in the initial stages of the case. An all-white bench convicted the then nineteen-year-old Hunt, even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. A hotel employee made false claims that he saw Hunt enter the hotel bathroom, and later emerge with bloodstained towels. Other witnesses also fixed Hunt to the case.

In the Scott & Laci Peterson case, Scott was found guilty of the murder of his wife Laci and unborn son Conner. Laci was eight months pregnant and throughout their marriage, Scott has had numerous affairs. His most recent one was with Amber Frey. 14 days before Laci’s disappearance, Scott had told Frey that this would be his first Christmas without her. On the day of December 24, 2002, Laci was reported missing from her home.

The couple attended a formal Christmas party on Dec.14, and Amber introduced Scott to her friends as her boyfriend. Later that evening they had sex without using birth control. Peterson commented that he didn't want children and regretted not taking precautions. He told Amber that he would willingly raise her daughter as his own but to

Scott Peterson was found guilty of second-degree murder for his son’s death. The prosecutors wanted two first-degree murder convictions, but jurors believed that the slaying of the unborn child, Conner, was not premeditated and deliberate. The one first-degree murder count in conjunction with the special circumstance of multiple counts of murder, made Scott Peterson eligible for the death penalty (CourtTV, 2008).

The New York Times bestseller book titled Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case examines the O.J. Simpson criminal trial of the mid-1990s. The author, Alan M. Dershowitz, relates the Simpson case to the broad functions and perspectives of the American criminal justice system as a whole. A Harvard law school teacher at the time and one of the most renowned legal minds in the country, Dershowitz served as one of O.J. Simpson’s twelve defense lawyers during the trial. Dershowitz utilizes the Simpson case to illustrate how today’s criminal justice system operates and relates it to the misperceptions of the public. Many outside spectators of the case firmly believed that Simpson committed the

In the forensic environment, it is almost inevitable to have a client who has experienced traumatic events or situations throughout their life. One possibility could be a victim of abuse. If working with juveniles, it may be likely that they were previously abused or neglected in some manner growing up. On the other hand, working with adults who were victims of abuse may have been abused as a youth, and very well may still be experiencing some form of abuse, or could have even become an abuser themselves. Conducting an intake from an individual who is/ was the victim of abuse could greatly affect the quality of an interview. Depending on the circumstances, the individual might feel reluctant or uncomfortable speaking with someone of a certain

Because of the popularity of forensic television shows, the misrepresentation of forensic capabilities has become more prevalent. This is often seen in the portrayal of fingerprint evidence. On television.or in popular crime novels, fingerprint evidence tends to fall into one of two categories: the fingerprint specialist is able to obtain fingerprints off of absolutely anything or no fingerprints are found and it is declared that the item must have been wiped clean.

Scott Disick said the ultimate fighting words to the woman who bore him three children. Radar Online, July 20, 2015, said Scott told her she was just like her mother, Kris Jenner. If they were thinking about reconciliation, that pretty well destroyed all hope. According to sources, Kourtney has been in therapy for years, because of the pain that Kris has caused her. Kourtney doesn’t want to be anything like her mother. Another source told People that Scott is in a dark place and “spiraling out of control.” Since he and Kourtney have gone their separate ways, Scott is still doing the party scene. He did cancel two nightclub appearances at 1 Oak in Las Vegas and Hurrah’s The Pool After Dark in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, he hasn’t taken

Madison is a undergraduate sophomore majoring in forensic science with an emphasis in biology. She is originally from Philadelphia, Mississippi. Madison's research interests broadly include the effects of mental health on the criminal justice system. She hopes to possible pursue a career in psychiatry or with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Madison's other hobbies and interest include reading, being an active participant in the Baptist Student Union, and