So What Did Margie Say About.....Bones: El Carnicero en el Coche

The 9/30/13  Bones episode titled "El Carnicero en el Coche" made me smile when there was a burst of bloodspatter on the interior windshield after a blast of rounds from an automatic weapon killed the driver.  It did not match the two bullet holes with a small amount of blood flow from facial wounds when the victim was viewed.  The victim also was wearing a wool cap which would have contained a lot of the 'burst' of spatter.  I also don't think that an automatic spray of gunfire would only result in two facial wounds.  What a terrible shot the shooter was if this is so.  I would imagine that an automatic weapon with the firepower displayed would create a great deal of damage if just aimed in a general direction.  It sure did a lot of damage to the glass and body of the vehicle!

I did appreciate the reenactment reference the yaw of the bullet to answer the question as to why there were two entry wounds but no exit wounds in the initial victim.  The beveling of the skull bone was mentioned.  Usually there is a conical shape which indicates which way the projectile is traveling.  Some wounds are more difficult to determine if entry or exit but within a series of examinations such as the underlying bone beveling; the underneath damage of the injury skin; the tearing of the skin surrounding the injury; and even potential reenactments, the wounds are usually determined correctly.

Interesting show tonight, I am very happy that original episodes are back!

So What Did Margie Say About.....CSI: The Devil and D. B. Russell

The 9/25/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "The Devil and D. B. Russell" shows how criminal investigation goes way beyond mere physical evidence.

More often than not the show focuses on a death investigation and how tangible evidence is recognized, collected, preserved, analyzed, and used to determine the crime and the perpetrator.

Once you add the dimension of living victims, the intensity changes.  Now there is the pressure of dealing with not only physical evidence but psychological evidence and doing the "analysis" in sufficient time and with the quality to actually save those lives.

CSI Russell even stated that investigators are 'trained to follow evidence but sometimes they just need to follow that voice'....

How much pressure is added when a human life is in the balance?  How do you determine what physical evidence is crucial when you don't have a physical scene but only a mere video or telephone demand?

Sure they used audio analysis and encryption and manufactured DNA, but it was the piecing together of the mental or the psychological evidence which led to the avenues to save the kidnapped CSI.

If only the clues had come together in time to save all the other victims!

So What Did Margie Say About.......Elementary: Heroine

 

The 9/19/13 repeat Elementary episode titled "Heroine" begins with Irene Adler (aka Moriarty) stating "as if men had a monopoly on murder".

True enough, when I began my career in the late 70's females were usually only considered as suspect when it involved domestic violence or when their children were killed.  It was usually considered a crime of passion or as a result of a mental illness.  It was not considered that there was planning and thought behind the elimination of life, not by a woman.

As the years went by and women held more positions of authority in society it became true that they may have also become more violent in other aspects of society.  However if you look at statistics of serial killers (people who kill multiple people over a time period); spree killers (people who kill multiple people in a short period of time); and now active shooters and/or work related violence shootings, the perpetrators are for the most part male.

Criminal profilers who develop a potential suspect rely on these trends to develop their profiles.  How long will it be before women break the glass ceiling of criminal violence and therefore make it necessary to reevaluate those profiles?

So What Did Margie Say About....NCIS: Damned if You Do

The 9/17/13 repeat NCIS episode titled "Damned if You Do" presented quite the dilemma to folks who believe that answers are all in black and white.

Some of the quotes from tonight's episode include:
"good people making bad decisions", "ruin a good pair of shoes to do what's right", "can't be held responsible for what you don't know", "take responsibility for actions", and "put all the secrets behind us and the honest man comes out on top".

I am reminded of the song Blurred Lines.  You know what you have been taught and you know what you believe in but does the world's rules always follow the true and narrow?  Do you at times have to make decisions that you don't like but know that in the long run it may be the best and most beneficial for the circumstances?

Anyone who is a position of authority or who has great responsibility knows that their career path is not paved in gold but often the pathway is full of ruts and mud.  You may be able to clean your shoes but does the smell ever really go away?  Is it true that the end justifies the means?

A lot to think about.  A lot to digest.  A lot to decide where you stand.

So What Did Margie Say About...CSI: Skin in the Game

The 9/11/13 repeat CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Skin in the Game" had its first blog entry on 5/16/13.

One thing tonight's episode brought to light was the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and the media.  The media always wants front line access and total information but law enforcement is usually leery of allowing either.

It surprises me that the reporter was front and center at scenes, with evidence, and listening in on interviews.  There is such a thing as "ride along" but such total access is certainly not a common occurrence.

In many instances when too much information is released an investigation is compromised.  There are always certain details kept 'close to the vest' and are usually facts that only a suspect would know.  This helps to validate the confession when, and if, one is obtained.  It also allows those individuals who like to confess to be eliminated when their details are 'not on the mark'.  How can these facts be protected if they hit the front page of the paper or the early edition of the news??

The paperwork alone between the reporter who has free access and the law enforcement agency would likely be enormous.  Both sides want protection and security.  Both sides have agencies behind them that would likely worry about forthcoming lawsuits from victims or witnesses or even suspects.

I know there is a first amendment right which protects free speech but I think that the price to pay for "free" speech is a bit excessive if a guilty person goes "free".  Don't you??
 

So What Did Margie Say About...NCIS: Double Blind

The 9/10/13 NCIS repeat episode titled "Double Blind" incorporated a fire investigation within the episode in which the fire began in a fuse box.

 

In a fire investigation the investigator wants to rule out the cause being accidental or an act of God before they call it Arson - an intentionally set fire.

 

An act of God would include a lightning strike which can often cause a fire.

 

An electrical fire can be caused by a short in a fuse box or an overloaded outlet.

 

An accidental fire may be as a result of a burning candle overturned, someone falling asleep and dropping a burning cigarette, a forgotten pan left on a stove top, and/or a heater too close to combustible materials.

 

To show Arson one would look for multiple sources of origin, pour patterns, or severe burning in an area not containing a lot of natural combustible materials.  Of course there are things which can indicate these indicators but are misleading.  For instance, if the foam in a sofa melts and the resulting liquid "pours" across the floor, it will simulate an accelerant pour pattern but is actually an natural occurrence due to the fire and heat.

 

The fire triangle states that oxygen, heat, and fuel are all necessary for sustained fire.  Without any one of these the fire cannot exist.  To determine if the fire was 'assisted' in its intensity or its creation is the job of the fire investigator.

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg to fire investigation.  I apologize for using this analogy (ice) when dealing with such a HOT topic.

So What Did Margie Say About CSI: Fearless

The repeat 8/28/13 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode titled "Fearless" had its' first blog entry on 5/2/13.

 

Tonight I'd like to address their fingerprint match which consisted of only 5 - 6 points of identification.  It's true that one only needs about a 1/4" area of the print (a little smaller than the partial obtained on the small latex item in the show).  However, the points of comparison have to be there.

 

A fingerprint is comprised of friction ridge skin.  There are ridges that split.  If it splits into two lines it is called a bifurcation.  If it splits into three lines, it is called a trifurcation.  If it splits and comes back together to create a circle then it is called an island.  If the line stops, the end is called an ending ridge.  All of these are points of identification.

 

In the United States there is no specific number of points of identification needed to render an individualization.  It is usually up to the training and experience of the examiner.  However, it is rarely done on less than 8 points.  And now even that is being called into question.  And it is always done with verification by a human being - not the instrumentation.  The machines are only a tool.

 

When is the last time you heard of a machine testifying in court?  But wait - what is the name of the computer that won Jeopardy??