Outliers Writing University Podcast Series

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 55: Victimology

Victimology:
 
The perpetrator isn’t the only one profiled. Evaluating the victim can add to the offender profile and might offer valuable information to narrow the search for the killer. The study of victim characteristics, called victimology, is basically an assessment of the person’s risk of becoming a victim as a result of his personal, professional, and social life. A detailed understanding of the victim’s lifestyle and habits provides clues as to why this particular victim was selected at this location and time. This information can divide victims into high-, medium-, and low-risk. 
 
High-risk victims are those who are frequently in high-risk situations. Prostitutes, particularly those who “walk the streets,” obviously fall into this category. They typically work at night, interact with strangers on a regular basis, willingly get into cars with strangers, and, in short, are easy targets. Other high-risk behaviors include drug use, a promiscuous lifestyle, nighttime employment, and associating with people who possess criminal personalities. 
 
Low-risk victims are those who stay close to work and home, don’t visit areas unfamiliar to them, have a steady job and many friends, don’t use drugs, and lock their doors at night. 
 
Medium-risk victims fall between these two. 
 
Why the offender selects a particular victim is determined by both the perpetrator’s fantasy needs and the victim’s vulnerability. Some victims are merely grabbed as a victim of opportunity. High-risk victims place themselves in vulnerable positions much more often than do low-risk victims, but either could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other victims are taken because they fit the starring role in the perpetrator’s fantasy. The offender might spend days or weeks “cruising” for just the right victim, the one who most closely matches his fantasy. He ignores other potentially easy victims because they are not “right.” 
 
A special form of victim profiling is the psychological autopsy. It is per- formed when the manner of a victim’s death is not clear. Was the victim’s death an accident, suicide, or homicide? To help make this determination, the forensic psychiatrist will look into the victim’s medical, school, work, and military history; interview family, friends, and associates; and evaluate autopsy, police, and witness reports. The goal is to assess whether the victim was in a stressful enough situation and the type of person to take his own life. Or was his lifestyle such that he was an easy target for a killer? 
 
Geographic Profiling 
 
In nature shows on television, the narrators often discuss a certain predator’s domain or hunting range. Game wardens use these boundaries to narrow their search for an illusive lion or tiger. Profilers do the same with serial killers. 
 
An analysis of the pattern of the perpetrator’s assaults can yield valuable information that might ultimately lead to his apprehension. This analysis is known as geographic profiling. It is based on the premise that serial offenders, like lions and tigers, have a certain “comfort zone” within which they feel free to carry out their crimes. The geographic profiler would like to know where the victim was abducted, where the actual assault or murder took place, and where the body was dumped. If several assaults have occurred, the profiler has several such locations to work with. He can then locate these points on a map and define the killer’s domain. 
 
This might show that the murders are clustered in a small area, which would indicate that the killer is not very mobile and might not possess a car or have a job. Or the range could be broad, indicating that the perpetrator is highly mobile and may possess a vehicle with high mileage that he uses to troll for victims. Whether the range is narrow or broad, the perpetrator likely resides or works within or near this comfort zone. 
 
It is important for investigators to determine which victim was killed first. This is often straightforward if the victims are found shortly after the crime. But, if the victims are street dwellers or prostitutes, whose disappearance might go unnoticed, the date of their abduction might not be known. And if the bodies are dumped in remote places, the order in which the victims were killed might not be the order in which the bodies are found. In such cases, a forensic anthropologist is brought in to assess the approximate time of death (see Chapter Five: Time of Death). Why is this important? The comfort zone for most serial killers usually begins small and grows with each killing. This means that the first victim was probably abducted close to the killer’s home or workplace, and this knowledge can be crucial to identifying the killer. 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 54: 15th Century Blood Transfusions

How Could My Time-traveling Physician Save the Life of My 15th Century Heroine With a Blood Transfusion?
 
Q: I am writing a time travel where one of the characters is a modern doctor who is sent back in time (15th century) with his family. I want to have him do something medical to save the life of the heroine (I was thinking heroine needs blood transfusion which would require a blood typing system) Any idea how it could be accomplished? I was also thinking that the heroine has rare blood type. Would that be Type B?
 
A: This is an interesting scenario in that you have someone with modern knowledge transported back to medieval times. This means he would have all the medical knowledge of transfusions––which of course did not exist then––but no scientific equipment to help. Not to mention that merely bringing it up might get him killed by the church––but that’s another issue.
 
The first human transfusion took place in France in 1667 when Jean-Baptiste Denis successfully transfused sheep blood into a fifteen year old boy. The first human to human transfusion was in 1818 and was performed by James Blundell on a patient suffering from postpartum bleeding. Even he had no way of matching the blood and, in fact, didn’t understand that there were blood proteins that made transfusions incompatible between many people and successful between others. It wasn’t until 1901 that Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood groups and begin to understand the nature of transfusions and transfusion reactions. In 1939, the Rh factor was discovered, also by Landsteiner along with several other physicians, thus refining the process further.
 
So your time-traveling doctor would know all of this and would also know that transfusions are only successful if the donor and recipient match one another as far as blood type is concerned. But he would have no way of testing the donor and recipient for blood type and compatibility, which of course is essential to avoid harming or killing the recipient. But, there is a way around this. He would know that two compatible bloods could be mixed and no reaction would occur while if they were not compatible clumps would form. We call this agglutination and it is the basis of a transfusion reaction. He could simply mix the blood of the donor with that of the recipient––which is more or less the way it’s done today––and look for this reaction. The problem? This agglutination can only be seen microscopically and there were no microscopes in the 15th century.
 
The microscope was discovered in 1590 by two Dutch spectacle makers–Zacharias Janssen and his son Hans. They employed the glass lenses they used in their spectacle making, which had been around since the 13th century. When they placed these lenses in tubes, they discovered that they magnified any image viewed through the tube. This was the precursor of the true microscope which was developed nearly 70 years later (1660s) by Anton van Leeuwenhoek. So, your modern physician would know this and could perhaps fashion his own crude microscope from spectacle lenses. This would allow him to see any agglutination that might occur. He could then simply take the recipient’s blood and test it against several potential donors and see which one had the least reaction. This would be crude cross matching but it could work. He would then know whose blood to use in the transfusion process.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 53: Forensic Science For Crime Writers: Trace Evidence

Types of Trace Evidence
 
Hair
Structure:
Medulla: 
None, Continuous, Interrupted, Fragmented
Humans: None or fragmented
Thickness: Humans 1/3
Cortex:Largest part in humans
Contains pigment
Contains air pockets and ovoid bodies
Cuticle: Like fish scales
Coronal-crown-like—rare in humans
Spinous—petal-like—cats but not humans
Imbricate—flat—found in humans
 
Race/Sex/Age—difficult/impossible to determine
Site of Origin
Manner of Removal
Chemical Analysis
DNA—Nuclear vs Mitochondrial
Snowball The Cat Case
Shirley Duguay-victim
Douglas Beamish—perpetrator
 
Fibers
 
Classification: 
Natural: cotton, wool, silk, hemp, etc.
Manufactured: from cotton or wood-Rayon, acetate
Synthetic: polymers—nylon, polyester
 
Wayne Williams Atlanta Child Killer Case
 
Examination:diameter/shape/color/shine/crimps/curls’=
Refractive Index
Birefringence
 
Glass
 
Physical Exam: color/thickness/shape/pattern/opacity
Optical: transmit/reflect/refract
Chemical: boron/lead/pigments
Fracture Patterns
 
Paint
 
Basic Parts: binders/pigments/extenders/modifiers
Cars: Electroplate Primer/Primer/Basecoat/Clear coat
Layers and repainting
Fracture Patterns
 
Soil/Plants
Place of origin
DNA

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 52: Forensic Science For Crime Writers: Autopsy

An autopsy is a scientific procedure. Its purpose is to examine the corpse for evidence of the cause and manner of death. This is done through a gross and microscopic examination of the body as well as toxicological (drugs and poisons), serology (blood), and any other ancillary testing the ME deems necessary.
The timing of the autopsy depends upon many factors. It may be done immediately or several days after the body is collected. Weekends and holidays, excessive workload, and the need to ship the body to a larger lab may each cause a delay. During this time period, the body is stored in a refrigerated vault. Storage of up to 4 or 5 days results in little noticeable deterioration of the corpse.
 
Clinical vs Forensic Pathology:
A clinical pathologist performs medical autopsies, which are designed to determine the cause of death and to search for the presence of any other diseases.
A forensic pathologist is concerned with the interface of pathology and the law. He performs forensic autopsies, which help determine the cause, manner, and time of death.
 
The forensic autopsy is performed to answer 4 questions.
1-What is the cause of death? (What illness or injury led to the death?)
2-What is the mechanism of death? (What physiological derangement actually resulted in death?)
3-What is the manner of death? (Was the death natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal?)
4-What was the time of death?
Who Gets Autopsied?
Violent deaths (accidents, homicides, suicides). 
Deaths at the workplace, either traumatic or from poison or toxin exposure.
Deaths that are suspicious, sudden, or unexpected.
Deaths that occur while incarcerated or in police custody.
Deaths that are unattended by a physician, that occur within 24 hours of admission to a hospital, or that occur in any situation where the victim is admitted while unconscious and never regains consciousness prior to death.
Deaths that occur during medical or surgical procedures.
Deaths that occur during an abortion, whether medical, self, or illegal.
A found body, whether known or unidentified.
Before a body can be cremated or buried at sea.
At the request of the court.
 
Typical Steps in a Forensic Autopsy:
Identification of the deceased
Photography of the body, clothed and unclothed
Removal of any trace evidence
Measuring and weighing the body
X-raying all or parts of the body
External examination of the body
Dissection of the body
Microscopic examination of any tissues removed during the examination
Toxicological and other laboratory examinations
 
The Autopsy Report:
Each pathologist has his own method and style of preparing the final report, but certain information must be included. A typical format would be:
External Examination
Evidence of Injury
Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord)
Internal examination of Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis
Toxicological Examinations
Other Laboratory Tests
Opinion, which will include his assessment of the cause, mechanism, and manner of death.
 
For More Information pick up one of my Forensic Science Books:
https://www.dplylemd.com/books/forensicscience

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 51: Forensic Science For Crime Writers: Evidence

Locard’s Exchange Principle
Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.   
Professor Edmond Locard (1877-1966)
 
Evidence Classification
Direct and Circumstantial
Eyewitness accounts and confessions are direct evidence, everything else (DNA, fingerprints, blood, hairs, fibers, bullets, etc.) is circumstantial
 
Physical and Biological
Physical evidence may take to form of fingerprints, shoe and tire impressions, tool marks, fibers, paint, glass, drugs, firearms, bullets and shell casings, documents, explosives, and petroleum byproduct fire accelerants. Biological evidence would be a corpse, blood, saliva, semen, hair, and botanical materials, such as wood, plants, and pollens.
 
Using Evidence
Crime scene and other evidence serve many purposes in the arena of criminal investigation. These might be considered as:
Corpus Delicti---This is the “body” or the essential facts of the crime. Evidence will reveal exactly what type of crime was committed, such as robbery, murder, or a sexual assault.
Modus Operandi (MO)---This is the steps and methods the perpetrator employed to commit the crime. A criminal’s MO tends to be repetitive so that identification of his MO can help with uncovering, even trapping, the perpetrator.
Linkage—The association of linkage of a suspect to a victim, a place, or other pieces of evidence is critical to solving the crime.
Verification---Evidence can substantiate or refute suspect or witness statements and show who is lying and who is speaking the truth.
Suspect identification---Evidence can often identify the perpetrator. Fingerprints or DNA would be examples of such evidence.
Crime Scene Reconstruction---The evidence often allows investigators to reconstruct the sequence of events of the crime.
Investigative Leads---Evidence will frequently direct the lines of investigation followed by the police and the coroner and often lead them to the perpetrator.
Main Functions of Evidence
Identification and Comparison
The forensic analysis of evidence items is done for two main purposes: identification and comparison. Identification is done to determine what exactly a particular item or substance is. Is this white powder heroin or crystal methamphetamine or sugar? Who manufactured the shoe that left the print at the crime scene? Is this brown carpet stain dried blood or chocolate sauce? Are there petrochemical residues present in the debris of a suspicious fire? 
Comparisons are done to see if a known and a suspect item or substance share a common origin. That is, did they come from the same person, place, or object? Did this fingerprint, hair, or blood come from the suspect? Does this paint smudge found on a hit and run victim’s clothing match that of the suspect’s car? Does the bullet removed from a murder victim match the one test fired from the suspect’s gun?
Class Versus Individual Characteristics
Some types of evidence carry more weight than do others. Hair and fibers can suggest, while DNA and fingerprints can absolutely make a connection. The difference is that some evidence shares class characteristics and others individual characteristics.
Class characteristics are those that are not unique to a particular object, but rather serve to place the particular bit of evidence into a specific class.
Individual characteristics are as close to absolute proof of the origin of the evidence item as is possible.
Reconstructive and Associative Evidence
Whether the evidence is class or individual in quality, it may be used to reconstruct the events of the crime or to associate a suspect with the crime scene. 
 
Reconstructive evidence is any evidence that helps in reconstructing the crime scene.
Associative evidence is evidence that ties the suspect to the crime scene. In storytelling, evidence can be a Red Herring by appearing to be associative when it actually isn’t.
Primary and Secondary Crime Scenes— The primary scene is where the crime actually occurred, while any subsequent scenes are deemed secondary.
Staged Crime Scene— when the perpetrator alters the scene in an attempt to make the scene look like something it’s not.
For More Information pick up one of my Forensic Science Books:
https://www.dplylemd.com/books/forensicscience

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 50: Forensics For Crime Writers: Coroner

Duties of the Coroner/Medical Examiner
Determination of the cause and manner of death
Determination of the time of death
Supervision of evidence collection from the body
Identification of unknown corpses and skeletal remains
Determination of any contributory factors in the death
Certification of the death certificate
Presentation of expert testimony in court
Oversight of the crime lab (in some areas)
Examination of injuries to the living and determination their cause and timing
https://www.dplylemd.com/books/forensicscience

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 49: Familial/Genealogical DNA

GOLDEN STATE KILLER:
 
CBS News (4-22-17): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/golden-state-killer-connecting-the-dots-in-the-search-for-a-serial-predator/
 
Richmond University: https://jolt.richmond.edu/2019/10/30/familial-dna-testing-the-golden-state-killer-and-how-it-affects-you/
 
The Golden State Killer and DNA: https://dna-explained.com/2018/04/30/the-golden-state-killer-and-dna/
 
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/dna-family-members-helped-solved-golden-state-killer/story?id=54800093
 
 
GRIM SLEEPER:
 
Grim Sleeper-Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grim_Sleeper
 
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jul-08-la-me-grim-sleeper-20100708-story.html
 
 
MISC:
 
Jody Loomis Case: https://www.newser.com/story/298585/suspect-in-1972-murder-kills-himself-hours-before-verdict.html
 
Familial DNA Used in Only 12 States: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/familial-dna-puts-elusive-killers-behind-bars-only-12-states-n869711

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 48: Three Famous Toxicology Cases

Poisons and drugs have been used as murder weapons for many centuries. Sometimes the poison itself does the killing and other times it simply facilities the use of another method. Here are three famous cases involving poisons and drugs.
 
Kristin Rossum: The American Beauty Murder
 
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Rossum
 
Murderpedia: http://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/rossum-kristin.htm
 
 
Stella Nickell: Product Tampering
 
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Nickell
 
Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/female.N/n/nickell-stella.htm
 
Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/wash-woman-poisoned-husband-planted-tainted-pills-1986-article-1.3163801
 
 
Kurt Cobain: Murder or Suicide?
 
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Kurt_Cobain
 
All That’s Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/kurt-cobain-murdered
 
CBS News Photos: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/new-kurt-cobain-death-scene-photos/

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 47: Amnesia and Trauma

Can A Blow To the Head Cause Unconsciousness and Amnesia?
Q: How hard do you have to be hit on the head to be knocked unconscious? Is there a particular place on the head, that if struck would be more likely to cause unconsciousness? How long does it usually last? How hard do you need to be hit to cause partial or temporary amnesia? What sort of things do people forget in these situations? How long does it usually last? Are there any other physical symptoms a writer should be sure and include in a scene with head trauma?  
 
A: In medical terms a blow to the head, or anywhere else, is called blunt force trauma as opposed to sharp force trauma as would occur with a knife or some other cutting instrument. When the blow is to the head, it is called a blunt head injury.
The degree of force required to render someone unconscious is completely unpredictable and varies from situation to situation and from person to person. Though a minor tap on the head is not likely to cause unconsciousness in anyone, almost any blow of significant force can. It makes no difference where the blow strikes the head as far as causing unconsciousness is concerned. That is, a blow to the front of the head is no more likely or less likely to cause unconsciousness than would one to the side or back of the head.
The period of unconsciousness in a simple concussion, which is what loss of consciousness due to blunt force head injury is called, is measured in seconds or minutes. Unlike Hollywood where the bad guy is slugged in the jaw, knocked unconscious, and then written out of the script after that -- or at least the hero no longer has to worry about him -- is not what happens in real life. Think about every boxing match you’ve ever seen. One guy smacks the other one, knocking him unconscious, and 30 seconds later the guy is awake and complaining that it was a lucky punch. This is what really happens. 
Unconsciousness from a simple concussion can last several minutes and maybe even up to 10 or 15 minutes, though that would be unusual. Typically the person wakes up with a minute or so but might be slightly groggy or confused for a while, again for several minutes. But if he is unconscious for longer than a few minutes, the odds are that a serious injury to the brain has occurred or that bleeding into and around the brain has happened, Both of these situation are true medical emergencies. It doesn’t sound like that’s the situation you are posing with your questions.
Amnesia can indeed follow blows to the head. Typically the blow has to be powerful enough to render the person unconscious or at least woozy before amnesia enters the picture. But I should point out that other than the time period the victim is actually unconscious there is no loss of memory in the overwhelming majority of people who suffer head injuries. Amnesia is not rare but it is not common. But amnesia can occur after head injury, so you can absolutely use this in your story.
Amnesia comes in many flavors but they are usually divided into retrograde and anterograde types. Anterograde amnesia is very rare and is a situation where the person cannot form new memories. This was the subject of the excellent movie Memento. I won’t dwell on this since this is not the type of amnesia your questions deal with.
Retrograde simply means whatever came before. This type of amnesia is the most common in that the person forgets things that happened before the injury. This amnesia can cover events that occurred for only a few minutes before the injury, a few hours, a few days, weeks, or months, or can go back to forever. The person can forget some things and not others, such as he might not remember his name but might remember his address and phone number. He might remember some people but not others. He might recognize people but not be able to recall their names. 
Or he could have what is called global amnesia in which he remembers nothing, not his name, not where he is, not where he came from, and virtually everything else. This type of amnesia can be temporary or permanent. It may only last for a few minutes, hours, days, or months or in some people it can last forever and be a permanent loss of memories. 
When memories begin to return, they can come back suddenly and completely, partially, or in fits and spurts. The person might remember some things within a few minutes but other things might be lost in the cloud of amnesia forever. Virtually anything can happen so this means that your story can be crafted in almost any way you wish.
The other symptoms that can be associated with a concussion of this type are headaches, dizziness, poor balance, nausea, blurred vision, and generalized weakness and fatigue. These symptoms usually are minor and only last a few hours but they can become more problematic and last for many days and in some people for many months. There is no real treatment other than time and perhaps medications for headaches if they become chronic.

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Authors Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

Jeffery Deaver is the award-winning #1 international and New York Times bestselling author of the Lincoln Rhyme, Colter Shaw and Kathryn Dance series, among many others. Deaver’s work includes forty-seven novels, one hundred short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. A former journalist, folk singer, and attorney, he was born outside Chicago and has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University. He was recently named a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, whose ranks include Agatha Christie, Elmore Leonard and Mickey Spillane. For more information, visit www.jefferydeaver.com.
Isabella Maldonado is the award-winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Nina Guerrera, Daniela Vega and Veranda Cruz series. Her books are published in twenty-four languages. Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing. For more information, visit www.isabellamaldonado.com.