Forensics Talk

Trayvon Martin Shooting: Forensics & Injuries Can Tell The Tale!

The News is out that George Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder today.

To say that this whole incident is a tragedy would be an extreme understatement. I believe there were wrongs on both sides. One person has died, and the other has had to hide for fear of his life and may now spend the rest of his life in jail.

That person, instead of having his rights as a citizen protected, has been essentially tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death, in the public forum - all occurred almost immediately after the shooting.

And all thanks to the unconscionable actions of the media, and of others, who deliberately fan the flames of hatred for their own personal agendas.

There are aspects of Zimmerman's story that I do question. I question the claim of his head being banged on the sidewalk, as perhaps, opposed to hitting his head on the soft, wet ground. Reprotedly he had grass stains on the back of his jacket. The injuries were not clear enough to determine exactly what caused them.

If zimmerman's head was being banged against a hard sidewalk, I question why he wasn't knocked out, or received more injury than he did. Having one's head banged against a hard surface like a sidewalk, could cause significant injuries, such as a concussion and brain damage, and even death.

I question the fear factor involved. Fear is individual to each person. However, using the reasonable person standard, used by the courts, I have to question whether a reasonable person would fear more for his life in the banging his head on the sidewalk vs the grass and ground scenarios?

I was surprised to see the number of stock photos on Fotolia showing young males, both black and white, all wearing hoodies! So, I tried another key word. Same thing happened. Another one. Again, same thing. What does that say about the general public perception of youth and crime?

It indicates there is a general public perception that hoodies are worn by only young criminals, would it be so strange for Zimmerman to have that perception as well and be suspicious?

I also question Martin's behavior. It's reported that he was beating Zimmerman. The police report stated Zimmerman had injuries consistent with an assault.

The rest has to be proven in a court of law with a fair trial and an impartial jury. I am very interested to hear the forensics reports, including gunshot wound and residue, and the trace evidence found.

Gruesome photos, bogus computer entries are key to homicide case against child welfare workers

NY Daily News                                                    

BY Oren Yaniv and Rich Schapiro
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Friday, March 25th 2011, 4:00 AM

     "Gruesome photos of a battered 4-year-old girl. Autopsy reports showing she was drugged. Twine used to tie her to a bed.

Prosecutors seeking homicide convictions for the two child welfare workers assigned to protect Marchella Brett-Pierce have several pieces of dramatic evidence - but the most damning are a few bogus computer entries.

Experts say caseworker Damon Adams' alleged attempt to cover up his failure to monitor Marchella could be a silver bullet for prosecutors.

Adams, 36, is accused of never visiting Marchella's Brooklyn home despite glaring warning signs - and fudging computer records to show he checked in on her in the months before she died.

What authorities described as record tampering shows that Adams "had an understanding of the nature of his failure to act and the potential consequences for it," said Paul Gentile, a former Bronx prosecutor. "That takes the DA a significant distance to proving his case."

David Shapiro, a former Newark prosecutor, agreed.

"The false entry indicates that he knew that he blew it," said Shapiro. "That's the key." Read More

"Hero of the Day": Bully Kid Buy Gets A Taste of His Own Medicine

     

       

 

 

 

 

     

      I am opposed to violence, whether it's displayed by adults or children. I've always believed that violence is never the answer.

     When raising our own family, I never, ever laid a hand on either of my kids, never cussed or screamed at them, like I've seen so many other parents do. I swore I would never do that and I kept my promise.

    However, when it comes to bullies, sometimes, the only way to get through to them is for people to stand up to them and teach them a lesson or two.

     Whether adult or child, bullies are cowards who pick on those they feel can't defend themselves. Did you ever see a bully go after someone he knows can defend themself? No way. They wouldn't take the chance of being humiliated in front of their peers.

     I was also bullied terribly, back in seventh grade, by a tough cookie of a classmate, and her even tougher, bigger, older sister. I often thought they both could have tried out for the football team. Often the bullying occurred, in the hallway, or in class, right in front of teachers, who just stood there watching.

     I tried ignoring it. I even went to the guidance counselor. That didn't help. In fact, the bullying got worse once everyone knew. Why do they think kids never tell the grown ups? Finally, when she threatened to punch me one day in class, I'd had enough. Even though my skinny knees were knocking, and I knew she could pulverize me, I stood up to her.

   I stood up, raised my fists, and threatened to hit her back. Was it the right thing to do? Probaby not. We both got sent to the principal. Soon afterwards, her sister caught up with me and slammed me into a locker. Again, right in front of teachers.

   But, hey, at the time, it was worth it because I'd stood up for myself for the first time in my life and it felt good. As for my classmate, she never bullied me again.  

     It's something I'll never forget. Constant bullying is something that stays with you forever. I think that's one reason why I later became a forensics nurse. To do whatever I could to help put a stop to such senseless violence.

   Many years later, when we were a grown, I happened to run into the older sister in a store. We stood there, with our kids, and chatted for while. She looked like any other mother holding her baby on her hip. Not the pulverizer I remembered.

      Surprisingly, she brought up her bullying past. And she actually apologized to me for her behavior way back then. Just goes to show people can change if they really want to.

      In this video, which has gone viral across the web, one young bully, Richard Gale, after repeatedly taunting and punching Casey Heynes, a larger victim, finally got what was coming to him.

   I know I'll probably get slammed on here for this. I'm sorry to have to say that but I believe it's true. Normally I would not advocate it, but sometimes, there comes a point when kids should have a right to defend themselves - within reason, of course.

     In these days of kids bringing knives and guns to school, caution and cool heads are needed. It's a shame that appropriate intervention by teachers or administration didn't happen before it got to this point.

      However, in this case, the victim finally stood up for himself, did what he had to do to get the bully off his back, without really hurting him, then walked away.

      The victim showed enormous restraint considering the circumstances. Of course, the news media is reporting that the bully's mother is now demanding an apology from the victim who stood up to her son. Hmmm. And we wonder why her son is a bully?

 Hopefully, Richard Gale has learned an important lesson which will stay with him throughout his life. And maybe, just maybe, sometime down the road, this young bully will also have the guts to apologize to his victims too.

Crime & Federalism

The Use of Infrared Aided Photography in Identification of Bruises After Evidence is Absent to Naked Eye

Journal of Forensic & Legal Medicine

by Peter Rowan, MSc, FRCP (General Practitioner)a, Michael Hill, PhD, FRCP (Physician)b, G.A. Gresham, Sc.D, FRCPath (Professor)c, Edward Goodall, PhD, NTF (Senior Lecturer)d, Tara Moore, MSc, PhD (Fellow Professor)d

    Abstract 

     "The purpose of the study was to determine whether Infrared imaging could play a role in the detection of previous blunt force injury after resolution of skin changes were no longer visible to the human eye. Investigations were performed using an adapted digital camera and the same standard Nikon camera body to photograph the bruises of ten volunteer adult subjects. The same lens was fitted to each camera body and each bruise was photographed until it was no longer possible to identify it with the naked eye."

     "The results of photographing subjects over 6 months demonstrated that the median time the bruises persisted in both groups was approximately between 18 and 19 days. There was no statistically significant difference between groups of bruises photographed with both the infrared digital camera that had been adapted to capture only infrared light, and with the standard camera which had the same lens fitted to it.The two groups of photographs of bruises imaged at the same time with the two cameras were not significantly different with regard to what skin changes could be detected. The use of the near infrared spectrum, with wavelengths that are longer than the human eye can detect, did not reveal significant evidence of bruising after it had faded from view to both the human eye and to a standard camera." 

How Do Women Fend Off Domestic Violence?

Medical News Today                                                           

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 16 Feb 2011 - 0:00 PST

     "For many women in violent relationships, leaving is not an option. Yet a woman's arsenal of defenses for resisting violence critically depends on her position within the family and community, according to new research from Concordia University published in the journal Review of Radical Political Economics.

"Women's resistance is often conceptualized only as exit, which is problematic," says study author Stephanie Paterson, a professor in the Concordia University Department of Political Science and member of the Centre for Research in Human Development.

"We know that violence increases upon separation. Focusing on exit obscures the experiences of women who are unwilling and/or unable to leave," says Paterson, who is also a fellow at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Canada's pioneering college in the field of women's studies.

Paterson's study found that, contrary to popular theory, wealth is not a guaranteed escape from an abusive relationship. It's just one of many factors that can help a woman resist violence. Those factors can be tangible, such as access to a caring personal network. They can be intangible, such as her partner's perception of her resources, and his perception of her role within the family. If a partner perceives a woman as being in a strong position to resist, he's more likely to reconsider being violent towards her."

How battered women can push back . . . Read More

Teen baby-sitter cuffed in death of Staten Island 2-year-old Josiah Taylor; dad may also be charged

NY Daily News.com

BY Jonathan Lemire
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, November 26th 2010, 4:00 AM

   "The Staten Island teenager who was baby-sitting her boyfriend's 2-year-old son when he died was arrested Thursday - and the child's father also could face charges, police sources said.

Josiah Taylor stopped breathing Tuesday afternoon and could not be revived after he was taken from the Mosel Ave. home of Cynthia Dubois to Staten Island University Hospital North.

Dubois, 18, admitted she shook Josiah but claims she did so only after the child stopped breathing, police said.

The city medical examiner ruled Josiah's death a homicide. Dubois, who was initially arrested for endangering the welfare of a child, could face additional charges, the police sources said.

The autopsy also revealed that Josiah had suffered injuries over an extended period of time.

Dubois blamed the boy's father, her boyfriend, whom she claimed had been beating the child, the sources said. Police were questioning the dad, 28-year-old Darrell Taylor, late yesterday.

Taylor told cops he was at work when the toddler lost consciousness, but investigators are trying to determine whether he - or another adult - previously injured the child, the sources said.

Dubois is to be arraigned today in Staten Island Criminal Court."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/11/26/2010-11-26_teen_babysitter_cuffed_in_death_of_si_tot_2.html#ixzz16UnXYILi

Intimate-Partner Psychological Violence Associated with Postpartum Depression

Physician's First Watch

" Intimate-partner violence during pregnancy — especially psychological violence — is strongly associated with postpartum depression, according to a Lancet study.

"Researchers prospectively followed some 1000 Brazilian women from their third trimester. Those reporting intimate-partner violence of a physical or sexual nature during pregnancy were over three times as likely to suffer postpartum depression. That increase was greatly attenuated after adjustment for psychological violence (e.g., insults, humiliation, or intimidation). However, women experiencing the highest frequencies of psychological violence were over twice as likely to suffer postpartum depression, even after adjustment for physical or sexual violence."

"A commentator recommends that guidelines on detecting abuse during pregnancy "should include questions about emotional abuse, as well as physical and sexual abuse."

Lancet Article (Free abstract)

Police: Father Abused Family for '15 Years or Longer'

Baltimore Sun

Dave Nethers Fox 8 Reporter

7:29 p.m. EDT, September 4, 2010

 

MADISON TWP., Ohio — " Police said what happened in the Ledge Road home of Jeffrey York for years only first became apparent after they got a call about a sex offense in December.

Two officers who went to the home were asked not only to make an official report of the crime, but were also asked by York's wife to help her and the couple's seven children leave.

In the months since, investigators say family members started telling them of mental and physical abuse, of being cut off from society and live in an environment where they were afraid to do anything about it."

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" The accusations have lead to an indictment of York on charges that include: two instances of rape involving a female under the age of 13, five instances of gross sexual imposition, six counts of child endangering, one count of aggravated menacing and five counts of domestic violence. . . " Read More

Can You Predict Lethal Intimate Partner Violence?

Harvard Kennedy School/Ash Institute      

Webinar: Can You Predict Lethal Intimate Partner Violence?

November 12, 3p-5p

November 12, 2009: 3 – 5 pm (EST)

~This webinar takes place online. Registration required, and free of charge.~

Of all women murdered in the United States, 40-50 percent is murdered by their intimate partners and 45 percent occur when the woman is trying to leave her abusive partner.

Women threatened with a gun are 20 times more likely to be murdered.

Approximately 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner per year in the United States.

Practitioners and researchers have built strong partnerships to understand and prevent intimate partner violence. In this expert webinar, co-sponsored with the National Institute of Justice, you will learn about the Danger Assessment (DA) and how this tool is changing the way police in Baltimore, Maryland are addressing domestic violence. What Baltimore is doing may help your jurisdiction.  Ample time will be allocated for audience Q&A.

The discussion will be moderated by Andy Klein, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.  The panel includes:

• Marci Van De Mark, LCSW-C - Assistant Director, Adult & Community Services Division, Baltimore County Department of Social Services
• Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., RN - Researcher; Anna D. Wolf Chair & Professor, Department of Community Public Health at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing 
• Rene Renick, MA, LPC, EMBA - Director of Programs and Operations, National Network to End Domestic Violence

Register now - Please fill out some basic information if you are interested in attending.

Instructions - Review these instructions and practice logging in ahead of time (Try it now!).

Resources - Links to resources related to this event (this list may be updated periodically as the event nears).

Questions? Contact us.

 

Domestic Violence Relationship Quiz

This self quiz is offered through the University of Ilinois Office of Women's Affairs:

   Relationship Quiz

• Do you feel nervous or fearful in your relationship?

•  Are you afraid of your partner's temper?

•  Do you have to be careful to control your behavior to avoid his/her anger? Do you feel like you are always “walking on eggshells”?

•  Are you afraid to say “No” to sex?

•  Do you feel powerless in your relationship?

•  Are you scared of disagreeing with him/her?

•  Are you afraid to break up with your partner?

•  Does s/he criticize you, or humiliate you in front of other people?

•  Does s/he check up on you or question you about what you do without him/her?

•  Does s/he act controlling?

•  Does s/he repeatedly and wrongly accuse you of seeing other guys/women?

•  Does s/he tell you that if you changed s/he wouldn't abuse you?

•  Does s/he act jealous of the time you spend with other people?

•  Does s/he make you feel like you are wrong, stupid, crazy, or inadequate?

•  Does s/he call you names?

•  Does s/he ignore your feelings?

•  Has s/he ridiculed your most valued beliefs, your religion, race, class or sexual preference?

•  Has s/he ever scared you with violence or threatening behavior?

•  Does s/he tell you what to wear, or how to do your hair?

•  Does s/he prevent you from going out or doing things you want to do?

•  Do you feel that, with him/her, nothing you do is ever good enough?

•  Does s/he say that s/he will kill or hurt themselves if you break up with him/her?

•  Does s/he make excuses for his/her abusive behavior by saying it's because of alcohol or drugs or because s/he can't control his/her temper, or that s/he was 'just joking'?

•  Does s/he hate spending time with your family and keep you from seeing your friends and family?

•  Does s/he withhold approval, appreciation or affection as punishment?

•  Has s/he manipulated you with lies?

•  Has s/he taken your car keys or money away?

•  Has s/he subjected you to reckless driving?

     If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you could be in an abusive relationship, or a relationship that could become abusive. Remember, we don't believe you deserve to be abused, no matter what. Together we CAN find a way...312.413.8206

Article

PI Community Observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Criminal Justice Online  

September 18, 2009  

  Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.) at 9:52 AM

" API Community Leaders and Organizations Join Campaign & Call Attention to the Effects of Domestic Violence on Youth

   San Gabriel, CA – To mark National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Domestic Violence Task Force announces its fifth annual training event to call attention to the issues of domestic violence in the API community with special emphasis on the effects of domestic violence on youth. The training will be held on October 1st, at the Asian Youth Center, 100 W. Clary Avenue, San Gabriel, CA, beginning with a Press Conference at 9:30 am.

“There is no other crime that impacts society on so large a scale and so thoroughly devastates families as does domestic violence in all its forms. People hear ‘domestic violence’ and they think, ‘it’s between two adults,’ but it is not,” said Maria Foster, Chair of the API DV Task Force. “The courts are heavily burdened with aggressors who inflict pain and injury on their intimate partners. . . " Read More

Most States Lag On Teen Dating Violence Laws

Advocacy groups say many don’t treat assaults with proper seriousness

MSNBC

   

updated 12:01 a.m. ET, Tues., March. 24, 2009

  NEW YORK - Only a handful of states have responded to teen dating violence with laws enabling the youthful victims to obtain protection orders on equal terms with adults, an advocacy group says in a new national survey.

The report on state laws by Break the Cycle, a teen-violence prevention organization that has worked with the Justice Department, gave A grades to only five states. Twelve states got D’s and 11 failed.

Grades were based on various comparisons between the legal treatment of adult victims of domestic violence and teen victims of dating violence. Failure was automatic for states where protective orders are unavailable for minors, or where dating relationships are not explicitly recognized as valid for obtaining such orders. . . . Read More