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You are here: Home / Archives for Matt Ruby

Matt Ruby

Forensic assessment checklist for conducting evaluations in the correctional setting

January 13, 2020 //  by Matt Ruby

Forensic clinicians may face challenging conditions when conducting evaluations in the correctional setting. By working together to ensure adequate testing conditions, attorneys and forensic experts can address some of these challenges. It is incumbent on the forensic clinician to consider how examination results can be affected by various factors that are especially relevant to forensic …

Forensic assessment checklist for conducting evaluations in the correctional settingRead More

Category: Experts, Practice TipsForensic Discipline: Experts, Mental Health

Homicide: Manner of Death vs. Legal Conclusion

December 12, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

Like many other experts, medical examiners use terms of art which might be confusing for non-experts. The use of the term “homicide” to classify a death might confuse jurors and attorneys alike. It may, therefore, be worthwhile to take steps to ensure that a medical examiner’s testimony conveys the proper information despite using a potentially …

Homicide: Manner of Death vs. Legal ConclusionRead More

Category: Experts, ResourcesForensic Discipline: Death Investigation

Nationwide vacutainer recall raises doubts about blood alcohol tests

August 1, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

An announcement from Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) may raise doubts about the validity of some blood alcohol tests conducted across the country since August 31, 2018. On May 30, 2019, with a correction made June 12, 2019, BD announced a recall for its “BD Vacutainer® Fluoride Tubes for Blood Alcohol Determinations” product. Vacutainers are …

Nationwide vacutainer recall raises doubts about blood alcohol testsRead More

Category: Announcements, Crime LabsForensic Discipline: Crime Labs, Toxicology

Analyst Certification Information

July 23, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

In 2011, the North Carolina legislature enacted a series of reforms designed to increase the accountability and accuracy of forensic evidence used in criminal trials. The Forensic Sciences Act of 2011 states that State Crime Lab analysts “shall be required to obtain individual certification consistent with international and ISO standards.” Many of the certification organizations post certified …

Analyst Certification InformationRead More

Category: Announcements, Crime LabsForensic Discipline: Crime Labs

Autopsy Viewing and OCME Tour – August 30, 2019

July 15, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

There will be an autopsy viewing and tour of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh for defense attorneys on Friday, August 30th, 2019 starting at 8:45 am. Attorneys and defense investigators will have an opportunity to witness an autopsy and then engage in a guided tour of the OCME and its toxicology …

Autopsy Viewing and OCME Tour – August 30, 2019Read More

Category: AnnouncementsForensic Discipline: Death Investigation

Some Texas District Attorneys require lab tests for marijuana charges

July 10, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

The Texas Legislature recently legalized the cultivation of hemp, complicating enforcement of existing marijuana laws in the state. Hemp and marijuana are the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa, and are distinguishable only through a chemical analysis which shows the THC concentration. The concentration of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, is the legal difference …

Some Texas District Attorneys require lab tests for marijuana chargesRead More

Category: Crime Labs, Reports & PublicationsForensic Discipline: Crime Labs, Drug Analysis

Probabilistic genotyping software for interpreting DNA mixtures

July 1, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

NC attorneys may be aware that software programs are being adopted by crime laboratories to assist with interpreting complex DNA mixtures. The NC State Crime Laboratory is working on validating a procedure for the use of STRmix probabilistic genotyping software, which will likely go online in the coming months.

Probabilistic genotyping software for interpreting DNA mixturesRead More

Category: Announcements, Featured ArticlesForensic Discipline: DNA, Foundations of Forensics

Challenging identification of marijuana by sight or smell

June 18, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

After its decriminalization at the federal level, states have begun implementing programs to oversee the production, manufacture, and distribution of hemp products. Some North Carolina farmers have been participating in a pilot program which allows the legal production of industrial hemp. Since hemp’s legalization, North Carolina faces several areas of uncertainty in enforcement of marijuana …

Challenging identification of marijuana by sight or smellRead More

Category: Announcements, Motions & BriefsTag: Hemp, MarijuanaForensic Discipline: Detection Dogs, Drug Analysis

New Trial Ordered in DNA Case

June 6, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

Superior Court Judge Chris Bragg has overturned Mark Carver’s murder conviction and ordered a new trial. Mr. Carver had been convicted in 2011 of the murder of a UNC Charlotte student. Chris Mumma, executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, represents Mr. Carver. She argued and the court ruled that Mr. Carver …

New Trial Ordered in DNA CaseRead More

Category: CasesForensic Discipline: DNA, Mental Health

Probing Questions for Mental Health Experts

May 24, 2019 //  by Matt Ruby

No matter how knowledgeable an expert is, every testimony is subject to limitations of some kind. Dr. John Zervopoulos has created a list of questions designed to help attorneys inquire about these limitations. Useful in and out of the courtroom, this resource can help challenge or strengthen the testimony of mental health experts. Link below: …

Probing Questions for Mental Health ExpertsRead More

Category: Experts, Practice TipsForensic Discipline: Mental Health

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