|
|
   
| |
|
 Step-By-Step Guide
Tips and Traps
Resources
Step-By-Step Guide
How to Review the Autopsy and Ballistics Findings:
K.C. Hammond has sent you the new autopsy and ballistics findings for the Lawson case. This Step-by-Step Guide will help you carefully review each report, revise your current theory(ies) about the case, and incorporate new evidence into your Progress Report.
Get Organized
- Review the email from K.C. It may be helpful to print the email and highlight the important points.
- Download the attachments from the email that K.C. Hammond sent.
 To unzip the AutopsyPhotos.zip file, make sure you have WinZip software to help you open the file. Then find the zipped folder that you downloaded and double-click it. A window with the zipped files contents will open. You can then click Extract all files or drag the files out of the window to the desired location. If you choose to click extract all files, the files will be extracted (unzipped) in the same location as the original file. Double-click a picture to view it in the image viewing software of your choice.
- Meet with your team and decide how you will complete your work.
Review the Autopsy Findings
- Read through the Autopsy Report once to identify the main conclusions. Read through the Pathologic Diagnoses and Opinion sections of the report to get a general sense of the main findings from the autopsy. (If you are curious, you can also familiarize yourself with the other sections by briefly skimming the rest of the report.) Later, you’ll have an opportunity to look through the most relevant sections in greater detail.
- Identify the main conclusions made in the Pathologic Diagnoses and Opinion sections of the report about the:
- cause of death.
- circumstances surrounding the death.
- Consider what the main conclusions made in the Pathologic Diagnoses and Opinion sections of the report tell you, given what you already know about the case.
- Is the new information consistent with existing case information?
- Does it support or refute your current theory(ies) about the case?
- Note any questions this initial review of the Autopsy Report raises for you about the autopsy findings and any particular details you want to look at in greater detail.
- Read through the Autopsy Report again to evaluate the sections that are most relevant to gunshot cases. Then record your key findings.
- In the previous step, you identified the main conclusions of the Autopsy Report. Now, investigate more deeply by looking at the sections of the Autopsy Report that are particularly relevant to gunshot wound cases including:
- Evidence of Injury section, paying close attention to the Entrance and Clothing subsections.
- Microscopic Examination section
For each of these sections and subsections, evaluate the conclusions that the coroner made against what you already know about the case.
- Is the new information consistent with existing case information?
- Does it support or refute your current theory(ies) about the case?
- Are the sections within the report consistent with each other, both in terms of the factual evidence provided and the interpretations made about the evidence?
Refer to your Resources, including the Autopsy FAQ, to help you determine what else to consider as you evaluate the Autopsy Report.
- If you find new evidence that refutes your current theory(ies) about the case, do some research to resolve the inconsistencies.
- Refer to the available Resources, including the Autopsy FAQ, Ballistics FAQ, and the Autopsy section and of the Death Investigation Process.
- Based on your research, determine whether your current theory(ies) about the case stands up to the new evidence, or whether the new evidence causes you to rethink your current theory(ies) about what happened.
- Update both the Evidence Tracker and Our Position sections of the Progress Report so that it captures new evidence from the Autopsy Report and reflects your latest theory(ies) about the case.
- Review the autopsy photos and record key findings.
- Evaluate the photos. It may be difficult to interpret the photos just by looking at them. Refer to your Resources again (e.g., Autopsy FAQ, Ballistics FAQ, Autopsy section of the Death Investigation Process) to help you determine what to consider and what you can conclude by looking at the photos.
- What do the photos tell you (or not tell you) about the case?
- Are the photos consistent with the findings from the Autopsy Report?
- Is the information portrayed in the photos consistent with your current theory(ies) about the case?
- Are the photos themselves consistent with each other?
As you did earlier, do research to resolve any inconsistencies you find and update your Progress Report, as appropriate, based on your findings.
Review the Ballistics Report
- Before reading the report, try to anticipate what the ballistics findings may include. Given your review of the autopsy findings and your current theory(ies) about what happened in the Lawson case, hypothesize about what you expect to find in the Ballistics Report.
- What do you expect to learn from the ballistics test?
- What results do you expect the tests to show? Why?
- How would your anticipated results support (or refute) your current theory(ies)?
- Evaluate the results of the Ballistics Report. After an initial read through the Ballistics Report, dig into the underlying science behind each test to determine what you can conclude. Interpreting ballistics data requires a thorough understanding of forensic science as it relates to guns and gunshot wounds. Refer to your Resources again (e.g., Autopsy FAQ, Ballistics FAQ, Autopsy section of the Death Investigation Process) to help you interpret the ballistics findings and answer the following questions:
- What do they tell you or not tell you about the case?
- Are the findings from the Ballistics Report consistent with what you learned from the Autopsy Report and photos?
- Are the findings consistent with your current theory(ies) about the case?
- Are the findings from the various ballistics tests within the report consistent with each other, both in terms of the factual evidence provided and the interpretations made about the evidence?
- Are the actual findings what you anticipated? Why or why not?
The results of the Ballistics Report indicate the presence (or absence) of gunpowder particles on the victim’s clothing. Gunpowder particles are projected from the muzzle of the gun when the weapon is fired. This should not be confused with gunshot residue (GSR), which comes from the primer of the bullet cartridge that stays in the gun when the bullet is fired. A GSR test is sometimes done on the hands of a person who is suspected of firing the gun.
- Again, do research to resolve any inconsistencies you find and update your Progress Report, as appropriate, based on your findings.
Review New Case Information
- Read through any new data you received from your mentor based on your earlier requests for information. For each document, consider the following:
- What does it tell you or not tell you about the case?
- Are the findings from the document consistent with what you learned from other case materials to date?
- Are the findings consistent with your current theory(ies) about the case?
- Are the findings within the document consistent both in terms of the factual evidence provided and the interpretations made about the evidence?
- Do research to resolve any inconsistencies you find and update your Progress Report, as appropriate, based on your findings.
Finalize Your Progress Report
- Review the Evidence Tracker table and the new entries you have made while evaluating the autopsy and ballistics findings. Make any edits and updates you think are appropriate given your latest research. By this point in the case, you may have gathered a lot of evidence, so it is a good idea to review your work making sure to reconcile the new evidence against all of the old evidence.
- Review your position. Update the Our Position section of the Progress Report if needed, making sure it reflects your latest thinking about what happened in the Lawson investigation (homicide, suicide, or inconclusive) and your supporting rationale.
- Make any requests for additional information that will help you proceed with your investigation. Support each request with your reasoning as to how it will help your investigation.
Summarize your findings for your boss.
Write an email to your boss summarizing new developments in your investigation. Include your observations about the salient facts, your current position or theory of the case, and your next steps toward reaching a conclusion. Remember that this email serves as an introduction to your updated Progress Report, so you should highlight the key developments since you submitted your last report.
Submit your work
- Make sure all team members sign off on the updated Progress Report and summary email.
- Submit your work to your mentor. Review the checklist located in the Submit Your Work section of this task and submit your work to your mentor.
Tips and Traps
Interpreting Evidence
- Don’t jump to conclusions. Try to remain objective when examining evidence. Your first impression might lead you to an immediate theory, but be careful not to instinctively interpret evidence based on how it fits your initial theory. For example, if your instincts lead you to believe that a physical confrontation and struggle occurred, you might be inclined to interpret a broken doorknob as evidence of that confrontation while ignoring the possibility that the doorknob has been broken for weeks.
- Avoid assigning meaning to evidence that really doesn’t have any meaning. In spite of what popular television shows may have led you to believe, there is not always a “smoking gun” that will unlock the secrets of the case. Don’t let your imagination run wild. There are aspects of autopsy and ballistics reports that will be completely irrelevant.
- Don’t assume that the “experts” are right. Rather than defer to others, instead question their reasoning, regardless of their perceived qualifications. That’s not to say that you should disregard their opinions, but you should always seek to confirm their understanding of the facts and the reasoning underlying their conclusions.
- Support your conclusions with sound reasoning based on solid facts. Just as you should question experts, other people will question you.
- Pay close attention to the results of tests, and be certain that you understand how to interpret them. Ask yourself these questions: How are the tests conducted? What is the potential for error?
|
|
|
|
