Fish: Crime Scene Investigation, 2nd Edition - Case Studies with Questions and Answers

Case Studies with Questions and Answers

Chapter 11: Documentary Evidence

Investigators are called to the scene of what first responders immediately determine to be a suicide. Inside the residence, the victim is seated upright, his body slumped forward with his head facing left, lying in a large pool of blood. A .45-caliber pistol lies in the floor to the left of the victim, and his left arm dangles just above the weapon. A nearly full ashtray sits to the right of the victim, just out of reach of his right arm, outstretched on the table. Empty Coors Light beer cans cover the table, and a Jack Daniels whiskey bottle, with less than one-fourth of its contents remaining, stands inches from the victim's face. A microwave stand sits in the corner behind and to the right of the victim. On the top of the microwave oven are several prescription medicine bottles, some with the labels removed and others with names not the same as that of the victim; all of them are empty.

The victim has apparently been killed by a single gunshot. The entry wound is a contact wound to the upper-left side of the forehead, above and forward of the temple region. The exit wound has created a large opening in the flesh of the neck just below the right ear. High-velocity impact spatter is visible on the floor and on the lower portion of the wall to the right of the victim.

While searching the remainder of the residence, the investigator locates a stack of unopened mail on a shelf above a desktop computer. A pad of blank Post-it notes and a pencil sit on the right-hand end of the shelf, between the computer keyboard and the mouse. To the left of the keyboard rest a spiral notebook and a black Sharpie marker. The top page of the notebook contains no writing, but shows signs of the marker bleeding through onto the surface from the previous page, which has been torn from the notebook.

Continuing through the house, the investigator comes to a bathroom off of the main hall to the bedrooms. Taped to the vanity mirror is a suicide note written in what appears to be black felt-tip marker ink on a sheet of spiral notebook paper.

Questions

What inconsistencies at the crime scene would lead investigators to treat this as a crime other than suicide?

Correct Answer

The position of items around the victim-bottles, ashtray, and microwave stand-implies that the victim was right-handed. The mouse to the right of the keyboard further indicates right-handedness. The weapon, however, is next to the victim's left hand, and the wound is to the left side of the head.

What are the factors that would cause a suicide note to be considered a questioned document?

Correct Answer

The note is located in an area of the house that would not seem to be a likely place for a suicide note. It is more likely that the note would be near the victim, and not in a room far from the location of the victim. The note appears to have been written in a notebook that was to the left of the computer keyboard, while the Post-it notes, pencil, and mouse were all found to the right. These factors, combined with those aforementioned, would make it highly unlikely that this is a suicide scene, which brings the suicide note into question.

Along with the suicide note, what other items would be processed as document evidence?

Correct Answer

Any documents, mail, notebooks, notepads, whether handwritten or machine- produced, should be collected from the scene. Of special interest would be the notebook on which the alleged suicide note was written, and any normal, course-of-business writings to which the handwriting in the note could be compared.