Introduction
Crime scene investigation principally involves the use of physical evidence that has been gathered at a crime scene to determine the motive of the crime and the perpetrators of the crime. It requires intensive use of inductive and deductive reasoning to acquire knowledge of what exactly transpired during the crime (Ogle, 2011). It is a multidisciplinary discipline and it involves a step by step search of the crime scene, making critical and analytical observations and documentation of the scene by use of photographs, sketches, identification, collection, and processing of physical evidence like footwear impressions, hair, biological fluids like blood, saliva, fingerprints, fibers and DNA for analysis and coming up with the necessary conclusions of the events that transpired in a crime (Osterburg & Ward, 2010). Crime scene investigation, therefore, involves the integration of science, logic, and consequently law. The course of law is usually determined by the relevance of the evidence collected to the crime at hand (Ogle, 2011).
One of the historic crime investigations was the Atlanta Child Murders, which took place in Atlanta during 1979-181. One suspect, Wayne Williams, who was 23 years by then, was convicted and tried for two murders (Osterburg & Ward, 2010). The only evidence that was collected for the case was the two bodies of the victims. In such a case, it was difficult to establish a clue to who the perpetrator was, since the bodies were thrown far away from the scenes where the murders were committed, furthermore the victims usually disappeared for a while before being reported to have been killed. One of the steps that were deployed in investigating the Atlanta murders was to evaluate the geographical parameters of the victims, it was noted that all the victims were from the same geographical parameters, therefore concluding that the murders were linked to one killer (Johnson & Olshaker, 1995). The only way to find a clue to the perpetrator was to critically examine the dead bodies. It was therefore concluded that the killer would dump the next body in water in order to eliminate the evidence. Based on this clue, the police were tasked with the burden of monitoring any suspicious activity around the bridge at Chattahoochee River. It finally led to the identification of the prime suspect, Wayne Williams, as the police in a nearby patrol heard a splash at the bridge (Johnson & Olshaker, 1995). The evidence that was collected included the dog’s hair, which was found to match the dog at his parent’s house. The evidence that linked Williams to the crime was that a corpse was recovered two days later just near the place where Wayne stopped his car.
Prosecution
All the gathered evidence is somewhat a clear-cut link between Wayne and the Atlanta Murders. The most critical evidence was the fiber analysis of the victims and the pattern of the murder cases. Other evidence included a number of witnesses who said Wayne solicited sexual favors. All the evidence gathered clearly links Wayne to the series of the Atlanta Murders (Osterburg & Ward, 2010). Based on fact that the police heard a splash at the river, and two days river, a dead body is found floating in the waters near the place where Wayne stopped his car, he can be judged to be the prime perpetrator. During the trial, Wayne asserted that he was on his way to audition a musician, called Cheryl Johnson. Neither her profile nor the appointment of Wayne to meet her was found (Johnson & Olshaker, 1995). The jury is therefore justified in convicting him and sentencing him for life.
Defense
During the investigation process, the motive behind the Atlanta Child murders was not established. It, therefore, jeopardizes the investigation process. It can not be concluded decisively that the body that was found under the bridge was a result of the splash that the police heard. The police had the task to determine what was being thrown at the water, at that moment, in order to avoid wrong assumptions. All the assumptions that were used in the case can be viewed as inconclusive. Presently, Wayne continues to argue that he is innocent.
References
Johnson, J., & Olshaker, M. (1995). Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, Scribner. New York: Scribner.
Osterburg, J., & Ward, H. (2010). criminal investigation: A method for reconstructing the past. New York: Anderson.
Ogle, R. R. (2011). Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.