Criminal Investigation Final

Question 1

Felonious assault

Answer 1

assault committed for the purpose of inflicting severe bodily harm or death. Normally with a deadly weapon.

Question 2

Nonfelonious homicide

Answer 2

homicide that is either justifiable or excusable

Question 3

Justifiable homicide

Answer 3

the necessary killing of another person in performance of a legal duty or the exercise of a legal right when the slayer was not at fault.

Question 4

Excusable homicide

Answer 4

the one who commits an excusable homicide is to some degree at fault but the degree of fault is not enough to constitute a criminal homicide.

Question 5

Felonious homicide

Answer 5

treated and punished as crimes and typically fall into two categories: murder and homicide

Question 6

Murder

Answer 6

the killing of any human being by another with malice aforethought

Question 7

Manslaughter

Answer 7

a criminal homicide that is committed under circumstances not severe enough to constitute murder but that cannot be classified as either justifiable or excusable homicide

Question 8

Medico-legal examination

Answer 8

brings medical skill to bear on injury and death investigations

Question 9

Forensic pathology

Answer 9

the study of how and why people die

Question 10

Autopsy can answer

Answer 10

• time of death
• cause
• weapon
• how many wounds/which was fatal
• how long did they live after injury
• what position were they in at time of assault
• what direction was force applied
• evidence of struggle/self-defence
• rape or other sex related acts
• drugs or alcohol

Question 11

Algor mortis

Answer 11

when the body cools from normal temp of 98.6 to room temperature
- body temp decreases at roughly 1.5 degrees per hour
- best to test within 10 hours of death

Question 12

What effects the rate of cooling body

Answer 12

• size of body
• clothing and covering
• movement and humidity of the air
• immersion in water

Question 13

Ocular change

Answer 13

• the cornea becomes cloudy within 2 hours or less if eyes are open.
• if eyes are closed 12 -24 hours
• cornea of eyes become opaque on third day
• eyes bulge out of the socket
• then eyes retract into head

Question 14

Stomach contents

Answer 14

• after light meal food leaves within 1-2 hrs
• medium 3-4 hrs
• heavy meals 4-6 hrs

Question 15

Rigor mortis

Answer 15

when the body becomes rigid within 1-3 hours after death and the joints freeze
- impacted by body temp
- in complete rigor when jaw, elbows and knees are completely immovable (takes 10-15 hrs)

Question 16

How long until rigor goes away

Answer 16

24-36 hours

Question 17

Livor Mortis

Answer 17

• reddish purply coloration in dependent areas of the body due to accumulation of blood in the small vessels of the dependent areas secondary to gravity
• mistaken for bruising
• normally evident within 30 min - 2 hr
• reaches maximum coloration 8-12 hrs
• may indicate time of death, body has been moved after death, indicate cause of death

Question 18

Cadaveric spasm

Answer 18

a death grip/specific type of rigor that is more accelerated

Question 19

Forensic entomology

Answer 19

the study of insects associated with a dead body, which is typically used to determine the elapsed time since death

Question 20

Where to larvae like to go on a dead body.

Answer 20

• eyes
• ears
• entrance of the nostrils
• beneath waist
• under shirt cuffs/under pant legs
• eye orbits
• auditory meatus
• inside cranial vault
• pelvis and sacrum

Question 21

Bakersfield, California case

Answer 21

• woman and three children, and mother found dead
• no evidence was found
• suspect was estranged husband
• he was in Columbus Ohio
• rented a dodge neon/car had high number of miles
• Dr. Kimsey found true bugs and paper wasps