Wayne Williams Testimony

He also testified that the tests done on the glove and Bronco were untrustworthy due to sloppy evidence handling. Henry Lee testified that blood swatches collected near the crime scene were left to dry overnight but the evidence showed a damp swatch ended up in Simpson's packaging.

I feel that this case was somewhat representative of what was discussed in the textbook. The forensics aspects of this case were generally different from the impression of forensics I received from reading the textbook. Despite this fact, I feel that the investigative techniques of this case were similar to what was discussed in the textbook, as well as what has been discussed during lecture.

When Wayne Williams was trialed for the death of two victims, DNA testing was not a reliable source in courtrooms as evident (Polk, 2015). A conviction could have been rendered without the fiber evidence in this case. The prosecution had a strong case in providing the evidence from the DNA of the hair obtained from the crime scene. On February 13, 1981, when Patrick Baltazar's body was found dumped down a wooded slope behind an office park (Polk, 2015). A forensic scientist discovered two human scalp hairs inside Baltazar's shirt. The DNA sample was tested under a microscope by both the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Polk, 2015). The hair sample was consistent with Wayne William's DNA. This placed William at the scene of the crime. The

The popular television show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigations has been on the air for 12 years, and it has brought forth the behind-the-scenes actions of criminal investigations, even if its portrayals are not always scientifically accurate. This has caused an interest in the forensic sciences that has led most people to a skewed view of how a criminal investigation actually works. The reality of a criminal investigation is that it is generally more tedious and difficult than the theory of criminal investigation would have you believe. By examining the forensic and investigative procedures of the case of Pamela Foddrill, it is apparent that the theory of criminal investigation was not representative of the procedures concerning examination

The problem with fiber evidence is that fibers are not unique. They are not like fingerprints. They are not considered solid evidence, because there are a lot of what ifs? The fibers linked this case in the first place, but who’s to say they make Williams the murderer. Personally, I think there is too much play room with fibers. Apparently the matching fibers were taken only from victims. Only one individual red cotton fiber was found at the Williams home. Could this be found in somewhere else, also? I think so. Not one fiber from any victim was found anywhere near the carpet in the Williams' house. After studying this case, I do think that Wayne Williams committed the murders, but I do not think that the fiber evidence is reliable. Unfortunately, the fibers could be found elsewhere so how does that pin point Williams as the

The city of Atlanta had experienced over a two year period from 1979-1981 of egregious acts of murders committed on more than twenty African American adolescent males. However, Wayne Williams, a native of Atlanta, was the center of law enforcement investigation, which implicated his involvement in at least two of the children murders around that time. Nonetheless, law enforcement linked Wayne Williams to those murders because of detailed evidence found on the victims, which was later discovered that evidence was from Williams apartment (Curriden, 1992). Furthermore, the evidence which was found was a unique fiber from the carpet of Williams apartment and the number of people having this fiber was very small in number (Curriden, 1992)). The fiber evidence was the main part of the case to associate Williams with

The various fiber evidence in this case was deemed essential and “the strongest scientific link in this case” (Nickell 2 of 2). There were over 28 fiber types involved in this case that linked to Williams, and of these 28, 14 were from a rug or carpet (Deadman 13 of 14). These fibers were associated with “a bedroom carpet in Wayne Williams’ home, his bedspread, a yellow blanket found under that bed, a leather jacket hanging in Wayne’s closet, a gray glove in his station wagon…” (Plummer 2 of 3). Dog hairs, which were traced to Williams’s German Shepard Sheba, were also found; as well as scalp hairs that linked Williams to one of the victims, Patrick Baltazar. The scalp hairs were 98% similar to Wayne Williams, and the DNA sequence of the dog hairs could only be found in 1 out of 100 dogs. The combination of the hair, and fibers at the same location strengthened the case against Williams. A multitude of “yellow green nylon fibers and some violet acetate fibers” were located on the bodies and clothing of the victims (Deadman 2 of 14). Fibers from 12 bodies

    A review of false convictions that involved forensic science and can help identify critical lessons for forensic scientists as they perform testing, interpret results, render conclusions, and testify in court from the national institute of justice.

More shockingly the justice department and FBI have formally acknowledged that virtually every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which evidence was supplied against criminal defendants in the period of 20 years prior to 2000. In a group of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory 26 have been confirmed to overstating matches in microscopic hair comparison in favor of prosecutors. This was seen in 95 percent of the 268 trials that have been reviewed so far in accordance to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Innocence Project. The errors in the FBI’s conduct does not mean that there was no other evidence of the convict’s guilt, however federal and state prosecutors

This case study was focused on Daubert challenges to forensic evidence. The daubert standard delivers a rule of evidence regarding the acceptability of expert witnesses testimony throughout the federal legal proceedings. In this case study Procholio was trial for possession of a . The day after Procholio was arrested the police found a .25 caliber Raven pistol. Proholio showed up to court the next day and the jurys verdict was guilty.

Reliable evidence is an intense instrument in the court however should be exceptionally persuading to be took into account use in court. Material confirmation must have the capacity to demonstrate a basic reality in a court case to be acknowledged. "For instance, if a legal advisor endeavors to demonstrate that the window hangings in the room of a murder scene were blue, odds are a judge will consider such

An appeal to the state appellate court was made by the defense team in this high-profile homicide case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Zachary Witman; accused and convicted of Gregory’s murder. As a criminalistics expert, I was hired by the defense team to assist with the appeal. Considering the entirety of the prosecution case and all aspects of physical evidence in the available records, the luminal evidence, I felt, was the most damaging to the defense case; strongest aspect of prosecution case. The evidence provided has many weaknesses. One weakness is the lack of photographs explaining what the police officers were “claiming” on seeing at the Witman residence. Based on the reports, it seemed that the investigators relied just on photography.

The following information is an overview of some of the essential elements in conducting a thorough death investigation, as outlined in the U.S Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice’s Research Report titled “Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator”. These observations and any possible recommendations, are intended to provide as comprehensive an overview of the materials covered as possible, and any further helpful material deemed necessary to improve the knowledge and abilities of the Forensic Crime Scene Investigator. (National Institute of Justice, 2011).

In this article the author is trying to argue for better standards on forensic sciences (particularly hair identification) being used in court cases. This article starts with the FBI statement claiming that hair identification is indefensible and goes onto explain cases which the evidence presented was misrepresented. The cases referred to in the article show mistakes in court, such as the testimony that claimed the hair was undoubtedly the suspects. The hair then turned up to belong to a dog. These types of incidents led to the Justice Department collaborating with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where they formed a commission hoping to improve the issue. The author ends by expressing interest in a higher standard for forensic

During the O.J Simpson case the main element of the process was regarded as the forensic investigation, this is because it played the greatest aspect of the case. The examination of the weaknesses in the investigative process showed that the evidence required for the case was handled improperly. It is also suggested that evidence may have been illegally planted by police in order to aid the prosecution of O.J Simpson. As these weaknesses are detrimental to the case outcome suggestions of the correct evidence processing techniques will be discussed. Finally evidence supporting the media influence to the final verdict will be included to help