By Alyson Grine, Defender Educator, UNC School of Government In State v. Britt, __ N.C. App. __, __ S.E.2d __ (Dec. 6, 2011) the North Carolina Court of Appeals addressed the admissibility of expert testimony regarding firearms and toolmark identification. The facts, in brief: Nancy Britt, a Wake County school teacher, was shot and killed …
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Crime Scene Investigation – New Website
As a follow-up to my post from earlier this week on crime scene investigation, I have created a website with articles and publications that describe best practices for physical evidence recognition, evidence preservation and collection, and crime scene documentation. I have posted standards and guidelines for crime scene investigation and other crime scene resources on …
Crime scene forensics: How does it work?
BBC News has posted a series of videos explaining how forensic tests are performed in crime labs on their Crime scene forensics: How does it work website. These short videos demonstrate various techniques including fingerprint comparisons, use of ninhydrin and superglue fuming (cyanoacrylate) to locate latent print evidence, firearm and projectile comparisons, and examination of …
Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence: Third Edition
The National Research Council recently released the third edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, a manual developed to guide judges when they encounter scientific evidence at trials. The manual contains chapters on the admissibility of expert testimony as well as on particular topics of forensic science, including DNA evidence, toxicology, neuroscience, mental health …
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Investigation of Forensic Evidence – New 4th Circuit Case Involving Standards of Representation
On November 22, the Fourth Circuit decided a case involving a Sixth Amendment ineffective assistance of counsel claim based on the failure of counsel to investigate the State’s forensic evidence. In Elmore v. Ozmint, the Court found Elmore was entitled to relief, reversing and remanding the state capital murder conviction and directing the district court …
Law and Neuroscience Resource
The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience is a centralized location where you can find publications, cases, news articles, training information and other resources on the intersection of law and neuroscience. The Network has a listserve that you can sign up for here. There is also a Law and Neuroscience Blog which provides …
Forensic Library at Indigent Defense Services
I recently posted on the IDS Forensics website a list of the books that I have available for attorneys to use at the IDS Main Office in Durham. For attorneys who cannot travel to Durham, please call me (919-354-7217) if you need access to these texts. If you are a North Carolina public defender, assistant …
Digital Forensic Evidence
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court considered the constitutional limits on police use of new forms of technology as it heard oral arguments in United States v. Jones. The Court examined how the Fourth Amendment applies to warrantless tracking of cars using GPS devices. The Justices considered the extent to which the police could use a …
New Forensic Science Technology Center of Excellence to be located in RTP
The National Institute of Justice has awarded a $6 million grant to RTI International and its partners to form a new Forensic Science Technology Center of Excellence in Research Triangle Park. RTI International states that it will work to increase the capabilities of state and local criminal justice agencies to effectively and professionally serve the …
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NC Court of Appeals decides NarTest case
In State v. Jones, __ N.C. App. __ (November 1, 2011), the NC Court of Appeals issued an important decision regarding the admissibility of NarTest evidence. NarTest is a private company that produces the NarTest NTX 2000 machine which has been used by local law enforcement in several cities and counties in North Carolina to …
Article offers perspective on how forensic science sometimes works
Paul Gianelli’s Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis: A Retrospective (click on One-Click Download to read the full text article) which was published this month explains how a forensic technique was discredited and describes law enforcement’s insufficient response to the technique’s debunking. Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis (CBLA) was a technique used for over 30 years in thousands …
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Forensic Tests for Semen: What you should know
By Maher Noureddine, Ph.D., President: ForensiGen, LLC Second in the series: Bodily Fluids and Forensics First, the biological facts about semen: Seminal fluid is a complex mixture of secretions from at least four male urogenital glands. The seminal vesicle gland contributes approximately 60% to this mixture, the prostate gland contributes approximately 30%, and the combined …
Bullcoming and Blood Alcohol Testing
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ amicus brief in Bullcoming v. New Mexico is an excellent resource for attorneys who want to understand gas chromatography measurements of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and possible challenges to that technique. Gas Chromatography or Headspace Gas Chromatography is the typical method used in North Carolina when the State …
DNA Mixture Analysis – Is It Subjective or Objective?
DNA is often regarded as the gold standard of forensic science because of its purported objectivity, which makes it immune to subjectivity and bias. The National Academy of Sciences 2009 Report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward even concluded that “[w]ith the exception of nuclear DNA analysis, . . . no …
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Update to “Freedom on the line for two North Carolina men”
A three-judge panel in Asheville ruled today that Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxson are innocent. The men who spent ten years in prison were exonerated by the judges’ ruling. This case which involved DNA testing that pointed to another suspect is the third case that has been heard by the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission and the …
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