Real Cases. Real Experts. Real Science. Identifying Skeletal Remains with Horacio Solla VOLUME 19 • NUMBER 2 • SUMMER 2010
Forensic Leaders Who Are Making a Difference: Why You Should Meet Them
Fine Art Authentication: Where Are the Forensic Examiners?
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Real Cases. Real Experts. Real Science.
VOLUME 19 • NUMBER 2 • SUMMER 2010
28
Featured Articles Victims of a 28 Identifying Dictatorial Regime in Uruguay
Horacio E. Solla, PhD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
40
John Daab, PhD, MA, RI, CFC
50
The Last Frontier: Myths and the Female Psychopathic Killer Frank S. Perri, JD, MBA, CPA Terrance G. Lichtenwald, PhD
77
U.S. Army Mortuary, Saigion: An Unlikely Assignment Raymond J. Byron, Jr., DMD
40
04
Fine Art Authentication: Where are the Forensic Examiners?
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
50
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National Conference
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08 From the Desks Of... 09 Letter to the Editor 10 Member News and Announcements Spotlight: 11 Member Christine Moss, RN, CFN, CMI-III 68
The Detective’s Corner: Iced Laird Long
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70 Book Reviews Ramsland Interviews Author 72 Katherine Deborah Blum
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ACFEI Board Information
47
ACFEI Membership Application
49
New Members
76
75
ACFEI Products
84
Continuing Education Quizzes
Falsely Accused: DNA Evidence Sets Man Free After 26 Years
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Every Issue
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BOARDS
BOARDS
2010 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Nicholas G. Apostolou, DBA, DABFA, CPA, Cr.FA Larry Barksdale, BS, MA E. Robert Bertolli, OD, FACFEI, CHS-V, CMI-V Kenneth E. Blackstone, BA, MS, CFC, DABFE David T. Boyd, DBA, CPA, Cr.FA, CMA Jules Brayman, CPA, CVA, DABFA, FACFEI John Brick, PhD, MA, DABFE, FACFEI Richard C. Brooks, PhD, CGFM, DABFE Dennis L. Caputo, MS, DABFET, CHMM, FACFEI Dennis H. Chevalier, BS, MSM, DM, CMI David F. Ciampi, PhD, FACFEI, DABPS Larry Crumbley, PhD, CPA, DABFE, Cr.FA Andrew N. Dentino, MD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM James A. DiGabriele, PhD/DPS, CPA, Cr.FA, FACFEI John Shelby DuPont Jr., DDS, DABFD Scott Fairgrieve, Hons. BSc, MPhil, PhD, FAAFS Edmund D. Fenton, DBA, CPA, CMA, Cr.FA Per Freitag, PhD, MD, FACFEI, DABFM Nicholas Giardino, ScD, FACFEI, DABFE David H. Glusman, CPA, DABFA, Cr.FA, FACFEI Ron Grassi, DC, FACFEI, DABFM, DABFE Richard C. W. Hall, MD, FACFEI, DABFM, DABFE Raymond F. Hanbury, PhD, ABPP, FACFEI, DABFE Nelson Hendler, MD, DABFM David L. Holmes, EdD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABPS Leo L. Holzenthal Jr., PE, DABFET, FACFEI Linda Hopkins, PhD, CFC, DABPS, DABRE Nursine S. Jackson, MSN, RN, DABFN Philip Kaushall, PhD, DABFE, DABPS, FACFEI Eric Kreuter, PhD, CPA, DABFA, FACFEI Ronald G. Lanfranchi, DC, PhD, CMI-IV, FACFEI Richard Levenson, Jr., PsyD, DABFE, DABPS, FACFEI Monique Levermore, PhD, FACFEI, DABPS Jonathan Lipman, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABPS Judith Logue, PhD, FACFEI, DABFSW, DABPS Mike Meacham, PhD, LCSW, DABFSW, FACFEI David Miller, DDS, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFD Jacques Ama Okonji, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE,
DABPS Norva E. Osborne, OD, CMI-III George Palermo, MD, PhD, FACFEI, DABFM Ronald J. Panunto, PE, CFC, CFEI, DABFET Larry H. Pastor, MD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM Theodore G. Phelps, CPA, DABFA Marc Rabinoff, EdD, FACFEI, DABFE, CFC Jerald H. Ratner, MD, CFP Harold F. Risk, PhD, DABPS, FACFEI Susan P. Robbins, PhD, LCSW, DABFSW Walter A. Robbins, CPA, PhD Jane R. Rosen-Grandon, PhD, DABFC, FACFEI Douglas Ruben, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABPS J. Bradley Sargent, CPA, Cr.FA, DABFA, FACFEI William Sawyer, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM Howard A. Shaw, MD, DABFM, FACFEI Henry A. Spiller, MS, DABFE, FACFEI Richard I. Sternberg, PhD, DABPS James R. Stone, MD, MBA, CHS-III, CMI-IV William A.Tobin, MA, DABFET, DABLEE, FACFEI Robert Tovar, BS, MA, DABFE, DABPS, CHS-III Brett C.Trowbridge, PhD, JD, DABPS, FACFEI Jeff Victoroff, MD, DABFE, DABFM Patricia A. Wallace, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM, CFC Raymond Webster, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM Dean A. Wideman, MSc, MBA, CFC, CMI-III *Note: For spacing and consistency considerations, the number of designations listed has been limited to four.
CALL FOR REVIEWERS The Forensic Examiner® is always seeking members to serve on the Editorial Advisory Board. It is your expertise and dedication that helps all of our authors produce the most accurate and excellent articles for your prestigious journal. Please contact the editor if you wish to become a member of the Board, and thank you for everything you do to make the journal great!
The American College of Forensic Examiners International (ACFEI) does not endorse, guarantee, or warrant the credentials, work, or opinions of any individual member. Membership in ACFEI does not constitute the grant of a license or other licensing authority by or on behalf of the organization as to a member’s qualifications, abilities, or expertise. The publications and activities of ACFEI are solely for informative and educational purposes with respect to its members. The opinions and views expressed by the authors, publishers, or presenters are their sole and separate views and opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of ACFEI, nor does ACFEI adopt such opinions or views as its own. The American College of Forensic Examiners International disclaims and does not assume any responsibility or liability with respect to the opinions, views, and factual statements of such authors, publishers, or presenters, nor with respect to any actions, qualifications, or representations of its members or subscriber’s efforts in connection with the application or use of any information, suggestions, or recommendations made by ACFEI or any of its boards, committees, publications, resources, or activities thereof. The Forensic Examiner® (ISSN 1084-5569) is published quarterly by The American College of Forensic Examiners International, Inc. (ACFEI). Annual membership for a year in the American College of Forensic Examiners International is $165. Abstracts of articles published in The Forensic Examiner® appear in National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Gale Group Publishing’s InfoTrac Database, e-psyche database, and psycINFO database. Periodicals Postage Paid at Springfield, Missouri, and additional mailing offices. © Copyright 2010 by the American College of Forensic Examiners International. All rights reserved. No part of this work can be distributed or otherwise used without the express written permission of the American College of Forensic Examiners International. The views expressed in The Forensic Examiner® are those of the authors and may not reflect the official policies of the American College of Forensic Examiners International. CONTACT US: Publication, editorial, and advertising offices of ACFEI, 2750 East Sunshine Street, Springfield, MO 65804. Phone: (800) 592- 1399, Fax: (417) 881- 4702, E-mail: editor@acfei.com. Subscription changes should be sent to ACFEI, 2750 East Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to American College of Forensic Examiners International, 2750 East Sunshine Street, Springfield, MO 65804.
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER: Robert L. O’Block, MDiv, PhD, PsyD, DMin (rloblock@aol.com) PRESIDENT AND CEO: John H. Bridges III, DSc (Hon), CHMM, FACFEI EDITOR IN CHIEF: Christopher Powers (cpowers@acfei.com) CHIEF ASSOCIATION OFFICER: Katie Wilcox (katie@acfei.com) EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR: Brandon Alms (brandon@acfei.com) ANNALS® EDITOR: Laura Johnson (laura@americanpsycotherapy.com) INSIDE HOMELAND SECURITY® EDITOR: Teresa Hernandez (teresa@abchs.com) ADVERTISING: Christopher Powers (cpowers@acfei.com) (800) 592-1399, ext. 116
ACFEI EXECUTIVE ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP; Chair, American Board of Forensic Medicine MEMBERS Douglas Wayne Beal, MD, MSHA, CMI-V, CFP; Chair, American Board of Forensic Exmainers Alexander Lamar Casparis, CPA, MBA, Cr.FA, FACFEI; Chair, American Board of Forensic Accounting Steven R. Conlon, Chair, American Board of Registered Investigators Dianne Ditmer, MS, RN, CFN, FACFEI; Chair, American Board of Forensic Nursing Douglas E. Fountain, PhD, LCSW, DABFE, DABFSW; Chair, American Board of Forensic Social Workers Raymond H. Hamden, PhD, FACFEI, CFC, CMI-V, Chair, American Board of Psychological Specialties James H. Hutson, DDS, CMI-V; Chair, American Board of Forensic Dentistry Marilyn J. Nolan, MS, FACFEI, DABFC; Chair, American Board of Forensic Counselors Gregg M. Stuchman; Chair, American Board of Recorded Evidence
CONTINUING EDUCATION ACFEI provides continuing education credits for accountants, nurses, physicians, dentists, psychologists, counselors, soci al wor ke r s , and m arr i a ge and f amily t he r a pis t s . Approvals for continuing education activities are subject to change. For the most up-to-date status, please check the course catalog on our Web site, www.acfei.com, or contact the Continuing Education staff toll-free at (800) 423-9737. ACFEI is an approved provider of Continuing Education by the following: Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education National Association of State Boards of Accountancy National Board for Certified Counselors California Board of Registering Nursing American Psychological Association California Board of Behavioral Sciences Association of Social Work Boards American Dental Association (ADA CERP) The Missouri Sheriff’s Association co-sponsors Police Officer Standards Training (POST) accreditation for the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute’s activities. The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute is a member of the National Certification Commission and the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education. The Ethics Course, Law Course, Evidence Course, Certified Medical Investigator ®, Certified Forensic Accountant, Cr.FA ® , and the Certified in Homeland Security, CHS ® Levels I-V are all approved for the G.I. Bill benefits.
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ACFEI EXECUTIVE ADVISORY BOARDS American Board of Forensic AccountING CHAIR Alexander Lamar Casparis, CPA, MBA, Cr. FA, FACFEI
Edward M. Perreault, PhD, DABFE, FACFEI Marc A. Rabinoff, EdD, FACFEI, DABFE, CFC Janet M. Schwartz, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, CHS-V
MEMBERS Stewart L. Appelrouth, CPA, CFLM, Cr.FA, FACFEI Gary Bloome, CPA, Cr.FA D. Larry Crumbley, PhD, CPA, DABFA, Cr.FA James A. DiGabriele, PhD/DPS, CPA, Cr.FA, FACFEI Michael W. Feinberg, CPA, Cr.FA Michael G. Kessler, Cr.FA, CICA, FACFEI, DABFA Eric A. Kreuter, PhD, CPA, FACFEI, DABFA Robert K. Minniti, CPA, MBA, Cr.FA J. Bradley Sargent, CPA, CFS, Cr.FA, FACFEI Joseph F. Wheeler, CPA, Cr.FA, CHS-III, CFF
American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology VICE CHAIR George C. Frank, CFC, DABFE, FACFEI CHAIR EMERITUS Ben Venktash, Peng (UK), DABFET, DABFE, FSE
American Board of Forensic Counselors CHAIR Marilyn J. Nolan, MS, FACFEI, DABFC, DABCIP Chair Emeritus: Dow R. Pursley, EdD, FACFEI, DABFC
American Board of Forensic Medicine CHAIR Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP
MEMBERS George Bishop, LPC, LAT, FACFEI, DABFE Laura W. Kelley, PhD, LPC, DABFC, FACFEI William M. Sloane, JD, LLM, FACFEI, CHS-III
MEMBERS Bill B. Akpinar, DDS, CMI-V, FACFEI, DABFD Stephanie L. Anton-Bettey, DDS, CMI-V Jeff D. Aronsohn, DDS, FACFEI, DABFD, CMI-V Susan Bollinger, DDS, CMI-IV, CHS-IV Chester B. Kulak, DMD, CMI-V, CFC, DABFD American Board of Forensic Examiners CHAIR Douglas Wayne Beal, MD, MSHA, CMI-V, CFP MEMBERS Jess P. Armine, DC, FACFEI, DABFE, DABFM John H. Bridges III, CHS-V, DABCHS, CHMM, CSHM, Ronna F. Dillon, PhD, DABFE, DABPS, CMI-V, CHS-III Bruce H. Gross, PhD, JD, MBA, FACFEI Darrell C. Hawkins, MS, JD, FACFEI, CMI-V Michael W. Homick, PhD, DABCHS, CHS-V John L. Laseter, PhD, FACFEI, CMI-IV, CHS-III Lawrence Lavine, DO, MPH CHS-V, CMI-V Leonard K. Lucenko, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, CPSI
MEMBERS Douglas Wayne Beal, MD, MSHA, CMI-V, CFP Zhaoming Chen, MD, PhD, MS, CFP John A. Consalvo, MD, DABFE, DABFM, FACFEI Vijay P. Gupta, PhD, DABFM Louis W. Irmisch III, MD, FACFEI, CMI-V, CFP E. Rackley Ivey, MD, FACFEI, CMI-V, CFP Lawrence Lavine, DO, MPH, CHS-V, CMI-V Kenneth A. Levin, MD, CFP, FACFEI, DABFM E. Franklin Livingstone, MD, CFP, FACFEI, DABFM Manijeh K. Nikakhtar, MD, CFP, MPH, CMI-V Matthias I. Okoye, MD, MSc, JD, FRCP John R. Parker, MD, FACFEI, DABFM, CFP Jerald H. Ratner, MD, DABFE, DABFM, FACFEI S. Sandy Sanbar, MD, PhD, JD, FCLM American Board of Forensic Nursing CHAIR Dianne T. Ditmer, MS, RN, CFN, CHS-III MEMBERS Heidi H. Bale, RN, BSN, CFN Marilyn A. Bello, RNC, MS, CFN, CMI-IV Wanda S. Broner, MSN, RN, FNE, CEN Cynthia J. Curtsinger, RN, CFN Linda J. Doyle, RN, CLNC, CFN, CMI-III L. Sue Gabriel, EdD, MSN, RN, CFN Diane L. Reboy, MS, RN, CFN, FACFEI Elizabeth N. Russell, RN, BSN, CCM, BC Sharon L. Walker, MPH, PhD, RN, CFN Carol A. Wood, RN, CFN, BS, NHA American Board of Forensic Social Workers CHAIR Douglas E. Fountain, PhD, LCSW, DABFE, DABFSW
MEMBERS Carl N. Edwards, PhD, JD, FACFEI, DABPS Carol J. Armstrong, PhD, LPC, DABPS Robert J. Barth, PhD, DABPS Monica J. Beer, PhD, DABCIP Ronna F. Dillon, PhD, DABPS, CMI-V, CHS-III Stephen P. McCary, PhD, JD, FACFEI, DABPS Helen D. Pratt, PhD, FACFEI, DABPS Doublas H. Ruben, PhD, FACFEI, DABPS, DABFE Richard M. Skaff, PsyD, DABPS Charles R. Stern, PhD, DABPS, FACFEI, CMI-V Joseph C.Yeager, PhD, DABFE, DABPS, FACFEI Donna M. Zook, PhD, DABPS, CFC American Board of Recorded Evidence CHAIR Gregg M. Stutchman MEMBERS Ernst F. W. (Rick) Alexanderson, BA, MBA, FACFEI, DABRE Eddy B. Brixen, DABFET Charles K. Deak, BS, CPC, DABFE, FACFEI Ryan O. Johnson, BA, DABFE, DABRE Michael C. McDermott, JD, DABRE, DABFE, FACFEI Jennifer E. Owen, BA, DABRE, DABFE Thomas J. Owen, BA, FACFEI, DABRE, CHS-V Lonnie L. Smrkovski, BS, DABRE, DABFE, FACFEI
BOARDS
American Board of Forensic Dentistry CHAIR James H. Hutson, DDS, CMI-V, FACFEI Chair Emeritus: Brian L. Karasic, DMD, MBA, DABFD, CMI-III
MEMBERS Cam Cope, BS, DABFET, DABFE David A. Hoeltzel, PhD, DABFE, DABFET Robert K. Kochan, BS, FACFEI, DABFET, DABFE J.W. “Bill” Petrelli Jr., DABFET, CFC, AIA, FACFEI Max L. Porter, PhD, DABFET, CFC, FACFEI
MEMBERS Peter W. Choate, PhD, BA, MSW, DABFSW, DABFE Michael G. Meacham, PhD, LCSW, DCSW, DABFSW Kathleen Monahan, DSW, MSW, CFC, DABFE Susan P. Robbins, PhD, LCSW, DCSW, DABFSW Steven J. Sprengelmeyer, MSW, MA, FACFEI, DABFSW American Board of Psychological Specialties CHAIR Raymond H. Hamden, PhD, FACFEI, CFC, CMI-V CHAIR EMERITUS Raymond F. Hanbury, PhD, FACFEI, DABPS, DABFE
American Board of REGISTERED INVESTIGATORS CHAIR Steven R. Conlon MEMBERS Kenneth E. Blackstone, MS, CFC, DABFE Ron Carroll Eric Lakes, CHS-III, CLWE, MCSE Lt. David Millsap, RI, CMI-III Joseph A. Juchniewicz, MA, SSI, CHS-III, RI Gregory M.Vecchi, PhD, CFC, CHS-V Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD, CFP, FACFEI
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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FROM THE DESKS OF...
Christopher Powers, Editor in Chief
New and Improved! There is a lot to be excited about this year with the journal—our art director has worked diligently to create a new layout that I hope you will find more navigable, visually appealing, and reflective of the quality of our association. We at The Forensic Examiner® hope to hear plenty of feedback from both our members and nonmembers, as the journal is available to both. This is the readers’ journal, and it is up to you to tell us how we’re doing—you are its backbone! As a peer-reviewed scientific journal first and foremost, we also want to share the knowledge of our members and their peers with the widest audience possible. As we continue to experience positive growth, we expect to increase our circulation and, in turn, recruit members, receive more manuscripts, ideas, communication, and all of the things that come together to make this journal—and ACFEI—great. The journal has come a long way since its inception nearly 20 years ago, and we have high hopes for its continued growth in the future. I would also like to thank all of the contributing authors—you were all very professional and enjoyable to work with, which really helped this issue take shape and become the fine product it did. I look forward to continuing to work with everyone in the future, as well as to see the journal reach even greater heights. It is truly a joy, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve you!
EDITOR’S NOTE
Sincerely, Editor in Chief
Katie Wilcox, Chief Association Officer I hope you are enjoying the new look and layout of our magazine! We have so many wonderful changes happening within ACFEI. In 2010, we are continuing to improve our programs, increase our continuing education opportunities, and provide you with the best conference presentations in the field. In this special conference issue, you can read the biographies of the conference keynote speakers, check the complete conference schedule, and find out more information about the host hotel. As an added benefit to you, we are offering a chance to win a FREE conference registration for the 2011 conference. To have ACFEI staff reserve your hotel rooms over the phone, call (800) 423-9737 x 168. Also, please consider joining me our networking luncheon at conference (addition $25 registration required) featuring attorney John Romano from Romano Law Group. Attendees of the lunch meeting on Thursday, September 23, will enjoy a more casual environment of networking while dining on a delicious meal. Mr. Romano will then present on “Real Reasons Why Jurors Accept One Expert While Utterly Rejecting Another.” You can add your luncheon registration at any time by calling our office. I’d like to thank each and every one of our members for your loyalty and support of our association. We continue to gain many of the world’s most outstanding practitioners in our membership and continue to lead the world in promoting ethical practices, implementing field standards, and increasing general professionalism. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (800) 423-9737 or by e-mail at cao@acfei.com with your ideas, comments, and feedback. I would love to hear from you! I look forward to continuing to serve your professional needs. Best, Chief Association Officer
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
LETTERS
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LETTERS to the editor
As a member of ACFEI and a board member who represents forensic nurses, I thank ACFEI and the journal for this opportunity to clarify statements printed in my interview in the last issue. As a Home Health and Hospice nurse, I care for a broad spectrum of patients. These patients represent a variety of cultures, economic backgrounds, ability to pay for nursing services, and disease states. During the normal course of their care, it is likely that they may die due to their disease course (hospice), state of their health, and self-care decisions. As a health care provider, it is challenging to bring unwanted or uncomfortable information to a patient and family regarding changes in self-management and self-care, or the care of a loved one. This is done with sensitivity, support for their positive decisions, and documentation of those choices not in their best interest. Our team of nurses involves many personalities; I tend to be realistic and more black-and-white than some. Patients either love this or do not. It is an observation across the spectrum of health care providers that patients seem to be less involved in their own health care. There is a strong attitude of entitlement in some populations, which saddens and frustrates not only nurses but doctors, therapists, and the myriad of those providing care in both facilities and home.
I look forward to serving my patients in a new arena of legal nurse consulting later this year. Until then I am honored to assist patients and their loved ones on their hospice journey, as well as supporting those who are homebound. The ability to remain in one’s home as you heal or approach death is one of life’s blessings. Heidi Bale, RN, BSN, CFN
LETTERS
Caring for my patients involves meeting them where they are in their understanding of their disease state and educating them on how best to live a healthier life. Education involves sharing tools and resources for support and being a cheerleader for those good decisions, while speaking frankly about those decisions that may not be in their best interest. Medicaid and Medicare are not responsible for a patient’s poor choices, but are responsible for the high cost of medical care when the patient accesses the health care system as a result of his or her choice.
Do you have something you would like to say to your fellow Forensic Examiner readers? Pleased, angry, or indifferent, share your opinions on articles, issues, trends, or ideas here! E-mail your thoughts and comments to editor@acfei.com or write to: 2750 East Sunshine Street • Springfield, MO 65804 Please note that submissions may be edited for length and content. Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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ACFEI NEWS
ACFEI NEWS and announcements The Forensic Examiner® archives are now available on your member profile! Did you lose an issue of The Forensic Examiner®? Would you like to revisit a journal article that was especially significant to you? Members can access The Forensic Examiner® through their member profile on our Web site. Just visit members.acfei.com and enter your member ID and password. Submit Your Videos for Our Multimedia Contest We are accepting YouTube video submissions for our Multimedia contest. Send us your videos on a forensic topic, case study, or member testimonial, and you may win an article written about yourself in the next issue of The Forensic Examiner®. Send your submission to cao@acfei.com by July 31, 2010 to enter the contest.
ACFEI NEWS
What’s in a Name? To accommodate our explosive growth, we have developed two separate organizations to address two distinct needs of the ACFEI. The “American College of Forensic Examiners International” is the original membership base of the association as established in 1992. This company remains the not-for-profit branch that produces and publishes the quarterly, peer-reviewed journal The Forensic Examiner®. The “American College of Forensic Examiners Institute,” includes our training and certification programs. These two groups work in tandem to fill the needs of our membership and programs. Board Members Wanted The American Board of Registered Investigators (ABRI) is seeking board members who have 10 years of documented experience in investigations and a degree from an accredited university. Send your résumés/curriculum vitae to cao@acfei.com to apply for a board position. Board Changes • The American Board of Law Enforcement Experts (ABLEE) has moved to ABCHS. Diplomates of the ABLEE will have their profiles reviewed and be granted reciprocity for membership ABCHS, including Certification in Homeland Security, CHS, up to level 3. • The American Board of Critical Incident Professionals is also moving to ABCHS. The name will be changed to the American Board for Certification in Infrastructure Protection to accommodate future additions to the program. Diplomates of the ABCIP will have their portfolios reviewed and be granted reciprocity for membership ABCHS, including Certification in Homeland Security, CHS, up to level 3. Conference Registrants, reserve your room at the Renaissance for $100 in member bucks! Members who reserve rooms at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld will receive $100 in member bucks, which can be applied to the 2011 conference registration, certification programs, and more.
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
MEMBER spotlight Christine Moss, RN, CFN, CMI-III I applied for my current job “ACFEI is a great as the Registered Nurse at the LaPorte County Juvenile Services organization and I feel Center. I was not sure if this was the job for me, and once again, very blessed to be a I was the only nurse on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, part of it. I wish to and 365 days a year. Seven years become more involved later, I am still here and I love working with these children. with this organization Unfortunately, I have seen many cases of physical and sexual child in the future.” abuse that I was motivated to to accomplish more with my life and try to make a difference in my community. I have attended and completed the SANE Adolescent training in Madison, Wisconsin, and the SANE - Pediatric training course in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I also enrolled and completed Kaplan University’s Forensic Nursing Course; I joined ACFEI and took the Forensic Nursing 101 course to prepare for the Certified Forensic Nurse Exam. After passing all of these exams I also became a Certified Medical Investigator - III, and I was sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the children of LaPorte County. I am a member of the Child Fatality Review Team and the Child Protection Review Team of LaPorte County. We have so many deeply troubled children in our community, as does our nation. When a child comes to our facility, I care for them, advocate for them, address their medical, dental, vision, hearing, and any other special needs they might have or that might arise. There is always more work that needs to be done, and I am not finished! There are still many more things that I want to accomplish. ACFEI is a great organization and I feel very blessed to be a part of it. I wish to become more involved with this organization in the future.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
In 1974, I was one week out of high school when I married the only boy that I ever really knew. I turned down a scholarship in nursing to get married to this young man. You always think that you know someone, but you later find out that you really don’t. One day a friend told me that the way he treated me was not normal. He isolated me from my family and did not allow me to have any friends. It was at this point that I discovered I had made a mistake. It was then that I decided to stand up for myself. In 1984, I found myself divorced with three small, beautiful girls (ages three, six, and seven). I had never worked and I was not trained in any type of trade. My first job was at my children’s school in the library. I worked only three days a week and we lived on about $7,000 for the first few years. It was a struggle, but we made it! I was given an opportunity to work full-time at a local bank in the bookkeeping department. I accepted this job and had worked at it for a couple of years when I decided that if I had to work for a living, then I should at least do something that I truly wanted to do. So I enrolled in prerequisite classes at Purdue University North Central to prepare me for their nursing program. I worked extremely hard and was accepted into the program. While I went to college, I had to work and take care of my three young girls by myself. I graduated from Purdue University North Central in 1993 with a special recognition from the psychiatric department. It was not easy, but I tried to be a positive role model for my daughters. I have been told that I must have been, because all three of my daughters have college degrees and are very successful in their own careers. Also in 1993, I was hired as the only nurse to work with adults with developmental disabilities, which required 24 hour supervision. I was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. I worked at this job for seven years. I then worked at the local hospital’s psychiatric unit for the next two years. I returned to work at the group homes because I missed that population very much. Due to governmental changes that took place, nursing positions were decreased which left me with a very heavy case load.
Submitted by Christine Moss, RN, CFN, CMI-III, ACFEI member n
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
11
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
2010 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
REASONS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS YEAR’S CONFERENCE 1. Multidisciplinary: The conference will bring together leading professionals from the forensic, homeland security, psychotherapy, and integrative medicine disciplines. This one-of-a-kind event will provide unique opportunities for attendees to be exposed to and learn from others outside of their current and immediate networks. 2. Inspiration: Keynote speakers Dr. Cyril Wecht, Dr. Henry Lee, Governor Thomas Ridge, and others will inspire and motivate you to perform at a higher level and think about things differently. In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with them in person. 3. Knowledge: By attending the breakout sessions, facilitated by top industry professionals, you will be exposed to new ideas and theories that you can immediately put into practice. 4. Networking: The conference will provide endless opportunities to speak with other people who may be facing the same problems as you. Not only will you be able to learn from others, but you can also form networks with people who share similar interests and experiences, which can help expand both your network and circle of influence. 5. Recharge: During challenging times, it is easy to become overwhelmed and to lose sight of what really drew you into the field. Surrounding yourself with like-minded, passionate people will help reinvigorate your own passion for the profession. 12
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
www.2010nationalconference.net A premier agenda, stellar presenters, networking opportunities, and sunny Orlando— they will all come together at the 2010 National Conference. The National Conference offers members the chance to meet and network with fellow professionals and participate in learning experiences led by preeminent presenters. Again this year, the ACFEI National Conference will run concurrently with its sister associations—the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security (ABCHS), the American Psychotherapy Association® (APA), the American Association of Integrative Medicine (AAIM), and the American College of Counselors (ACC). During this unique experience you can learn from other professional disciplines and expand both your professional and knowledge bases, as well as learn from others who wish to do the same. SM
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Outstanding Programs The schedule for the conference begins on page 13, and a conference registration form appears on page 27. Registration is even easier online at www.acfei.com or by calling (800) 423-9737. Central to the conference is the opportunity to learn from the best, and this year provides ample opportunities. Thursday, September 23, will feature two presentations by noted forensic scientists Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. Henry Lee, who will present on some of their most notable cases including those of Lacey Peterson, John F. Kennedy, JonBenet Ramsey, Phil Spector, and OJ Simpson. On Friday, September 24, Governor Thomas Ridge, first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will deliver his keynote address, “Leadership Principles: Delivered and Defined.” In his address, Governor Ridge will describe how to create teams that communicate clearly and quickly and appropriately serve missions that will undoubtedly confront change, crisis, and growth. In addition, attendees will be able to choose from a variety of other presentations by some of the top forensic professionals on topics including conflict and crisis communication; child homicide; intimate partner violence; agitated-excited delirium syndrome and sudden deaths; and identifying, assessing, and litigating mental retardation. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in the first-ever working luncheon with John Romano, a Senior Partner at Romano Law Group. He will discuss why some jurors accept one expert while utterly rejecting another. Also, attendees can relieve stress and gain focus by starting their days with Tai Chi. Dr. Zhaoming Chen, a physician and Tai Chi expert, will lead a 30-minute session on Thursday and Friday mornings.
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
SCHEDULE-AT-A-GLANCE
Wednesday, September 22 Registration and Exhibitors..........................................................................................12:00pm–8:00pm ABCHS Pre-Conference Session..................................................................................3:00pm–5:00pm Welcome Reception.........................................................................................................5:00pm–7:00pm Thursday, September 23 Exhibit Hall Opens/Continental Breakfast..................................................................................7:00am General Session.................................................................................................................8:00am–9:00am Morning Break....................................................................................................................9:00am–9:30am Breakout Sessions...........................................................................................................9:30am–11:00am ACFEI/AAIM Working Luncheons (Additional Registration Required)............11:00am–12:30pm Breakout Sessions...........................................................................................................12:30pm–5:30pm Annual Banquet.................................................................................................................7:00pm–9:00pm Friday, September 24 Exhibit Hall Opens/Continental Breakfast..................................................................................7:00am Tai Chi..................................................................................................................................7:00am–7:30am General Session.................................................................................................................8:00am–9:00am Morning Break....................................................................................................................9:00am–9:30am Breakout Sessions...........................................................................................................9:30am–11:00am ABCHS/APA Working Luncheons (Additional Registration Required)............11:00am–12:30pm Breakout Sessions..........................................................................................................12:30pm–5:30pm Travel Information The 2010 National Conference will be held at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld®. Boasting a prime location across from SeaWorld Orlando and adjacent to Discovery Cove and Aquatica, the Renaissance Orlando Hotel expertly combines the enhancement of Orlando with its own imaginative style. By staying at the Renaissance, you will be close to all the conference activities and enjoy the following benefits: • Complimentary high speed Internet access in all guest rooms • Complimentary Wi-Fi in lobby atrium • 24-hour complimentary fitness center • On-site full service FedEx Kinko’s • Multiple on-site dining options including Starbucks, Tradewinds Restaurant, and Boardwalk Sports Bar • On-site Hertz® car rental
• Complimentary transportation to SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove, Aquatica (SeaWorld’s Waterpark), and Universal Studios Orlando. Transportation based on shuttle schedule.
2010 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Tai Chi..................................................................................................................................7:00am–7:30am
A special discounted group rate of $175/night has been established for conference attendees. For room reservations call (800) 266-9432 and reference the ACFEI National Conference. Rooms are limited; the cut-off date to receive the group rate is Monday, September 13, 2010. Also, be sure to contact our travel partner Great Southern Travel who has negotiated special discounts on airfare for members traveling on American, Delta, and Southwest Airlines. For more information or to book your travel, contact Kelly Christian or Lesley Palmer at (800) 7497116 or visit them online at www.greatsoutherntravel.com/managementexec.php. Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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SEPT.
American College of Forensic Examiners Institute
23rd
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice.*
General Session Keynote Speakers: Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP, and Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
14
Morning Break
9:30am-11:00am
General Session: Part 2 Keynote Speakers: Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP, and Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE CEs: 1.5 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
11:00am-12:30pm
Working Luncheon (Additional Registration Required) Real Reasons Why Jurors Accept One Expert While Utterly Rejecting Another Keynote Speaker: John Romano, Senior Partner, Romano Law Group Location: Coral Ballroom General: Oceans 9
Mental Health: Oceans 10
Accounting: Oceans 11
Nursing/Medical: Oceans 12
Conflict and Crisis Communication Presenter: Gregory M. Vecchi, PhD, DABLEE, CFC, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Is the Confession Admissible?: Assessing a Defendant's Competency to Waive Miranda Rights Presenters: Cheryl Paradis, PsyD, and Elizabeth Owen, PhD, CFC CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, ACFEI
The Forensic Accountant’s Role in an Effective Internal Investigation Presenter: Brad Sargent, CPA, FACFEI, DABFA, Cr.FA CEs: 1.5 NASBA, ACFEI
The Graying of Domestic Violence: Recognition and Response to Elder Abuse Presenter: Dianne Ditmer, MS, RN, CFN, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 CBRN, CBBS, ACFEI
The Last Goodbye: A Forensic Approach to Suicide Notes Presenter: Lori Bates, MA, CFC CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Identifying, Assessing, and Litigating Mental Application of the Seven-Step Retardation Methodology of Criminal Investigations Presenters: Wanda Romero, PhD, FACFEI, in Forensic Accounting DABFE, CFC, and Elizabeth Hooper, PsyD Presenter: Robert Lechter, CPA, Cr.FA CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, CEs: 1.5 NASBA, ACFEI ACFEI
12:30pm-2:00pm
2:15pm-3:45pm DNA: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Transfer Presenter: Dana Way, CMI-II, RI CEs: 1.5 ACFEI 4:00pm-5:30pm
Understanding the Complexities Associated with Brain Injury and Trauma Presenter: Debra M. Russell, PhD, DABFE, CMI-V, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, ACFEI
Testifying as an Expert Witness at Deposition and Assisting Counsel in Preparing to Depose Other Witnesses Presenter: Eric A. Kreuter, PhD, CPA, FACFEI, DABFA CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Annual Banquet Living Your Dash Keynote Speaker: Dr. Dan Reidenberg, PsyD, FAPA, MTAPA, BCPC CEs: 2.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
7:00pm-9:00pm
PRESENTERS
ACFEI NATIONAL CONFERENCE
8:00am-9:00am 9:00am-9:30am
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
Summer 2010
Forensic Review: Coding/Billing and Medical Record Documentation Abuse Presenter: Debra Pacha, FACFEI, DABFE, DABPS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Intimate Partner Violence: A Case Study Presenter: Sue Gabriel, EdD, RN, CFN, DABFN CEs: 1.5 CBBS, ACFEI
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
American College of Forensic Examiners Institute
SEPT.
24th
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice. *
General Session Keynote Speaker: Governor Tom Ridge CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
8:00am-9:00am 9:00am-9:30am
Morning Break General: Oceans 9
9:30am-11:00am 11:00am-12:30pm General: Oceans 9
Accounting: Oceans 11
Nursing/Medical: Oceans 12
So You Want to Be a Forensic Nurse: Panel Discussion Moderator: Heidi Bale, RN, CFN A Case Study of Faulty Forensic The Microeconomic and Socioeconomic Panel Members: Dianne Ditmer, MS, RN, Psychological Assessment of the Mental Affects of Identity Theft CFN, CHS-III, Sue Gabriel, EdD, RN, CFN, Functioning of a Victim of Crime Presenter: Robert K. Minniti, MBA, CPA, DABFN, Linda Doyle, RN, CFN, CMI-III, CHSPresenter: Eric A. Kreuter, PhD, CPA, FACFEI, Cr.FA III, Elizabeth Russell, RN, BSN, FACFEI, DABFA CEs: 1.5 NASBA, ACFEI DABFN, and Diane Reboy, MS, RN, CFN, CEs: 1.5 ACFEI FACFEI CEs: 1.5 CBRN, ACFEI Lunch on Own Mental Health: Oceans 10
Child Homicide: Psychological and SocioObserve, Deduce, Corroborate: What Forensic Cultural Factors Forerunners Forged for Us Presenter: Tina Jaeckle, PhD, LCSW, DABCIP, Presenter: Katherine Ramsland, PhD, CMI-V CFC CEs: 1.5 ACFEI CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Accounting: Oceans 11
Nursing/Medical: Oceans 11
Socially Responsible Accounting: Protecting the Public Interest Presenter: Richard Kravitz, CPA, DABFA CEs: 1.5 NASBA, ACFEI
A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations of Adults and Adolescents: 2010 Changes: Important Updates for Practice Presenter: Kim Day, RN, CFN, SANE-A CEs: 1.5 CBRN, ACFEI
12:30pm-2:00pm
Challenging the Digital Forensics Examination Presenter: Larry E. Daniel CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Ensuring Proper Supports for Individuals with Autism so that Prison Does Not Become a 'Placement Option' Presenters: David L. Holmes, EdD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABPS, and Ira Fingles, Esq. CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Professional Expectations Presenter: George C. Frank, FACFEI, DABFE, CFC CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Investigation Protocol for Accusations in High Conflict Co-Parenting Presenter: Elizabeth Baker Gibbs, MD, FACFEI, DABFE, CMI-V CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, CBBS, ACFEI
2:15pm-3:45pm
4:00pm-5:30pm
Targeting Your Forensic Investigation Agitated-Excited Delirium Syndrome and Using Benford and Other Related Studies Sudden Deaths in Your Data Presenter: Ron Martinelli, PhD Presenter: A. Lamar Casparis, CPA, CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, FACFEI, DABFA , Cr.FA ACFEI CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Uncovering, Tracking, and Disrupting Illicit Money Flows Presenter: Joseph Wheeler, CPA, Cr.FA CEs: 1.5 NASBA, ACFEI
Child Abuse: Recognition and Assessment Presenter: Lawrence Lavine, DO, MPH, CMIV, CHS-V, SSI CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Summer 2010
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
ACFEI NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Evidence Collection, Preservation, and Presentation: Making Sure Your Evidence Withstands the Litigation Challenges Presenter: Marvin E. Bullington, CFC, FACFEI, DABFE CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Mental Health: Oceans 10
15
SEPT.
22nd & 23rd
American Board for Certification in Homeland Security *Conference schedule is subject to change without notice.*
Wednesday, September 22 8:00am-3:00pm
CHS-V Review Course and Examination *Additional Registration Required*
3:00pm-5:00pm
CHS Pre-Conference Session Keynote Speaker: Colonel Xavier Stewart, NR-EMT, RRT, FACFEI, CHS-V CEs: 2.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
16
General Session Keynote Speakers: Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP, and Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
8:00am-9:00am
Morning Break
9:00am-9:30am
Nomeus
Palani Sailfish
Unicorn
Walu
Digital Who-Done-IT: An Interactive Demonstration of Digital Forensics Presenters: Clay Fielding, CHS-I, and Andrew Neal, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Overview Nationwide SAR Initiative Presenter: Tom O'Reilly CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Homeland Security Chaplaincy Presenter: David J. Fair, PhD, SSI, CHS-IV, ACMC-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
The Terrorist Threat to the USA Presenter: John W.A. Didden, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Nomeus
Palani Sailfish
Unicorn
Walu
12:30pm-2:00pm
Integrating Technology in Homeland Security at the Community Level: A Model for the Nation? Presenter: John J. Sullivan, PhD, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Lifesaving Skills for Non Medical Law Enforcement Officers Presenters: JJ Magyar, CHS-V, and Gregory R. Frailey, DO, FACOEP, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Food Defense: Events, Responses and Risk Mitigation Presenters: Thor Thomsen, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Medical Professionals Role in Homeland Security Support Presenter: Val Bilotti, RN, BS, CQM, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
2:15pm-3:45pm
Supply Chain Security: Is Your Cargo Really Secure Presenter: Hank Nolin, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Crisis Leadership and Decision Making Presenter: Barbara Citarella, RN, MS, CHS-V, DABCHS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Developing Effective Force on Force Training Presenter: David L. Johnson, CHS-V, DABCHS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Enhanced Family Preparedness: An Introduction to CDP-I Presenter: Paul Purcell, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
4:00pm-5:30pm
Understanding Threat Assessment…The Sum of the Parts to the Whole: Part 1 Presenter: Andrew J. Jurchenko, Sr., CHS-V, DABCHS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Workplace Violence Prevention and the Power of Verbal De-escalation Presenter: Jim Sawyer, CHS-III, CPP, CHPA CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Electronic Security Systems Overview Presenter: Marquis L. Laude, CHS-V, CPP CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Special Attention Required: Security and Response Planning for Special Events Presenter: Eric White, CHS-V, DABCHS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
9:30am-11:00am
11:00am-12:30pm
Lunch on Own
PRESENTERS
ABCHS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Thursday, September 23
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
Summer 2010
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
American Board for Certification in Homeland Security
SEPT.
24th
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice. *
General Session Keynote Speaker: Governor Tom Ridge CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
8:00am-9:00am
Morning Break
9:00am-9:30am Nomeus
9:30am-11:00am
Palani Sailfish
Walu Diversity and Political Correctness in a Threat Environment Presenter: Clifford Castle, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Working Luncheon (Additional Registration Required) Overview of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit Keynote Speaker: Gregory M. Vecchi, PhD, FACFEI, CHS-V, CFC CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Coral Ballroom
11:00am-12:30pm
Nomeus
Palani Sailfish
Unicorn
Walu
12:30pm-2:00pm
Evolving Security Paradigms Presenter: Thomas Gluzinski, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
2010 Radiation Course Presenter: Colonel Xavier Stewart, NR-EMT, RRT, FACFEI, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Defining Business Continuity Presenter: Clint Hilbert, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Response, Mohave County, Arizona Presenters: Bruce Leeming, CHS-V, and Anna Scherzer CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
2:15pm-3:45pm
Telephone Threat Management and Crisis Communications Presenter: Steven M. Crimando, MA, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Secure Commerce- The Crucial Role of Business in Homeland Security Presenter: Andrew Neal, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Undercover Operations Presenter: Oscar Baez, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Terrorism- The Security Challenge Presenter: Brian Westphal, CHS-III CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
4:00pm-5:30pm
Women and Terrorism in Our Culture-Is it Possible? Presenter: Richard Hughbank, CHS-IV, CMAS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Developing Integrated Public-Private Resiliency Programs: A Blueprint for Integrating Healthcare in Continuity of Operations Planning Presenter: James L. Paturas, LP, CHS-IV, CEM, CBCP CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
The War That Has No Borders Presenter: Ronald Hixson, MBA, LPC, LMFT, CHS-I CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
So It Never Happens Again Presenters: Dr. James Blair, CHS-V, and Dr. Marti Jordan CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Summer 2010
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
ABCHS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Understanding Threat Assessment…The Law Enforcement National Data Exchange Sum of the Parts to the Whole: Part 2 Program, (N-Dex) Presenter: Andrew J. Jurchenko, Sr., CHS-V, Presenter: Patrick Fagan DABCHS CEs: 1.5 ACFEI CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Unicorn Blending Traditional Safety, Human Resources and Risk Management Policies and Procedures With Post 9/11 "Best Practices" Presenter: Cathi L. Marx, CHS-V CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
17
SEPT.
23rd
American Psychotherapy Association
8:00am-9:00am
General Session Keynote Speakers: Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP, and Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
9:00am-9:30am
Morning Break
9:30am-11:00am
Location: Grouper Postpartum Depression: Its Impact on Couples and Martial Satisfaction Presenter: Diana Lynn Barnes, PsyD, LMFT, FAPA CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS
Lunch on Own
11:00am-12:30pm
12:30pm-2:00pm
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: From Inside Out Presenter: Patrick Thornton, PhD, DAPA CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CBBS
Domestic Violence: "Not in My Backyard" Presenter: Cornell J. Brunson, D.Th., MS, BCPC CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS, ASWB
2:15pm-3:45pm
Invisible Wounds: Healing Combat Veteran PTSD Using Reichian-Myofascial Release Therapy (RMFR) Presenter: Peter M. Bernstein, PhD, FAPA, MFT CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
The "Business" of Counseling: What Healthcare Professionals Did Not Learn in Graduate School Presenter: Wayne E. Tasker, PsyD, LCSW, LPC, DAPA CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS
4:00pm-5:30pm
Contextual Family Therapy Presenter: Stephanie K. Scott, PhD, LMHC, DAPA, BCPC CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CBBS
Attending to Multicultural Issues in the Professional Environment Presenter: Frances Clark-Patterson, PhD, LADC, MAC, BCPC CEs: 1.5 NBCC
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice.* 8:00am-9:00am 9:00am-9:30am
9:30am-11:00am
18
Location: Fantail Healthcare Provider Suicide Prevention Training Presenter: Dan Reidenberg, PsyD, FAPA, MTAPA, BCPC CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CBBS
PRESENTERS
APA NATIONAL CONFERENCE
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice.*
General Session Keynote Speaker: Governor Tom Ridge CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4 Morning Break Location: Fantail
Location: Grouper
Quantifying Emotional Intelligence: Identifying Relationships in the "Red Zone": Using Sports Healthy Relationship Skills Metaphors in Couples Therapy Presenter: Darwin Nelson, PhD, DAPA Presenter: Kathe Palermo Skinner, MA, LMFT, DAPA, CRS CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS CBBS
11:00am-12:30pm
Working Luncheon (Additional Registration Required) Don't Eat the Marshmallow Yet: Leadership Principles Needed to Succeed in a Changing World Keynote Speaker: Joachim De Posada, PhD, DAPA CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Yellowtail A Location: Fantail
Location: Grouper
12:30pm-2:00pm
Counseling the Woman of Trauma Presenter: Trudy Johnson, MA, LMFT Summer 2010 CEs: 1.5 NBCC,CBBS
Family Therapy Basics Presenter: Amy L. Flavin, MS, LPC, DAPA, BCPC CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER速
2:15pm-3:45pm
Using Reichian-Myofascial Release Therapy (RMFR) Presenter: Peter M. Bernstein, PhD, FAPA, MFT CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Contextual Family Therapy Presenter: Stephanie K. Scott, PhD, LMHC, DAPA, BCPC 4:00pm-5:30pm American Psychotherapy Association CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CBBS
Professionals Did Not Learn in Graduate School Presenter: Wayne E. Tasker, PsyD, LCSW, LPC, DAPA CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399 Attending to Multicultural Issues in the Professional Environment Presenter: Frances Clark-Patterson, PhD, LADC, MAC, BCPC CEs: 1.5SEPT. NBCC
24th
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice.* General Session Keynote Speaker: Governor Tom Ridge CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
8:00am-9:00am
Morning Break
9:00am-9:30am Location: Fantail
Location: Grouper
11:00am-12:30pm
Working Luncheon (Additional Registration Required) Don't Eat the Marshmallow Yet: Leadership Principles Needed to Succeed in a Changing World Keynote Speaker: Joachim De Posada, PhD, DAPA CEs: 1.0 ACFEI Location: Yellowtail A Location: Fantail
Location: Grouper
12:30pm-2:00pm
Counseling the Woman of Trauma Presenter: Trudy Johnson, MA, LMFT CEs: 1.5 NBCC,CBBS
Family Therapy Basics Presenter: Amy L. Flavin, MS, LPC, DAPA, BCPC CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS
2:15pm-3:45pm
Acts of Self Destruction Presenter: Ronald Hixson, MBA, LPC, LMFT, MTAPA CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
Yesterday's Child Presenter: D. Andrew Creamer, EdD, DAPA, BCPC CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS
4:00pm-5:30pm
Ways to Increase Your Practice: Private Probation Officers and Other Fields Panel Discussion CEs: 1.5 ACFEI
New Discoveries about the Brain: Practical Implications for Treatment of Clients Presenter: Donald E. Goff, PhD, DAPA, MTAPA CEs: 1.5 NBCC
APA NATIONAL CONFERENCE
9:30am-11:00am
Quantifying Emotional Intelligence: Identifying Relationships in the "Red Zone": Using Sports Healthy Relationship Skills Metaphors in Couples Therapy Presenter: Darwin Nelson, PhD, DAPA Presenter: Kathe Palermo Skinner, MA, LMFT, DAPA, CRS CEs: 1.5 American Psychological Association, NBCC, CEs: 1.5 NBCC, CBBS CBBS
“There was a great variety of presentations and I enjoyed the ability to network across the associations as many of our collective problems require new ideas from the entire community.”
Summer 2010
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
19
SEPT.
American Association of Integrative Medicine
23rd
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice. *
8:00am-9:00am
General Session Keynote Speakers: Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP, and Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE CEs: 1.0 AAIM Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
9:00am-9:30am
Morning Break Integrative Sleep Medicine Presenter: Zhaoming Chen, MD, PhD, CFP, FAAIM Room: Veiltail Working Luncheon (Additional Registration Required) Normalizing the Brain: The New Science of Neuromodulation for Mood Disorders and Insomnia Presenter: Daniel L. Kirsch, PhD, DAAPM, FAIS, CHS-III CEs: 1.0 AAIM Room: Labrid
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11:00am-12:30pm
12:30pm-2:00pm
Allopathic vs. Complementary Therapies: It Does Not Have to Be Either/Or Presenter: Tara C. Sharma, MD, FAAIM, DCP, BCIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
Art Therapy: Part 1 Presenter: Giora Carmi, BCIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Bluegill
2:15pm-3:45pm
Preventing and Reversing Cardiovascular Disease: A Non-Prescription, Non-Interventional Evidence Based Approach Presenter: Shashi Agarwal, MD, FAAIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
Art Therapy: Part 2 Presenter: Giora Carmi, BCIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Bluegill
Educate Don’t Medicate: Alternative Therapy Without Medication for ADD/ADHD Symptoms Presenter: Brian Sheen CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
4:00pm-5:30pm
PRESENTERS
AAIM NATIONAL CONFERENCE
9:30am-11:00am
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
Summer 2010
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
American Association of Integrative Medicine
SEPT.
24th
*Conference schedule is subject to change without notice. *
9:00am-9:30am
Morning Break
9:30am-11:00am
Introduction to Holistic Healing, Complimentary Alternative Modalities, and Wellness Presenter: Barbara Ann Wilmes, DSW, LMSW CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
11:00am-12:30pm
Lunch on Own
12:30pm-2:00pm
Healing Oils: Raindrop Therapy Presenter: Roger Rickman, FAAIM, DCPM, DCPC, BCIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
2:15pm-3:45pm
Dietary Supplement Containing ProHormones and Prosexual Nutrients Alleviates PMS/Menopausal Symptoms, Boosts Desire, Arousal, and Female Sexual Response Presenter: Daniel S. Stein, MD, FAAIM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
4:00pm-5:30pm
The Etiology of Psychophysiological Disorders Presenter: Gregory Nevens, EdD, FAAIM, FACFEI, DCPM CEs: 1.5 AAIM Room: Veiltail
“The networking this year was incredible! There was an energy about this conference that led to great excitement about being there and taking away as much as possible.”
AAIM NATIONAL CONFERENCE
8:00am-9:00am
General Session Keynote Speaker: Governor Tom Ridge CEs: 1.0 AAIM Location: Oceans Ballroom 1-4
“Great speakers. Most were well organized and very passionate with their area of expertise.”
Summer 2010
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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FEATURED SPEAKERS
Governor Thomas J. Ridge
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Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, The Honorable Tom Ridge become the first assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and on January 24, 2003, he became the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. During his tenure, Ridge worked with more than 180,000 employees from a combined 22 agencies to create an agency that facilitated the flow of people and goods, instituted layered security at air, land, and seaports, developed a unified national response and recovery plan, protected critical infrastructure, integrated new technology and improved information sharing worldwide. Ridge served as secretary of this historic and critical endeavor until February 1, 2005. Before the events of September 11, Ridge was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania. He served as the state’s 43rd governor from 1995 to 2001. Ridge’s aggressive technology strategy helped fuel the state’s advances in economic development, education, health care, and the environment. The Honorable Tom Ridge is the president and CEO of Ridge Global LLC. As the company’s chief executive, he leads a team of international experts who help businesses and governments meet a range of strategic and operational needs, including risk management and global trade security, strategic business generation, technology integration, event security, crisis management, campus security and other issues that encompass a diverse portfolio. The author of The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege - And How We Can Be Safe Again (September 2009), Ridge’s domestic and foreign policy credentials yield a unique insight into addressing the inextricable link between security and prosperity, and its positive effect in stabilizing regions around the world. Born August 26, 1945, Ridge earned a scholarship to Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at The Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After returning to Pennsylvania and to Dickinson, he earned his law degree and, later, became one of the first Vietnam combat veterans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served six terms. An engaging and dynamic speaker, Ridge regularly addresses audiences throughout the world on issues such as security, terrorism, global engagement, leadership, technology and more. Additionally, he serves on public and private boards, including the Institute for Defense Analyses and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and is currently the chairman of the National Organization on Disability and national co-chairman of the Flight 93 Memorial Fundraising Campaign. THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
Leadership Principles: Defined and Delivered One of the world’s most visible leaders, Tom Ridge understands that leadership, both individual and collective, requires that we think differently about its meaning and methods. Leadership, he believes, occurs at all levels, and requires more than position or title to drive people and organizations closer toward their goals. Drawing from a remarkable career, Ridge pulls from his varied experiences in Vietnam, the U.S. Congress, the Pennsylvania statehouse, the U.S Cabinet, and as CEO of his own consultancy, Ridge Global LLC. In a substantive, good-humored discussion, this consummate leader describes how to create teams that communicate clearly and quickly, and appropriately serve missions that will undoubtedly confront change, crisis, and growth. He presents an inspiring perspective that can benefit any individual or team and propel both toward a more accomplished, strategic and focused future. n
The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege and How We Can Be Safe Again Published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. This is Secretary Ridge’s account of his up-close and personal journey immediately following the attacks of September 11, 2001–through his days as White House Homeland Security Director–his leadership of the Department of Homeland Security–and his experiences following that historic endeavor. He praises the unsung heroes of that journey, lays out the challenges and the victories along the way, and offers his views on how we can achieve a better, safer world.
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
Henry Lee, PhD, FACFEI, DABFE, DABLEE
In 1975, Dr. Lee joined the University of New Haven, where he created the school’s Forensic Sciences program. He has also taught as a professor at more than a dozen universities, law schools, and medical schools. Though challenged with the demands on his time, Dr. Lee still lectures throughout the country and world to police, universities, and civic organizations. Dr. Lee has authored hundreds of articles in professional journals and has co-authored more than 25 textbooks, covering areas such as DNA, fingerprints, trace evidence, crime scene investigation and crime scene reconstruction. Dr. Lee has been the recipient of numerous medals and awards, including the 1996 Medal of Justice from the Justice Foundation, and the 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Science and Engineer Association. He has also been the recipient of the Distinguished Criminalist Award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences; the J. Donero Award from the International Association of Identification, and in 1992 was elected a distinguished Fellow of the AAFS. Dr. Lee is qualified as an expert witness or an expert involved in forensic science, forensic serology, blood-spatter analysis, crime scene investigation, fingerprints, imprints, and general physical evidence in the various county, superior, supreme and federal courts in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and various foreign countries. He is recognized as an expert by involvement in and/or performance of forensic laboratory examination, traffic accident investigation, airplane accident investigation, fire and arson investigation, home and industrial security, homicide and rape investigation in thousands of other criminal or civil cases submitted by representatives of the people and defendants, or by representatives of plaintiffs, and privately represented parties from all states and many foreign countries. Dr. Lee was born in China and grew up in Taiwan. Dr. Lee first worked for the Taipei Police Department, attaining the rank of Captain. With his wife, Margaret, Dr. Lee came to the United States in 1965, and he earned his B.S. in Forensic Science from John Jay College in 1972. Dr. Lee continued his studies in biochemistry at NYU where he earned his Masters Degree in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1975. He has also received special training from the FBI Academy, ATF, RCMP, and other organizations. He is a recipient of five honorary doctorate degrees from universities in recognition of his contributions to law and science. Dr. and Mrs. Lee have been married for 39 years and have two grown children, a daughter, Sherry, and a son, Stanley. n
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Dr. Henry C. Lee is one of the world’s foremost forensic scientists. Dr. Lee’s work has made him a landmark in modern-day forensic sciences. He has been a prominent player in many of the most challenging cases of the last 40 years. Dr. Lee has worked with law enforcement agencies in helping to solve more than 6,000 cases. In recent years, his travels have taken him to England, Bosnia, China, Brunei, and other locations around the world. An honorary Life Fellow of ACFEI and a distinguished professor of forensic science at the University of New Haven and Chief Emeritus in the Department of Public Safety in Meriden, Connecticut, Dr. Lee graduated from the Central Police College in Taiwan with a major in police science. He earned his PhD in biochemistry from New York University and has nine honorary doctorates. He has served as editor of seven academic journals, and is the author of (with Jerry Labriola, MD) Dr. Henry Lee’s Forensic Files and The Budapest Connection, with (Thomas W. O’Neil) Cracking Cases and Cracking More Cases, among other works. Dr. Lee appeared in Trace Evidence on CourtTV. Not only has he has assisted investigations in thousands of major cases around the world, but he has also testified over 1,000 times in both criminal and civil cases. He serves as consultant for over 300 agencies, including the New Jersey Burlington County Forensic Science Laboratory, the Connecticut State Public Defender’s Office, the Universities of Alabama and South Carolina, over 15 district attorney’s offices, the Taiwan National Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and several other police, fire, and law enforcement agencies. He has also been a special news analyst on CourtTV and a frequent guest on Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Fox TV shows, and numerous other national television programs. Dr. Lee’s testimony figured prominently in the O. J. Simpson trial and in the convictions of the “Woodchipper” murderer, as well as hundreds of other murder cases. Dr. Lee has assisted local and state police in their investigations of other famous crimes, such as the murder of JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado; the 1993 suicide of White House Counsel Vincent Foster; and the reinvestigation of the Kennedy assassination. Dr. Lee is currently the chief emeritus for the Scientific Services and was the Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Connecticut for over two years and served as that state’s Chief Criminalist from 1979 to 2000. Dr. Lee was the driving force in establishing a modern State Police Forensic Science Laboratory in Connecticut.
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FEATURED SPEAKERS
Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, FACFEI, CFP
Dr. Wecht is an honorary Life Fellow of ACFEI and Chair of the American Board of Forensic Medicine and the ACFEI Executive Advisory Board. He received his MD from the University of Pittsburgh and his JD from the University of Maryland. He is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic, clinical, and forensic pathology. He is a Charter Diplomate of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and served as chairman of that board. He is actively involved as a medical-legal forensic science consultant, author, and lecturer. Dr. Wecht served 20 years as elected coroner of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, and has performed approximately 16,000 autopsies, while assisting on 36,000 additional autopsies. He has testified in more than 1,000 civil, criminal, and worker’s compensation cases in more than 30 states. He is the author or co-author of 44 books, including the five -volume set Forensic Sciences (Matthew Bender), and two three-volume sets–Handling Soft Tissue Injury Cases and Preparing and Winning Medical-Negligence Cases.
Q & A with Dr. Wecht
Q. Where do you see the future of forensics? A. I see increased utilization of forensic scientific technol-
ogy and principles in civil and criminal cases, as well as the development of new, revised, and increasingly sophisticated scientific techniques.
Q. How do you determine which cases you investigate? A. As an independent, medical-legal, forensic scientific consultant, I respond to all inquiries and formal requests. I do not pick and choose the cases in which I become involved. Once I am on board, I undertake a complete and thorough investigation in all my cases.
Q. Is there one particular case that was more challenging than the others?
A. There have been many highly challenging cases throughout
my career in both the civil and criminal fields. The JFK assassination remains, after 45 years, the most important, controversial, and challenging case of my near half century career. 24
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
Q. How has the popularity of forensic shows like CSI and others affected the field?
A. CSI shows have had a significant impact on both the civil
and criminal justice systems. Jurors have come to expect all kinds of special forensic revelations in cases that involve medical and scientific issues. As a result, civil and criminal defense trial attorneys have had to become more aware and knowledgeable about the overall field of forensic science. Likewise, trial judges have also become more cognizant and appreciative of the relevance and significance of forensic scientific evidence and expertise in dealing with various kinds of both civil and criminal matters.
Q. What can attendees expect to take away from your session at the conference?
A.
Attendees of the 2010 ACFEI National Conference will acquire a great amount of knowledge regarding the various forensic scientific specialties with emphasis on the recognition and utilization of such evidence in civil and criminal litigation.
Q. How has ACFEI grown and changed during your time as a member? Why is it important for professionals to be active members in the association?
A. The ACFEI continues to grow in several respects.
Through the adoption of increasingly challenging certification processes, the professional reputation and stature of the ACFEI has been significantly enhanced. The 2009 National Academy of Sciences Report deals with the status of forensic science in the U.S. and strongly emphasized the need to recognize and correct long-standing deficiencies and mistaken concepts; improve educational programs; and require certification of forensic science experts.
Q. Anything else you would like to add? A. The ACFEI has accepted this NAS Report and has under-
taken to enhance the role of professional individuals involved in various forensic scientific and medical-legal endeavors through educational programs and stringent certification processes. n
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
Zhaoming Chen, MD, PhD, CFP, FAAIM; Daniel J. Reidenberg, PsyD, FAPA, DAPA, BCPC, CRS; and John H. Bridges III, DSc (Hon), CHMM, FACFEI
Dr. Dan Reidenberg, PsyD, FAPA, BCPC, CRS, is the Executive Director of SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), a national nonprofit agency working to prevent suicide and help suicide survivors and those suffering with brain illnesses. He is also the managing director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention and serves on the Steering Committee for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Steering Committee for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Dr. Reidenberg is the U.S. representative to the International Association for Suicide Prevention. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1988 with a degree in psychology and a minor in child psychology. After completing training at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center and the Minnesota Security Hospital, he received a doctorate of clinical psychology in 1994 from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Reidenberg speaks nationally on suicide prevention issues, has assisted with groundbreaking research on billboards and media related to suicide prevention and serves on various state suicide prevention task forces and committees. Under his direction SAVE operates a national multimedia campaign, professional and community education and training programs, as well as develops resources and support for those in crisis and survivors. He was responsible for the development of LEADS (Linking Education and Awareness of Depression and Suicide) a best-practices suicide prevention curriculum for use in high schools. He has a particular interest working with the media and entertainment industry
and is a member of the Entertainment Resource Professionals Association. He also recently convened a meeting of national experts to develop the new media recommendations for reporting on suicide. Dr. Reidenberg conducts crisis management training, is certified as both an aviation disaster responder and critical incident stress debriefer; he also serves as the chair of the American Psychotherapy Association’s Executive Advisory Board. John H. Bridges III, DSc (Hon), CHMM, FACFEI, is the president and chief executive officer for the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, which is chartered to foster the advancement of standards related to scientific and academic associations that represent the forensic, mental health, integrative medicine, and homeland security disciplines. Multi-disciplinary in its scope, ACFEI actively promotes the dissemination of integrated learning to further the continued advancement of academic and professional standards. Prior to his current position, Bridges served as the assistant administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and as the executive director, National Preparedness and Homeland Security with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in Washington, DC. In addition to these and other prestigious senior executive service positions, Bridges has an extensive background as a leading decision-maker in the homeland security arena; for instance, he served as incident commander for the world’s largest anthrax response, decontamination, and fumigation exercise to prepare for and respond to a massive biological terrorist attack in the United States. His in-depth knowledge of incident management, public safety, operations, and supply-chain logistics stems from his experience as a former federal on-scene coordinator and more than 20 years of training with the U.S. Marine Corps. With more than 30 years of academic, standards development, and private sector experience, Bridges draws from real-life evidence to produce significant competitive advantages and make better business decisions, which leads to Success You Can Measure! Mr. Bridges is a seasoned professional who holds multiple degrees and credentials, which include being a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (CLSSBB). His desire to champion change, coupled with his hands-on experience and performance-based methodology, led to his doctor of science (DSc) honoris causa degree in quality systems management and his current pursuit of a doctor of business administration (DBA) in homeland security, with an anticipated graduation date scheduled for March 2011. n
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Dr. Zhaoming Chen, MD, PhD, CFP, FAAIM, obtained his medical degree from Shanghai JiaoTong University College of Medicine, with a hematology and medicine residency at Rui-Jin Hospital, and a neurology residency at Georgetown University. He earned a PhD in neuroscience from Drexel University, and completed his research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, and his clinical neurophysiology fellowship from Georgetown University. He was trained in acupuncture from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He has decades of experience in Tai Chi and holds a certificate from Shanghai Institute of Qigong. He is now a board certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist. He has been selected for “America’s Top Physicians” for 2009. Dr. Chen also serves as the chair and chief spokesperson for the American Association of Integrative Medicine.
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www.2010nationalconference.net
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER速 Summer 2010
CON0210EX
2010 National Conference Registration Form September 22-24, 2010 • Orlando, FL • Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld® Members who wish to stay at the Renaissance Orlando Resort will receive a discounted group rate of $175/night. For room reservations call (800) 266-9432, and mention the 2010 National Conference
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CHS-V REVIEW COURSE AND EXAMINATION Wednesday, September 22, 8:00am-3:00pm ❑ CHS-V: CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) Preparedness This course will consist of a half-day review followed by the CHS-V certification exam. You must successfully complete the CHS-IV course to earn CHS-V status (CHS-IV is available online at www.abchs.com).
$495
ACFEI, ABCHS, APA, AAIM, & ACC National Conference Registration Wednesday, September 22-Friday, September 24 All registration rates include one ticket to the Annual Banquet. Registration with ACFEI, ABCHS, APA, AAIM, or ACC grants you full access to the sessions of ALL five associations. You will only receive the complimentary conference merchandise for the association with which you register. **Student and group pricing is available; please call for details.** Please check the primary association with which you wish to be affiliated with (check only one). ❑ The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (ACFEI) ❑ One-Day Conference Pass $249 ❑ The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security (ABCHS) ❑ Thursday, September 23 ❑ The American Psychotherapy Association (APA) ❑ The American Association of Integrative Medicine (AAIM) ❑ The American College of Counselors (ACC) *Please circle the appropriate registration rate.*
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ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION OPTIONS ❑ Working Luncheon $25/each: Fee includes lunch and presentation. All lunches will be held from 11:00am-12:30pm. Thursday, September 23: ❑ ACFEI or ❑ AAIM Friday, September 24: ❑ ABCHS or
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❑ Additional Banquet Ticket $75 (banquet will be held on Thursday, September 23)
PAYMENT PROCESSING ❑ Check enclosed (payable to ACFEI, ABCHS, APA, AAIM, or ACC) ❑ Purchase Order *ACC Members: Check Payment Only* ❑ MasterCard/Visa ❑ American Express ❑ Discover
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CANCELLATION POLICY: All requests for cancellation of conference registration must be made to Association Headquarters in writing by fax, mail, or email. Phone cancellations will not be accepted. All cancelled/refunded registrations will be assessed a $75 administrative fee. All refunds will be issued in the form of credit vouchers and are pro-rated as follows: cancellations received 4 or more weeks prior to the conference=100% refund (less $75 administrative fee); cancellations received less than 4 weeks but more than 1 week prior to the conference=50% refund (less $75 administrative fee); cancellations received 1 week or less prior to the conference=no refund. For more information on administrative policies, such as grievances, call (800) 423-9737. The performance of this conference is subject to the acts of God, war, government regulation, disaster, strikes, civil disorder, curtailment of transportation facilities, or any other emergency making it impossible to hold the conference. In the event of such occurrences, credit vouchers will be issued in lieu of cash. Conference schedule is subject to change. Please be Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® 27 prepared to show photo identification upon arrival at the conference. Special Services: ❑ Please check here if you require special accommodations to participate in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Attach a written description of your
CE ARTICLE: 1 CE CREDIT
Horacio E. Solla, PhD; Mehmet Yasar Iscan, PhD; and Barbara McCabe, BA
Skeletal Remains
CE ARTICLE
of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Fernando Miranda:
Victims of a Dictatorial Regime in Uruguay
S
cientists make unique contributions in human rights cases by applying scientific and forensic techniques to criminal investigations. In human rights cases, evidence is often based solely on the oral testimonies of victims or witnesses. There is little doubt concerning the importance of oral testimonies. However, spoken evidence is much more effective when it is corroborated by physical evidence. Experts such as forensic anthropologists, pathologists, and archaeologists contribute to rights cases by aiding in death investigations and in the identification of victims’ remains. Forensic anthropologists are often called on for cases in which trauma analysis and identification of human skeletal remains is necessary. In March 2005, the socialist government of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas sought to execute Article 4 of Law 15.848 concerning the investigation of the final destination of missing persons from the last dictatorial regime in Uruguay (1973-1984). The purpose of this study is to present forensic anthropological procedures used in the excavation and subse-
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
quent identification of skeletal remains belonging to missing individuals thought to have been killed during that period. A team of archaeologists was assembled with the permission of the government and after the four previous democratic administrations to execute a scientific investigation to examine previously restricted areas. The team entered the military headquarters where the offenses were presumed to have occurred and where the clandestine burials were assumed to be located. This archaeological team was supported by forensic scientists of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo and members of the Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense. Two nearly complete skeletons were recovered and identified. A left radius, representing a third individual, was also found inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters. Presented here is the study of the forensic anthropological identification of missing skeletal remains and skull photograph superimposition of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Fernando Miranda, both members of the Communist Bureau of Uruguay.
WWW.ACFEI.COM • (800) 592-1399
CE ARTICLE Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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CE ARTICLE
Introduction In February 1973, Juan María Bordaberry, president of the Republic of Uruguay, surrendered part of his administrative power to the armed forces. The military took aggressive action against an urban group whom they considered to be guerrillas. Thus was a political clash between the president and the Congress. Consequently, Bordaberry dissolved the Congress on June 27, 1973, and created a new legislative body composed mainly of civilians with whom he had a close rapport. In reaction to what was viewed as a dictatorial move, the National Confederation of Workers (CNT) initiated a general strike. The strike ended with violence, and the CNT was declared illegal and the autonomy of the trade unions ended. Within a short time, military control spread over the entire country, thereby establishing the strongest dictatorial regime ever seen in the history of Uruguay. In 1976, President Bordaberry canceled the election which was to be held that year. Following his decree, the military, in a coup, deposed Bordaberry and the national council and elected Aparicio Méndez as the new president. By late 1976, more than 6,000 people had been detained as political prisoners, and human rights violations were increasing. In 1980, the people rejected a new constitution through referendum and the military regime canceled the next democratic election, installing General Gregorio Alvarez as the new dictatorial leader (Caetano and Rilla, 1987). In the later months of 1984, critical changes were taking place within the country, including the legal re-establishment of the two traditional political parties—Partido Colorado and Partido Nacional—and for the first time in 13 years, open, democratic presidential elections were held. A year later, Dr. Julio María Sanguientti was elected president for the 1984-1989 term. Dr. Sanguientti was a veteran lawyer and the former Secretary of Culture. During his administration, a new amnesty law was passed that addressed human rights violations committed by military rulers between June 1973 and March 1985. On December 3, 2003, after approximately 18 years of political stability, during the administration of President Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, Judge Dr. Alejandro Recarey, in charge of the Elena Quinteros case, asked the forensic anthropologist of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo if it was possible to undertake a forensic study of the grounds of
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THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
the 13th and 14th Headquarters without entering the property, since a traditional survey was not yet possible. Prior to the passage of constitutional law No. 15.848, inspection of military installations without the express authorization of the president was forbidden. The forensic anthropologist of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo then assembled a team of experts including a geologist, Daniel Panario; a geomorphologist, Ofelia Gutierrez; and an archaeologist, Elizabeth Onega, to determine whether human remains might be buried inside the facilities of the 13th Infantry Headquarters. The multidisciplinary team reported to Judge Recarey and Prosecutor Dra. Mirtha Guianze that it was possible to study the grounds of the headquarters using aerial photographs (Fig. 1). To determine if this site held burials, the team immediately began comparing several aerial photographs taken over the last 60 years. Following the analysis, on February 2, 2003, a report from the multidisciplinary team was presented to Judge Recarey and Prosecutor Mirtha Guianze (Panario et al., 2004). In June 2004, the multidisciplinary team was asked by Titular Judge Dr. Cavalli and Prosecutor Guianze to explain several technical points of its report and as to whether a similar type of study could be done on the grounds of the 14th Headquarters. The analysis of the military grounds was made by digitizing several aerial photographs taken from 1940 to 2003. They were studied using computerized imaging methods to detect changes on the grounds of the military headquarters between 1973 and 1984. Aerial photographs revealed several
significant locations that might be excavated once the forensic team had the permission to enter the military grounds. Access to the sites suspected to contain clandestine burials was granted following the election of Dr. Tabaré Vázquez Rosas as the new president of the republic. On October, 31, 2004, the socialist candidate of the Encuentro Progresista Frente Amplio, Dr. Tabare Vazquez Rosas, won the presidential election and on March 1, 2005, declared that the people who had disappeared during the last regime should be found. The search was to include places that were previously off limits but where some individuals were thought to have been held during the dictatorial governments that were in place between 1973 and 1984. Later, a new team of archaeologists from the University of the Republic, led by Professor José Maria Lopez Mazz, was assembled to continue the work begun by the previous team. The new team included two forensic anthropologists sent from the Argentinean Forensic Anthropology Team, EAAF; later, four medical examiners and the forensic anthropologist of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo were added to the group to represent the Poder Judicial in the excavations (Fernandez Lecchini 2005a; Mirabal Bentos 2005). Burial Grounds and the Victims The grounds of the 13th Infantry Headquarters were scanned with aerial photographs to observe if there were any anomalous structures. The images revealed there were five locations that needed to be
s Fig. 1. Aerial view of the 13th Infantry Headquarters present day.
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investigated. These sites were identified by letters A-E; each showed evidence of soil removal that did not correspond to any construction of buildings, roads, or other facilities one would expect to find on a military installation (Fig. 2). Journalistic investigations had exposed evidence that torture and interrogation had been carried out inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters during the period of tyrannical rule. Previously classified data and witness testimonies confirmed rumors that several bodies had been buried inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters, the 14th Paratroop Infantry, and on a farm near Pando City, property of the Uruguayan Air Force, during the last dictatorial regime (Diario La República 1990; Diario La República 2003; Revista Postdata,1997). Based on confidential information, a new scientific team began its search at a farm near Pando City for the bodies of two missing persons, specifically Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Jose Arpino Vega, who were reportedly buried at this location.
Ubagesner Chaves Sosa was born in Tranqueras, a small town near Rivera City, Uruguay, on February 15, 1938. He was married and had a daughter. Chaves Sosa worked as a metallurgist and was an active member of the Communist Bureau. He was arrested by the military near his home on May 28, 1976. His wife, Isidora Musco, was also taken into custody and transported to the Air Force headquarters in Boizo Lanza. While in custody, Isidora recognized her husband in spite of the black hood over his head. When she inquired as to the whereabouts of her husband, she was told that he had been moved to a different location. After her release, Isidora Musco wrote to several individuals of the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States (OEA) for assistance in locating her husband. The Uruguayan government reported that Chaves had been arrested but had escaped while being moved to another military facility. Chaves had in fact been held at the Air Force Headquarters in Boizo Lanza, where he remained in seclu-
s Fig. 2. Circles A to E showing evidence of soil removal inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters.
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“By late 1976, more than 6,000 people had been detained as political prisoners, and human rights violations were increasing.”
sion until his death by torture on June 10, 1976. His death was certified by a military medical examiner. A false report was created as a part of a military cover-up stating that Chaves had escaped on June 8, 1976 (Asociación de Madres y Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos, 2004). The Commission for Peace (COPAZ), created by President Jorge Batlle, confirmed that Chaves had been confined. According to information received by COPAZ, Chaves was buried in an unmarked grave near Montevideo City. In 1984, his remains were reportedly exhumed and thrown into the sea (Comisión para la Paz, 2003). Fernando Miranda was born in José Batlle y Ordoñez, near Lavalleja, Uruguay, on July 4, 1919. He was married and had two sons. Miranda was a public notary and professor of law at the University of the Republic at Montevideo City. He was also an active member of the Communist Bureau of Uruguay. Miranda was arrested at his residence on November 30, 1975, by four military officers wearing civilian clothes, in the presence of his wife and sons. Miranda was in Punta del Este when his wife telephoned him saying that four men were at his house. He immediately returned home, where he was arrested and moved to an undisclosed location. When his relatives inquired about his whereabouts, the authorities denied his arrest. Later, a police report stated that a passenger list from the General Artigas ferry boat (Number 208) showed that at 10 p.m. on February 11, 1976, Miranda had boarded the ferry and traveled to Buenos Aires (Asociación de Madres y Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos, 2004). COPAZ later confirmed his kidnapping. Its report stated that Miranda was arrested in his house at 1612 Somme Street on November 30, 1975. He was taken to the Material and Weaponry (SMA) Division of the Armed Forces at the 13th Headquarters in Montevideo City. On December 1 or 2, 1975, while being moved for the purpose of interrogation, he attempted to escape. Captain Ferro responded with a karate blow to the nape of the neck, killing him immediately. Captain Ferro was a renowned karate expert and owned a karate school where he taught the sport. According to the COPAZ report, Miranda was buried at the 14th Paratroop Infantry Headquarters and his remains were later exhumed, cremated and spread into the sea in 1984 (Comisión para la Paz, 2003).
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s Fig. 3. A bulldozer was used to expedite the excavation of the interment sites at times.
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To follow is a discussion of the investigation of the recovery and identification of victims of human rights violations during this dark era in the history of Uruguay. This discussion also illustrates how forensic scientists can make contributions to the understanding of human rights violations even after many years through the application of archaeology, anthropology, and pathology to the recovery and subsequent identification of victims. Analysis and Identification of Skeletal Remains All skeletal materials were exhumed using established archaeological methods of excavation. At certain times with the suggestion of the EAAF, a bulldozer and other heavy equipment was necessary to reduce the laborious work and expedite the excavation of the interment sites of military importance (Fig. 3).
All excavated materials were brought to the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology at the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City following standard methods for handling forensic evidence (Karagioziz and Scaglio, 2005), where the remains were analyzed to determine cause of death, stature, age at death, racial affinity, gender, and eventually identity. The first excavation, Site A at the 13th Infantry Headquarters, was started in early March with authorization from President Dr. Tabaré Vázquez Rosas. This site yielded small bone fragments, which were analyzed by university specialists and a pathologist from the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City. These tiny bone fragments were examined histologically, and none of the specialists could determine whether they belonged to a human or animal. The skeletal fragments were stored for later analysis (Echenique, 2005;Troccoli, 2005).
s Fig. 4.View of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa´s skeletal remains found buried in a farm near Pando.
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On November 29, 2005, the first complete skeleton was recovered on a private farm near the city of Pando, located about 30 km northeast of Montevideo. This skeleton was later identified as Ubagesner Chaves Sosa by dental and anthropological analyses (Andina Lisboa, 2005; Solla, 2005b). Ubagesner Chaves Sosa was tortured, killed, and buried on a farm used by the Uruguayan Air Force (Fig. 4). On December, 2, 2005, a second set of human skeletal remains was recovered from inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters in Montevideo City (Fig. 5). These remains were later identified by anthropological methods and confirmed by DNA analysis to be those of Fernando Miranda (Solla, 2006; Presidencia, 2007). Another discovery was also made inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters, which consisted of a portion of a left radius that was situated next to the casing of a 9mm bullet. The bone was analyzed by the staff radiologist and anthropologist at the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City (Solla, 2005a; Taranto, 2005). The excavated single radius with a missing proximal epiphysis was determined to be that of an adult female over 25 years of age at time of death and a stature of about 155.0 cm +/- 4.0 cm. The bone was missing its proximal end. Sex was established by morphological traits (Krogman and Iscan, 1986) and the total length of the bone was calculated by the formulae for adult white females (Steele, 1970). One of the individuals reported missing was a schoolteacher, Elena Quinteros. The partial radius was suspected to have come from her. However, three DNA analyses were carried out, one at the EAAF laboratory of Cordoba City, Argentina (Vullo, 2006); a second analysis by the Technical Police of
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s Fig. 5. Photographs showing Miranda´s remains found buried inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters.
s Fig. 6. Reconstruction of Miranda´s skull.
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s Fig. 7. Miranda´s dental restorations.
Montevideo City, Uruguay (Dominguez and Pagano, 2006); and a third, conducted through the University of Granada, Spain (Lorente Acosta, 2006). None of the DNA analyses gave definitive results to the identity of the individua; the scientists were also unable to extract any usable mitochondrial DNA material. Neither the remains of Jose Arpino Vega nor those of any other human beings have been found at the 14th Paratroop Infantry
location. Once all skeletal remains were excavated, they were placed in a secure room to maintain the chain of custody. With the exception of the single radius, the excavated skeletons were nearly complete but badly preserved. The long bones and skulls seemed the best suited sections for identification. Once the broken bones were repaired, photographs, anthropometric dimensions, and morphological observations were obtained from the skeletons. The skull
of Miranda was better reconstructed and revealed information about dental restorations (Fig. 6). The skull was further prepared for video superimposition with the photographs of the missing victims. Anthropometric characteristics of the two skeletons are presented in Table 1. Using a combination of morphological and metric characteristics, it was determined that the remains found at a farm near Pando Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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Skeletal measurements
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Skull dimensions Glabella-occipital length Cranial breadth Basion-bregma height Basion-prosthion Bizygomatic diameter Nasal breadth Basion-nasion Nasion-prosthion height Mandibular dimensions Symphysis height Body height at M1 and M2
Chaves
Corpus length Corpus thickness at M2 Min ramus breadth Max ramus breadth Ramus height Bigonial diameter Long bone dimensions Humeral length Humeral head Humeral distal epiphysis breadth Radial length Ulnar length Max Femur length Tibial length Fibular length
184 136 136 100 119 20 102 65
183 141 137 98 122 24 102 71 29.94 23.7 89.34 16.61 32.68 42.75 72.37 86.31
303
244 249 440 372
329 48 66 245 264 446 345 348
Stature +/- SEE City were those of a Caucasoid male (Giles, 1970; Krogman and Iscan, 1986). Stature was calculated to be about 166.0 cm +/-3.0 cm using Trotter regression tables (Trotter, 1970). Racial affinity was determined using discriminant function analysis (Giles and Elliot, 1962); there was no obvious evidence of prior injury that might aid in identification. The methods to determine age at death were suture closure (Solla, 1994); the medullary cavity involution of the humerus (Soto et al 1989); dental attrition (Lovejoy, 1985); multiple component analysis (Acsadi and Nemeskeri, 1970); and pubic symphysis analysis (Todd, 1920; Snow, 1983; Katz and Suchey, 1986). Approximately one month later, after the anthropological examination
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Miranda
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166.0+/-3.0
168.0 +/-3.0
confirmed that the victim was Ubagesner Chaves Sosa, DNA analysis reconfirmed the finding (Presidencia de la República, 2007). The condition of the post-cranial bones of Miranda’s skeleton was not as good as those of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa, even though the grave itself was covered by a concrete slab. The reason for this was the humidity of the soil and the time elapsed since burial, combined with the fact that the bones were in an area that was frequently in use as a roadway for military equipment, which sent vibrations deep into the ground that damaged the bones as vehicles drove over and near the grave. However, the concrete slab may have provided a small amount of protection
for the body. Several bones, specifically those of the chest, were completely fragmented. A small cord was found around the victim’s neck, possibly from an identification tag which may have been used as a means of cataloging the prisoners. Any tag that might have contained a form of identification had long since disintegrated due to the long burial time and environmental conditions. The hands and feet did not contain any identifying information. The vertebral column was also badly preserved; only the lumbar vertebrae were available for analysis. The arms and legs were of a condition which also allowed inspection. Overall assessment revealed that the remains belonged to a white adult male with an age range of 45 to 60 years. All the measurable dimensions obtained at the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory from the skeletal remains of Fernando Miranda are given in Table 1. The sex of the skeleton was determined by morphological and discriminant functions analysis (Giles, 1970; Krogman and Iscan,1986). Stature was calculated by appropriate long bone lengths applied to the regression formulae listed in Trotter’s tables (Trotter, 1970). Table 1. Anthropometric values, indices, and stature of the skeletons of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa found in a farm near Pando City and of Fernando Miranda found in the 13th Infantry Headquarters. It was estimated that the victim was about 168.0 +/- 3.0 cm tall. Race was determined to be Caucasoid according to one of the discriminant function formulae developed by Giles’ formulae (Giles and Elliot, 1962}. Estimation of age at death was calculated using bones and the appropriate age techniques. The suture closure suggested an age between 50 and 60 years (Solla, 1994); medullary cavity of the humerus an average of 57.58 years (Soto et al., 1989); dental attrition between 45-55 years (Lovejoy, 1985); pubic symphysis analysis about 50 years old (Todd, 1920; Snow, 1983; Katz and Suchey, 1986). A more complex method by Acsadi and Nemeskeri (Acsadi and Nemeskeri, 1970) indicated an average age of 57.7 years old. Identification of the Skeletons In each case, the skeletons were identified by the method of photo to skull comparison by digital video superimposition. The identities
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s Fig. 8. Known photographs of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa in lateral view with the electronic superimposed image on the unknown skull.
of the two skeletons were later confirmed by DNA analysis (Presidencia de la República, 2007). The identification of a victim from skeletal remains is one of the most challenging aspects of forensic sciences (Iscan, 1988a; Iscan, 1990; Iscan, 1995c; Iscan and Loth, 1997; Iscan, 1998; Iscan and Solla, 2000; Solla, 1991; Solla, 1994; Solla, 1998). The technique of skull-photo superimposition has been used to assist in the identification of numerous victims and is accepted in courts in a number of countries (Glaister and Brash, 1937; Basauri, 1967; Koelmeyer, 1982; Cai and Lan, 1982; Hagemeier, 1983; Dorion, 1983; Helmer, 1986; Helmer, 1987; Cai et al, 1989; Yoshino and Seta, 1989; Ivanov and Abramov, 1991; Ubelaker,1996; Solla,1999; Solla and Iscan, 2001). The use of a computer in this technique has added a number
of advantages to the process (Pesce Delfino et al, 1986; Nickerson et al, 1991). One person can accomplish the whole procedure. The technique requires great experience and standard equipment consisting of one digital video camera, a standard high resolution monitor, a tripod for the video camera, a digital video mixer, a skull positioning stand, a photo stand to hold the photo for comparison, several white fluorescent lamps, a personal computer, a DVD recorder unit, a Pinnacle Studio DC 10 video capture and editing card (.jpg format is recommended), and a printer unit. The first photograph used in the comparison was that of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa in lateral view. It was placed under the video camera and illuminated by a white fluorescent lamp. The image was adjusted on both screens (a conventional high resolution moni-
tor and personal computer monitor). This image was digitized by the digital video mixer and stored in the computer as a .jpg file. Next, a transparent plastic sheet was taped to both monitors. Key anatomical landmarks on the face were traced on these sheets. The image of the first photo was removed from both monitors and, using the digital mixer controls, it was placed under the video camera that was focused on the unknown skull which had been prepared with tissue markers and illuminated by white fluorescent lamps. The skull was manipulated manually or by a servo-motor until the position approximated that of the individual in the photograph. After the skull was correctly oriented, using the video camera zoom, the size of the skull image was adjusted so that it was as close as possible to that of the individual in the photograph. After comparing anatomical landSummer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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s Fig. 9. Superimposition of Chaves’ maxilla on that of the unknown remains.
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s Fig. 10. Miranda photographs, frontal and lateral views, demonstrating the agreement between the victim’s facial image and cranium.
marks in the skull with their counterparts marked on the plastic overlays, the image of the skull was digitalized using the digital video mixer unit and then stored as .jpg files on the computer hard drive. Both images (photo and skull) were then superimposed on both monitors for a detailed comparison. The digital mixer unit permitted the desired combinations of photo-skull comparison, including removal of soft tissue to view the underlying skeletal structures such as the auditory canal, zygomatics, and jaw bones, nasal root, dentition, chin, skull contours and so forth. The entire process was recorded by a DVD unit. Good quality photographs can be made by the computer printer to attach to a forensic report or sent by electronic mail to other experts. The same procedure was followed using all the photographic evidence obtained for comparison (Fig. 8). Each of the fragmented skulls and mandibles had to be reconstructed in order to compare them with the submitted photographs by video superimposition. The identification of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa was aided by information provided by his wife indicating that in his youth he had received a trauma to his upper right central incisor resulting in the tooth becoming discolored (Fig. 9).
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Fernando Miranda was also identified by the method of photo-skull comparison by digital video superimposition. Two good photographs were submitted by the presidential secretary for comparison with the skeletal materials recovered. While his height, race, sex and age at death were known, identification was more difficult since characterizing information was not provided to the forensic anthropologist by his family or by his dentist that might aid in the analysis (Fig. 10). Discussion The investigation was delayed for a long time due to legal issues and military autonomy barring the examination of armed forces facilities suspected to be involved in the disappearance of many individuals during the period of 1973-1984. In the present study, the analysis of both individuals indicated that conformity was found between the skull and all recognizable proportions of head, face, eyes, nose, and mouth on the photographs. The outlines of the soft tissue on the skulls were congruent with the facial contours in each of the photographs. Therefore the comparisons failed to exclude these skulls as being those of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Fernando Miranda. Several images of superimpositions
and pictures sections (vertical and horizontal) were obtained showing excellent matches between all photographs and the unknown skulls. Therefore, a positive identification could be made by comparison of photoskull. Discovery of human skeletal remains inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters and a civilian location near Pando City demonstrate that the information given by COPAZ about the final destination of missing persons during the last dictatorial regime was false or at least incorrect. COPAZ, in its final report, said that “all the remains have been cremated and thrown into the sea in 1984” (Comisión para la Paz, 2003). Inquiry into the widespread lack of protection for human rights continues on a global level without any sign of resolution. Two things, however, are obvious: 1. there are no easy answers to this problem, and, 2. solutions cannot be discovered without information and evidence collection. This is where the scientist is not only useful, but essential. The work must begin by acknowledging the relationship between science and human rights. Scientists make unique contributions to human rights through the application of scientific methods and techniques of investigation into these kinds of abuses as well as
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of the work is far greater. One unexpected difference is the lack of support disciplines. In many parts of the world, these individuals find that it is necessary to become “jacks-ofall trades.” Within the most industrialized countries, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is largely upheld by domestic law. Therefore, on home soil, human rights tend to be identified with law enforcement and forensic investigations. In many other parts of the world, however, human rights are not upheld by civil or criminal law. The only recourse for action is through the application of international human rights covenants. Under such conditions, the only people available to enforce human rights covenants are those employed by private and international human rights organizations. The application of the forensic sciences to human rights investigation can be crucial in proving that such violations occurred and in obtaining judicial redress for criminal activity (Hannibal, 1992; Amnesty International, 1994) Forensic anthropologists, both physical anthropologists and archaeologists, contribute to human rights primarily by aiding in death investigations. All of them join with other forensic scientists in revealing evidence of mass murder, genocide, torture,
execution, and in cases of political disappearances. Forensic anthropologists are called in especially in cases where trauma analysis and personal identification of human skeletal remains is required. Sometimes the bodies require careful archaeological excavation in order to expose the remains and associated evidence such as clothes, coins, personal documents, and so on. Generally the entire site must be treated like a crime scene, and the archaeologist must be careful to obtain the greatest amount of information from the site. This is crucial since an excavation destroys the site. Identification and other studies must be done in the laboratory to interpret the events surrounding the death. In Uruguay, the local judge must always be present at the scene of a crime. Perhaps the first use of forensic anthropology in a human rights mission occurred in 1984, when a group of scientists from the United States was asked to aid in the location and identification of victims of the 1976-1983 Argentinean Junta regimes. Forensic anthropologist Dr. Clyde Snow was asked to be a consultant representing the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. This is a group of grandmothers and mothers of the “disappeared people” during the last Argentinean dictatorial regime (EAAF, 1990a; EAAF, Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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other violations. In such cases, evidence is often based solely on oral testimony from victims or other eyewitnesses. There is no doubt about the importance of oral testimony; however, this form of evidence is far more effective when corroborated by material proof. Physical evidence has an even greater value when there are conflicting testimonies from several different parties. It can be used to support, contradict, or further explain other circumstances. The most critical need for material verification is when no other evidence exists. Either the events in question were not witnessed by any living person, or the witnesses are unwilling to testify. In these situations, the material evidence is the only path to the truth. Scientific analysis is essential for evaluation of physical evidence. A well-trained forensic scientist maintains a careful chain of custody, preserves the security of the evidence, explains the methods used in analysis, reports any and all results, and testifies about the methods, results, and conclusions within a court of law. Human rights work, for the professional forensic scientist, is his or her daily routine. In cases of human rights violations, forensic scientists are the people in authority, cultural assumptions just do not apply, and the scale
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1990b). In Uruguay, the first set of skeletal remains of a disappeared person to be recovered and identified from the time of the dictatorial regime was that of the late Roberto Gomensoro Josman. His remains were analyzed and identified in early July 2002 (Solla et al. 2005). Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank: Dr. Alejandro Recarey, former judge in charge of the Elena Quinteros case; Dr. Juan Carlos Fernandez Lecchini, judge in charge of the Elena Quinteros case; Dr. Gustavo Mirabal, judge in charge of the María Claudia de Gelman case; Dra. Mirtha Guianze, prosecutor in charge of the Elena Quinteros case; Tte. Gral Angel Bertolotti, former commander in chief of the armed forces; and Col. Raúl Glodosky, former secretary to the commander in chief; Dr José María López Mazz, director in chief of the Forensic Archaeologist Team; Dra. Maris Rivoira, director in chief
of the Instituto Técnico Forense; and Dra. Mónica Etcheverry, vice director in chief of the Instituto Técnico Forense, for their support and assistance in the investigation and analyses of these cases. Without their cooperation and interest in these projects, a resolution of the disappearance of the discovered remains and their subsequent identification would not have been possible. References
Acsádi, G. & Nemeskeri, J. History of human lifespan and mortality 1970. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. Amnesty International. “Disappearances” and political killings: Human rights crisis of the 1990s. A Manual for Action (1994). Amsterdam. Andina Lisboa, C. Informe odontologico (official report). Montevideo, I.T.F., Poder Judicial, 9 de diciembre de 2005. Asociación de Madres y Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos (2004). A Todos Ellos. Montevideo. Basauri, C. (1967). A body identified by forensic odontology and superimposed photographs. International Criminal Police Review 204: 37-43. Caetano, G. & Rilla, J. (1987). Breve historia de la dictadura. Montevideo, CLAEH/Banda Oriental.
Cai, D. & Lan, Y. (1982). Research on standards for skull to photo superimposition. Criminal Technol (Suppl), Beijing 34-40. Cai, D. Lan, Y. Tao, C. Gui, R. J. Mu, Y. C. Feng, J. H. (1989). A study on the standard for forensic anthropologic identification of skull-image superimposition. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 34(6), 1343-56. Comisión para la Paz (2003). Informe Final. Secretaria de Prensa y Difusión. Montevideo, Presidencia de la República. Diario La Republica. Ex soldado del Batallón de Construcciones Viales Nº 5 relata cómo hallaron los cuerpos y que ocurrió con ellos. Montevideo, 20 de junio de 1990. Diario La Republica. Ex militar señaló a La República el lugar exacto donde se cavaron las tumbas en el Batallón Nº 13. Montevideo, 8 de septiembre de 2003. Domínguez, V. Pagano, S. Informe pericial asunto N° 00021/06. Informe de Laboratorio N° 611/05 y 6/06, (Official report). Montevideo, Dirección Nacional de Policía Técnica, 22 de mayo de 2006. Dorion, R.B.J. (1983) Photographic superimpositions. Journal of Forensic Sciences 28, 724-34. Echenique, M. Informe sobre restos pequeños de huesos. Montevideo, 2 de junio de 2005 (Official report). Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, I.T.F., Poder Judicial. Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense (1990). Guía práctica para el trabajo en antropología forense: Exhumación y análisis de restos oseos. En: Actas del
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About the Authors Horacio E. Solla, PhD, received his graduate degree in anthropological sciences in 1991 from the University of the Republic, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Uruguay. He has made several postgraduate degree courses in forensic anthropology in 1992, in 1995 and the last one in 2003 by Dr. Douglas H. Ubelaker of the Smithsonian Institution. He has received a certificate of inclusion in 2000 and Outstanding Scholars of the 21st Century (First Edition) in Honor of an Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Forensic Anthropology in Uruguay as founder of forensic anthropology in that country. He has a master’s degree in human sciences from the University of the Republic, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. He has received a doctorate degree of merit from the International Biographical Institute at Cambridge, England, and he also has a doctorate degree with a major in forensic sciences from the Atlantic International University. He has published more than 50 scientific papers and three books. Dr. Solla is a member of the Uruguayan Society of Forensic Sciences (1991), the Uruguayan Society of History of the Medicine (1992), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (1995), the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (2000) and the Spanish College of Forensic Experts (2002). He also was curator at the National Museum of Anthropology (1990-1992); assistant of physical anthropology at the University of the Republic, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Uruguay (1989-1995); and forensic anthropologist at the National Institute of Criminology (1992-1995). Presently, he has a full-time position as forensic anthropologist at the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City (Secretary of Justice), where he has solved more than 870 forensic anthropologic cases and identified more than 150 human skeletal remains. He also has worked as advisory forensic anthropologist in several important private cases. Barbara McCabe, BA, graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and attended Florida Atlantic University as a graduate student under Dr. Mehmet Yasar Iscan. McCabe has published papers on the effects of animals on human remains and the human skeletal system. She is interested in human dentition, occupational stress, and skeletal trauma caused by animal attacks. Mehmet Yasar Iscan, PhD, received his doctorate from Cornell University. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, was a professor at Florida Atlantic University, and served as consultant to the Palm Beach Broward County Medical Examiner’s Offices. Dr. Iscan is a member of numerous scientific organizations, including the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, the American Anthropological Association, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. His work had appeared in many specialized journals. One of Dr. Iscan’s most noteworthy books is The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine, which he coauthored with Wilton Marion Krogman.
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Lovejoy, C. (1985). Dental wear in the libben population: Its functional pattern and role in the determination of adult skeletal age at death. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 68, 47-56. Mirabal Bentos, G. Resolución N° 667. Designación de los Médicos Forenses Orrico, E. Imbert, M y Solla, H. E. como peritos forenses y veedores en las excavaciones dentro del Batallón de Paracaidístas N° 14 (Official communication). Montevideo, 5 de agosto de 2005. Nickerson, B., Fitzhorn, P., & Koch, S.C.M. (1991). A methodology for near-optimal computational superimposition of two-dimensional digital facial photographs and three-dimensional cranial surface meshes. Journal of Forensic Sciences 36(2-3), 480-500. Panario, D., Gutierrez, O., & Onega, E. (2004). Esudio geoarqueologico del batallon 13. recuperando la memoria. Montevideo. Asociacion de Docentes de la Universidad de la Republica. Pesce Delfino, V., Colonna, M., Vacca, E., Potente, F., & Introna, F.J. (1986). Computer-aided skull/face superimposition. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 7(3), 201-12. Presidencia de la República Oriental del Uruguay. Investigación Histórica sobre Detenidos Desaparecidos. Montevideo, Uruguay, 2007. Revista Postdata. Yo los enterré, (pp. 14-17). Montevideo, 11 de abril de 1997. Snow, C.C. (1983). Equations for estimating age at death from the pubic symphysis. A modification of the McKern-Stewart method. Journal of Forensic Sciences 28, 864-70. Solla, H.E. (1991). La Antropologia Forense. Revista MIDU 3(12), 34. Solla, H.E. (1994). Un nuevo método para la estimacion de la edad anagrafica en restos oseos humanos. Revista Internacional de Biología de Poblaciones, Antropologia Biologica 2(2), 1-13. Solla, H.E. (1998). Pericias de Antropología Forense. En: Manual Informativo del Instituto Técnico Forense (pp. 36-37). Montevideo. Suprema Corte de Justicia. Poder Judicial Solla, H.E. (1999). Historia de la utilización de métodos electrónicos para la identificación de restos óseos humanos. En: Anales de la Sociedad Uruguaya de Historia de la Medicina, Vol 18 (1997-1998). Montevideo. Gil, J. Burgues, S., Mañé Garzón, F. editores. (pp. 257-268). Solla, H.E. Informe N° 535a. Laboratorio de Antropología Forense (Official report). Departamento de Medicina Forense. I T F. Montevideo, 9 de diciembre de 2005. Solla, H.E. Informe N° 535b. Laboratorio de Antropología Forense (Official report). Departamento de Medicina Forense. I.T.F. Montevideo, 19 de diciembre de 2005. Solla, H.E. Informe 540. Laboratorio de Antropología Forense (Official report). I.T.F. Montevideo, 19 de enero de 2006. Solla, H.E. & Iscan, M.Y. (2001) Skeletal remains of Dr. Eugenio Antonio Berrios Sagredo. Forensic Science International 116 (2-3), 201-11. Solla, H.E., Iscan, M.Y., & McCabe, B. (2005). A victim of a dictatorial regime: Identification of Mr. Roberto Gomensoro Josman. Forensic Science International 151(2-3), 213-20. Soto, H. et al. (1989). Estudio métrico del canal medular del húmero como indicador de la edad. En: Estudios de Antropología Biológica (pp. 143-8). México, D.F. U.N.A.M. Steele, G. (1970). Estimation of stature from fragments of long limb bones. In: T.D. Stewart (ed). Personal Identification In Mass Disasters (pp. 85-97). Washington, D.C. National Museum of Natural History
Taranto, G. Informe de pericia radiológica. (Official report). Departamento de Medicina Forense, I. T. F. Montevideo, 26 de diciembre de 2005. Todd, T.W. (1920). Age changes in the pubic bone: I. The male white pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 3, 285-339. Tróccoli, J.A. Informe pericial sobre fragmentos de restos oseos, l de julio de 2005 (Official report). Montevideo. Servicio de Microbiología Molecular Electrónica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica. Trotter, M. (1970). Estimation of stature from intact limb bones. In: T.D. Stewart, (ed): Personal Identification in Mass Disasters (pp. 71-84). National Museum of Natural History Washington D.C. Ubelaker, D.H. (1996). The Remains of Dr. Carl Austin Weiss: Anthropological Analysis. Journal of Forensic Sciences 41, 60-79. Vullo, C.M. Investigación para identificación de restos óseos, 16 de mayo de 2006 (Official report). Córdoba, 2006. Yoshino, M., & Seta, S. (1989). Personal identification of the human skull: Superimposition and radiographic technique. Forensic Science Review 1, 23-42. n
EARN CE CREDIT To earn CE credit, complete the exam for this article on page 84 or complete the exam online for FREE at www.acfei.com (select “Online CE”). This article is approved by the following for continuing education credit: (ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates and certified members. After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following: 1. Describe the many contributions a forensic anthropologist may give to the medico-legal system in Uruguay and around the world. 2. Explain how forensic anthropologists contribute to the investigation of cases of human rights violations in several Latin American countries and others around the world. 3. Explain how the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City has contributed to the human rights cause in Uruguay. 4. Explain the importance of a forensic anthropology laboratory where forensic anthropologists, pathologists, toxicologists, and law enforcement officers work together as a team to identify human skeletal remains and solve crimes—not only those in relation to human rights.
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II Congreso Regional de Arqueología. Caracas. Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense (1990). Seis años de Antropología Forense en el Cono Sur. En: Actas del II Congreso Regional de Arqueología. Caracas. Fernández Lecchini, J.C. Resolución N° 218. Designación del Dr. Horacio Solla como perito antropólogo forense y veedor de los trabajos de excavaciones dentro del Batallón 13 de Infantería. Montevideo (Official communication), 15 de marzo de 2005. Giles, E. Discriminant functions sexing of the human skeleton (1970). In: Stewart T.D, editor. Personal Identification in Mass Disasters (pp. 99-107). Washington, D.C. National Museum of Natural History. Giles, E. & Elliot, O (1962). Race identification from cranial measurements. Journal of Forensic Science 7, 147-57. Glaister, J. & Brash, J. (1937). Medicolegal aspects of the Ruxton Case. Edinburg: E & Livingstone. Hagemeier, H. (1983). Identification of a skull by electronic superimposition of images. International Criminal Police Review 38, 286-90. Hannibal, K. (1992). Taking up the challenge: Promotion of human rights. A guide for the scientific community (pp. 92-328). Science and Human Rights Program. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Publication. Helmer, R. (1986). Identifizierung der Leichenuberreste des Josef Mengele. Archiv fur Kriminologie 177, 130-44. Helmer, R. (1987). Identification of the cadaver remains of Josef Mengele. Journal of Forensic Sciences 32(6), 1622-44. Iscan, M.Y. & Loth, S.R. (1988). Rise of forensic anthropology. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 31, 203-30. Iscan, M.Y. (1990). Forensic anthropology in international forum. Adli Tip Derg 6(1-2), 103-5. Iscan, M.Y. (1995) Forensic anthropology around the world. Forensic Science International 74(1-2), 1-3. Iscan, M.Y. & Loth, S.R. (1997). The scope of forensic anthropology. In: Eckert WG, editor. Introduction to forensic sciences (pp. 343-69). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Iscan, M.Y. (1998). Progress in forensic anthropology: The 20th century. Forensic Science International 98 (1-2), 1-8. Iscan, M.Y. & Solla, H.E. (2000). Forensic anthropology in Latin America. Forensic Science International 109(1), 15-30. Ivanov, P.L. & Abramov, S.S. (1991). Authentication of the skeletal remains of the Last Russian Tsar and Royal Family: Cooperation between forensic craniofacial specialists and DNA experts. 113035 Moscow: Bureau of the Chief Forensic Medical Examiner Ministry of Health, ½ Pjatnitzkaya St. Karagioziz, M.F. & Scaglio, R. (2005).An introduction to the collection, preservation, analysis and presentation of evidence. Springfield, IL. Charles C Thomas Publisher. Katz, D. & Suchey, M. (1986). Age determination of the male os pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 69, 226-35. Koelmeyer, T.D. (1982). Videocamera superimposition and facial reconstruction as aid to identification. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 3, 45-8. Krogman, W.M. & Iscan, M.Y. (1986). The human skeleton in forensic medicine. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher. Lorente Acosta, J.A. Informe de criminalistica C03/06, 4 de octubre de 2006 (Official report). Laboratorio de Identificacion Genetica, Universidad Granada.
KEY WORDS: human skeletal remains, forensic anthropology, human rights, Uruguay TARGET AUDIENCE: forensic examiners, forensic anthropologists PROGRAM LEVEL: Basic DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
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By John Daab, PhD, MA, RI, CFC
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Where Are the Forensic Examiners? he art world has been generating billions of dollars of sales over the last few years. Abundant evidence exists suggesting that much of the art being sold is of questionable authenticity. One expert—Thomas Hoving, former Metropolitan Museum director—has stated that 40% of the examined works under his watch were inauthentic. Forensic science has been used as a mechanism to identify fake art but has taken a back seat to connoisseurs who have traditionally made the final judgment of a work’s authenticity. This article introduces the concept of authenticity, the various forensic structures and systems used to establish levels of authenticity, and how forensic examiners should take a stronger and more salient role in the fine art authentication process.
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s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, painted by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn in 1633
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Over the past few years, there has been a spate of fine art incidents in which the works of famous artists have been found in rag shops, attics, or generally just lying around, waiting to be discovered. There was the trucker’s find of a Jackson Pollock (Kennedy, 2006), the rediscovery of a Christie’s attributed German work, now thought to be a Da Vinci (Israely, 2009), and a Pollock from Long Island (Philips, 2007). In all of these discoveries, the self-proclaimed forensic expert who arrived at the conclusion that the works were genuine was untrained and further lacked any credential demonstrating that his expertise was legitimate. More importantly, some of the determinations were dead wrong. In one case, Pat Wertheim, a noted fingerprint expert, found that an alleged print claiming authenticity was in fact a digitally applied one (Hochfield, 2008). In other cases, the individuals verifying authenticity were appraisers. Please note that appraisers are warned by their appraisal organizations to refrain from engaging in any authentication. The organizations note that clients do not want to pay for such a process, that authentication calls lead to litigation, and that appraisers are not trained to perform authentication (Art Appraisers Association of America, 2009). In fact, appraisal organizations offer little or no coursework in art authentication. These episodes of so-called forensic science are making the news and underscoring the weak controls in the science of authenticating objects of art. Instead of having real forensic experts testing for matches between real and fake works of art, we have the forensically untrained taking up the slack (New York University, 2009). A Brief History of the Fine Art Authentication Process The process of authenticating objects of art such as paintings, antiques, glass, silver, and rugs follows three distinct operations— scientific analysis of the media for age; provenance or identifying documents supporting ownership; and connoisseurship, when a connoisseur looks at the creative style of the work and makes a final authentication judgment (Museo d’Arte e Scienza, 2009). One could argue that much of the process really does not enter into the domain of forensics since it is more of a subjective arena, often historical. This arena consists of individuals with a background in art history or art collection such as Bernard Berenson (Secrest, 2005) or Eugene Thaw, who would look at a work and pass judgment on its authentic-
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ity (Aronson, 2006). This view is not far off the mark. Historically, such individuals have ruled the authentication process; that is, until Thomas Hoving noted that 40% of museum artwork is of questionable authenticity (Hoving, 1997). The former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hoving based his point on the results of a team of museum experts that examined 55,000 objects of art. The Rembrandt Project came to a similar conclusion following similar methods in the examination of 627 alleged Rembrandt works. Only 267 were deemed authentic (Gash, 1993). The fact that the connoisseur has been supplanted by a forensic/scientific approach marks a significant turning point in the authentication model. It is important to note that current forensic approaches have been involved only minimally, just scratching the surface of a complex process. Fingerprinting, digital analysis, and chaos theory have arisen in the examination of fine art, but standard forensic processes are absent from the analysis or fail to follow up and focus on deeper analysis (Daab, 2009). Fingerprint analysis fails in the most basic approach of securing legitimate exemplar prints for comparison; digital analysis looks to authenticate by choosing one-inch examples of artistic style, forgetting chain-ofcustody requirements on how the samples were taken, stored, and protected. Chaos theory, via the use of geometrically indeterminate structures called fractals (think snowflakes, coastlines, tree branches), attempts to generate an empirical approach but is flawed; predictability is logically prohibited from indeterminacy (Taylor, 2002). In the area of provenance research, document searches are carried out and signatures are traced, but no attempt is made to provide the depth of a questioned document approach. Documents are provided, but little analysis takes place to verify that the signer’s signature or writing matches that of the writer in terms of slant, line following, spelling, use of print versus cursive, and idiomatic use (Daab, Questioned Documents, 2009). One would not expect forensic examiners to be involved in connoisseurship, but there is no reason to assume that the subjective realm of denoting a match between style, content, and subject matter cannot be developed into a more objective, scientific endeavor. There is no reason why the points on a fingerprint establishing a match cannot be a fitting model for connoisseur matches; for instance, this painting is authentic be-
s Portrait of a Woman, attributed to Goya (1746-1828). X-ray images taken of this painting in 1954 revealed the portrait of another woman beneath its surface. X-ray diffraction analysis showed zinc white paint—this type of paint was invented after Goya’s death. Further analysis revealed that the surface paint was modern and had been applied to prevent obscuring the craquelure of the original. The conservators left the work as you see it above after their analysis, with portions of old and new visible to display the intricacies of art forgery—and the difficulty in discerning it.
cause the connoisseur points of style, content, subject matter etc., match the points of the exemplar work. This is not to reach out for an unequivocal proof of match, but one based on descriptive data rather than unsupported feelings or presuppositions. The Current Fine Art Authentication Paradigm Scientific Analysis of the Medium The current method of ascertaining authenticity in a given piece of art begins with the scientific age analysis of the media. Here, the particular medium or material used to create the object is examined to determine age and makeup. Forensic scientists will look at wood panels, paint pigments, underlayments, interior structures, chemical sources, canvases, and stretchers upon which a work is applied or built. The logic of science in the analysis is grounded in the notion that if scientific fact establishes that the medium does not support the time period of a work’s creation, the work is not authentic and no further testing is necessary. If science finds that a panel of wood supporting a Da Vinci work is incompatible with the known time of the work’s creation, it follows that the work could not have been done by Da Vinci. If the paint pigment was created in 1945 and Da Vinci created the work in the 1500s, it goes without saying that unless Da Vinci traveled around in a time machine, he could not possibly have
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painted it. Although science may discount or provide evidence that a work was a fake, scientific analysis may not establish that a work is real. If the components of a work have been corroborated as stemming from a certain period, that in itself does not necessarily mean that the work is authentic.
La Cañada Woman Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Selling Millions of Dollars of Fake Art Through Nationwide TV Art Auction Program A La Cañada, California, woman who sold fake art—including works purported to be by Picasso, Dali, and Chagall (left)— through a rigged televised art auction has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison. Kristine Eubanks, 52, was sentenced on April 5 by United States District Judge Gary A. Feess, who said that the fraud scheme was “audacious in its scope” and “blatantly illegal.” The scam, run through a company called Fine Art Treasures Gallery, falsely told customers that art sold on the company’s television show had been found at “estate liquidations all over the world.” Instead, Eubanks and others sold fake and forged art that they had bought from suppliers, as well as forgeries they had printed themselves and signed on behalf of the artists. The scam brought in well over $20 million from more than 10,000 victims across the country. Eubanks pleaded guilty in April 2007 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, and to filing a false income tax return. Through this company, Eubanks and her conspirators operated an art auction television show, which aired on Friday and Saturday nights on DirecTV and The Dish Network, and sold art to customers around the United States. Eubanks and her husband, Gerald Sullivan, 54, ran the scheme from 2002 through 2006. Eubanks admitted that she obtained fake art from various suppliers, and printed other art works in her own printing shop, and sold that bogus art on the auction as genuine. Eubanks and others forged signatures on some of the works, including purported lithographs from Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dali.To support the scam, Eubanks also forged Certificates of Authenticity for certain pieces and provided falsified appraisals for some of the jewelry that was sold to customers. Eubanks and others also rigged the bidding for the auction process by arranging for fake bids to be announced on the program to falsely drive up prices for the art they sold to the public. Eubanks’ husband, Gerald Sullivan, 54, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property. He is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Gary Feess on May 24, at which time he faces a statutory maximum sentence of six years in federal prison.
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Some sample tests of artistic materials consist of: Infrared reflectography focuses on the layers of painting and the sketch made by the use of carbon black or charcoal by the artist. The different layers or alterations of the work are known as pentimenti. The alterations reveal the extent of restoration, whether or not it is a copy, and the different materials used. The more pentimenti present, the more likely it is that the work is the original (Art Institute of Chicago, n.d.). Wood’s Light seeks to identify the different types of fluorescent matter in a work. Fluorescent matter emits radiation, and the quantitative levels emitted link the work to a particular time (Museo d’Arte e Scienza, 2009). Microscopic analysis allows the viewer to see beneath the surface and identify the particles within the structure of the work. Particles or minute matter comprising the work have birth and death times; materials are created at a particular point in time and fade out of circulation from disuse, exhaustion (supply no longer available), or the implementation of regulations outlawing their use. The pigment Verona Green was exhausted in 1930, yellow iron oxide (Mars yellow) was created in the lab sometime in the 1920s, and the use of lead in paint was outlawed for the most part in the 1980s due to negative health consequences. The type of pigment used in a work tells us in what time frame the work was created or restored (Derbyshire, 1999). Carbon 14 (C-14) tests the age of a given compound by focusing on the quantity of C-14 material left as the compound decays over time. It is less reliable as a predictor of ages closer to the present and ages beyond 60,000 years. The accuracy and reliability of C-14 increases with age, up to about 60,000 years, and like a bell curve, begins to decrease. Less accuracy is associated with materials made early and after 60,000 years; greater accuracy is associated with materials
FBI Press Release
As part of the investigation into Fine Arts, federal authorities seized approximately $3.8 million from bank accounts controlled by Eubanks and Sullivan. Those funds have been forfeited to the government, which is in the process of notifying thousands of potential victims that they may have purchased bogus artworks. This case was investigated by the national Art Crime Team at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Art Theft Detail. Courtesy of the Department of Justice
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found in an area midpoint in the curve. The maximum deviation or inaccuracy occurs for materials 600-700 years old (Museo d’Arte e Scienza, 2009). Some general principles relevant to a scientific approach to keep in mind: 1. Analysis may determine an age range but not a precise date. 2. The age range may discount an object of art from a given period of time. 3. Age range determination of a medium does not guarantee the art is authentic. 4. Scientific determination of age range is shaped by the technologies in the process of testing, and as such may not be totally accurate. 5. The logic of testing entails that if the age does not corroborate the time of creation, further analysis is unnecessary. 6. There are fraudulent methods available to overcome testing for material age. 7. The sample methods noted above are only some of many methods of testing. 8. New scientific methods developed must be treated with suspicion unless they are accepted by the scientific community. 9. Recently created objects may not be suitable for testing since testing may not be able to determine age. Provenance If scientific analysis of the materials of the objects of art determines that the work is from a certain time frame, research may take place concerning the past ownership or possession of the object. Provenance analysis focuses on documents surrounding the work in terms of where it has been. This examination looks at sales slips, taxes paid, letters of possession, estate transfers, loans, and liens on the object, exhibition history, catalogue raisonne, custom duties paid, and title searches (Harvard, 2008). In the best of all worlds, all this information would be available from the time the work went from the artist to those who later possessed it. This rarely happens. In the most recent case of the new Da Vinci, very little documentation is available to demonstrate where the work has been over the last 500 years or that it existed sometime in the past as a Da Vinci. If in fact documentation existed, questioned document analysis by a forensic document expert rarely takes place. Yes, exemplars for signatures exist, but establishing that the slant, use of idioms, spelling, configuration of letters, and grammar are not used to match documents. After signature, provenance documents seem to
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be assumed as accurate. Hoving (1997) and Salisbury (2009) make a point of noting that provenance documentation is easily forged. Again, in the absence of a trained record examiner, one could easily assume the opposite: assume inauthentic and then analyze via accepted questioned document standards (University of California, n.d.). Provenance results, if positive, will turn the examination over to the next stage: connoisseurship. Connoisseurship Having passed stage one and stage two, the object of art enters into an examination of connoisseurship. At this stage, art historians, curators, museum directors, and art experts will be called upon to render an opinion that the object falls into a corroborative situation whereby the culture, technology, style, content, subject matter, shade, color, and even size match with the exemplar provided. This stage is subjective, intuitive, and ephemeral. The connoisseur’s call has no standard, or process forging a warranted conclusion. Most opinions come down to solipsist responses ranging from “you just know it,” Muller (2003); “it sings,” Peterson (2002), or “I know it because I was raised among master objects of art,” Aronson (2006). This last connoisseur forgets that more than likely the surrounding art was of questionable authenticity (Hoving, 1997). One may argue that although scientific analysis and provenance have issues—particularly scientific ones such as changes in technology, standardization skepticism, and theoretical assumptions—connoisseurship leads the way in authentication problems. Judgments based on subjectivity and intuitions often become unraveled as criticisms emerge and a deeper analysis takes place. “It is authentic because I say so” fails scholarly standards and often results in courts throwing the proverbial book at the issuing connoisseur. The significant problems attached to connoisseurship have produced an array of scientific approaches to the field of connoisseurship, such as digital analysis of style, fingerprinting, and chaos theory or fractalization of style analysis. Digital analysis and fingerprinting have problems in that logical considerations befall the first and exemplar and chain of custody issues apply to the second. Chaos theory and the use of fractals is way off the mark, since indeterminate theoretical structures serve only to weaken and contradict a predictable outcome. To assume
that the artist Jackson Pollack, a known drug abuser, planned indeterminism in his work seems beyond the ken of intelligent discourse. The lack of empirical structure to present approaches grounded in history leaves connoisseurship open to myriad issues associated with verification, operationalism, falsifiability, lack of testing standards, and a grounding in subjectivity. The historical principle of allowing the connoisseur the final say in the authentication call weakens the current process. This principle is slowly being supplanted by a more objective quantitative grounding. In summary, the present authentication process consists of scientific analysis, provenance research or providing documentation of ownership through time, and the final touch of establishing that the object was from the hand of the artist by corroborating style, technology, content, and subject matter and so on, with an exemplar of the artist. A Case Study of the Authentication Process: A Composite Approach History John Drewe and John Myatt were able to fool many collectors in England with a plenitude of art fakes. Myatt created the fake art, while Drewe provided the documents to establish that the fake works had proper and unassailable provenance. Through the manufacture of bogus catalogs, document insertions into historical archives at the Tate museum, and even a stamped attribution from a religious order, Drewe convinced his dupes that the works were authentic and backed by accredited documentation. An unhappy ex-wife and a connection to a killing set the stage for a lengthy investigation involving museum directors, archivists, buyers, and assistants, auction houses, and connoisseurs, ultimately leading to the arrest and conviction of both Myatt and Drewe for art fraud. The following composite consists of a combination of the fakes examined and recorded in the work of Salisbury and Sujo (2009). Investigating Fake Art Via Forensic Science As the result of a spate of art fakes circulating throughout auction houses in London in the 1990s, Dick Ellis of Scotland Yard was called upon to begin tracking John Drewe based on some evidence provided by Drewe’s ex-wife to another detective named Higgs. During this time, Myatt and Drewe’s bogus works began landing in the hands of experienced
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art restorers and forensic examiners. (Note the signature did not match Giacometti’s tioned documents. Searle felt he was getting here that the processes presented constitute signature. What was really bothering Palmer closer but still did not have the smoking gun a composite of the many works and their was that Giacometti was not diligent in his connection needed to prosecute Drewe. He provenance, not just one work). In the case documentation. This piece had impeccable turned to his forensic investigation team of a 1938 fake Nicholson watercolor work provenance: A catalogue raisonne of the work leader Adam Craske. sold to Rene Gimpel, the restorer Zagel be- was provided, exhibitions, stamps, and various Craske began analyzing labels affixed to gan to examine the work forensically. documents supporting the work as genuine. provenance photos of the fakes found in She noted that the rusty tacks securing Palmer was also receiving phone calls from Drewe’s house. Craske noted that the label’s the work in a frame were probably dipped Jenn Booth, a Tate museum archivist who age did not match the age of the photo. in saltwater to make them appear old. The had some questions about other Giacometti Labels that are 30-40 years old should be antique paper backing of the watercolor was a works cropping up in various galleries. Booth coming apart; these were not. When Craske forger trick implying that the work was aged, noted that she was receiving numerous docu- touched the print on the labels, it came off. the glue cementing the back and front of the ments attesting to the authenticity of the gal- Luminosity tests revealed that seven of the piece was made after World War II, and mi- lerist Giacometti pieces. Palmer, Booth, and labels were bright, while the others were croscopic analysis revealed that the paint was detective Searle’s information came together dull. The bright ones corresponded to recent not even dry. The labels affixed to the work providing enough evidence to begin a ma- vintage and were found on the forgeries. naming the galleries that posCraske was also able to determine sessed the work were shiny and “Curators, museum directors, art assis- microscopically what archive pages new. Zagel touched the print tants, and fine art appraisers authen- were ripped out and what ones on the labels, which should be were fakes. The most important ticate via forensics but really only tattered, and the print came off. piece of evidence was that one This painting was not made in of Drewe’s typewriters’ lettering touch on the basics of what forensic 1938. Scientific knowledge and clearly matched the typescript on applications can offer maximally.” analysis concluded that the mathe labels. For Searle, this was the terials of the work could not have produced jor investigation. The investigation focused fait accompli, allowing Searle to place Drewe the work since the materials were created not only on art fakes but tampering with under arrest. Drewe was eventually prosafter the date of the work’s creation. Zagel England’s historical archives. ecuted and sent to jail along with Myatt. was convinced the work was bogus, but the The first to be arrested was Myatt, who puzzle was that the documentation support- implicated and corroborated Drewe as the A Summary of Forensic Art ing authenticity was incontrovertible. Please individual who forged documents support- Authentication Processes note that Zagel did not have to go any further ing Myatt’s fakes. Meetings with Palmer, Normally, art authentication begins with scisince the material testing demonstrated that Booth, and Drewe’s wife, in addition to or- entific testing of the materials of the medium the work was not authentic. ganizations allegedly providing documenta- to determine if the materials corroborate the About the same time, in another part of tion, produced a faked provenance bonanza. age of the work. In the Nicholson, Zagel was London, Mary Lisa Palmer, the head of the Searle was able to locate the phony stamps able to ascertain that the tacks were superfiGiacometti foundation, was examining a pho- affixed to documents, ripped-out pages of cially aged, the glue attaching front and back to of a Giacometti piece titled Standing Nude. the archives supplanted by the fakes, and of the work was recent, and the paint was Palmer noted that the piece was not typical in notes from auction houses, gallery owners, not even dry. Zagel also noted that the labels that Giacometti’s works were always upright and catalog writers that the catalogs were affixed to the work were of recent manufacwith the feet together. This piece drooped and not from their hand, nor were the works ture. The paint should have been hardened had one foot in front of the other. Further, ever sold or exhibited as noted in the ques- through time but was still soft. (It should be
Dr. John Daab, PhD, CFC, MA, RI—Fine Art Registry® Columnist/ Art Fraud/Forensic Investigator. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Daab lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife of 45 years. John is father of three and a grandfather. He began work as carpenter’s apprentice and went on to become a carpenter, superintendent, high-rise builder and construction manager executive, a professor of construction at NYU, owner of two schools, sculptor, writer, business consultant, and an educational course and program developer. He is also a Certified Forensic Consultant, Accredited Forensic Counselor, and a Registered Investigator with the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute. He has a bachelor’s and master’s in philosophy, and MBA in business, and MPS in industrial counseling, an MA in labor studies, and a PhD in business administration. He is a member of the National Sculpture Society, the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, and Fine Art Registry (his works can be seen in his FAR online portfolio). Dr. Daab has won awards for teaching management and service to NYU. He has published over 50 articles and recently authored The Art Fraud Protection Handbook. Dr. Daab is completing a second book, Forensic Science and Fine Art Authenticity. He is completing course work at New York University’s Art Appraisal Program and expects to start a second doctorate in June 2010 to further explore quantifying the authentication of fine art via probability analysis.
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noted here that scientific testing and analysis must be carried out so as not to destroy a work under analysis. The examiner is not permitted to cut a piece out of the work since so doing would compromise the value and authenticity.) If any piece of the medium examination fails to corroborate the work’s age, the work fails the authenticity test. Note here that the framing is not usually part of the medium unless the medium and the frame are one and the same. In Italo-Byzantine 13th century art, one finds examples of both being the same (Scallen, 2008). What is especially interesting about the Drewe/Myatt case is the application of questioned document forensic practices to the provenance process. It is very seldom noted in authenticating a work of fine art because it has not been used that often as a recognized forensic examination tool or method in ascertaining authentication (Vargas, 2008). As noted, this was important in establishing the bogus documentation supplied. One may even note that in the Drewe/Myatt case questioned documentation was only minimally used. It did tie in the typewriter used, and typescript, type of paper, differences between the real and archive papers, but it did not mention the arsenal of practices available under the mantra of forensic document analysis. The signature was noted not to be the same by Palmer, but that was a subjective evaluation. The signature evaluation should have begun with an exemplar signature and then analyzed in terms of letter slant, letter use, how or where the signature was applied, whether printed or in script, and if the artist signed his or her works. In terms of the documents supplied, the investigation proceeded on the right track to determine if the documents were from the source such as museum, gallery, archive, or organization. The next step would be an examination of the ink used in the fake documents and comparing the ink to that of the organization printing the document. Document analysis could also compare usage of language and text in terms of font size, spelling, idiom used, and defaults (inserting home language into text) (Moenssens, n.d.). Recognizing Forensic Science as a Weapon in the Arsenal of Art Authentication The world of forensic examination in fine art authentication on one hand is one dominated by mass media huckstering and a gaggle of wannabes prancing about with telescopic cameras labeling themselves as art fraud de-
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tectives or forensic experts. Such individuals are known by their off-the-wall approaches and failed conclusions, or find themselves hauled before the courts for malpractice. On the other hand, we have the practitioners carrying out forensic science but under a mass of different labels and without proper training. Curators, museum directors, art assistants, and fine art appraisers authenticate via forensics but really only touch on the basics of what forensic applications have to offer maximally. The application of questioned document models hardly reaches a full court attack on questions of provenance simply because the current practitioners have not been schooled in how it takes place. The absence of the forensic examiner in the presentation of fine art authentication is ubiquitous in most recorded analyses. The amorphous structure of forensic science in fine art authentication calls forth concrete systemic and structure development along with active methodological presentations. Forensic examiners seem to be sitting in the bull pen when they should be on the mound throwing the pitches and striking out the batters. References
Appraisers Association of America (2009). Elements of a Correctly Prepared Appraisal. New York City. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.appraisersassoc.org/personal-property-appraiser/fine-art-appraisals/find-an-appraiser/PageId/1/LId/0,1,3/Id/3/ Code-of-Ethics.html Aronson, S. M. (2006, April). The Making of a Collector. Architectural Digest. Retrieved on January 4, 2010 from http://www.architecturaldigest.com/resources/ notebook/archive/artnotebook_slideshow_042006 Art Institute of Chicago (n.d.). Examination Techniques. Chicago. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www. artic.edu/aic/conservation/revealingpicasso/exam_infared.html Daab, J. (2009, February 12). Farid, Fractals and Fingerprinting. Fine Art Registry. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.fineartregistry.com/articles/daab_john/ Daab, J. (2009, July 29). Questioned Documents. Fine Art Registry. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www. fineartregistry.com/articles/daab_john/. Derbyshire, A. (1999, January). Non-Destructive Pigment Analysis Using Raman Microscopy. V&A, Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/ conservation/journal/issue30/raman30/index.html Gash, J. (1993, January). Rembrandt or not? - Rembrandt research project attempts to authenticate certain works. Art in America. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/ is_n1_v81/ai_13296242/. Harvard Art Museum (2008). Provenance Research. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.artmuseums. harvard.edu/provenance/servlet/webpublisher .WebCo mmunication?ia=tr&ic=pt&t=xhtml&x=provBoston Hochfield, S. (2008, June). The Blue Print. ArtNews. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.artnews. com/issues/article.asp?art_id=2504. Hoving, T. (1997). False impressions. New York: Simon and Shuster.
Israely, J. (2009, October 15). How a ‘New’ da Vinci Was Discovered. Time. Retrieved January 2, 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1930431,00.html Kennedy, R. (2006, November 6). Could Be a Pollock; Must Be a Yarn. The New York Times, p. 1. Moenssens, A. A. (n.d.). Handwriting Evidence Meets Reliability Criteria. Forensic Evidence. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.forensic-evidence.com/ site/ID/ID00004_8.html Muller, N. (2003). Technical Note. Record of the Art Museum Princeton University 62, 46-49. Museo d’Arte e Scienza (2009). Authentication. Milan. Retreived January 4, 2010 from http://www.museoartescienza.com/ New York University (2009). Appraisal Studies. New York. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www. scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/arts-humanities/professional-certificates/appraisal-studies-arts.html: Peterson B. (2002). Pennsylvania Impressionism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Philips, D. (2007, July 24). What Price Forensics? Fine Art Registry. Retrieved January 2, 2010 from http:// www.fineartregistry.com/articles/phillips_david/art_ forensics.php Salisbury, I. & Sujo, A. (2009). Provenance. New York: Penguin Press. Scallen, C. (2008). Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery, London. The Teaching Company. Virginia Secrest, M. (2005). Duveen: A Life in Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Taylor, R. (2002). Retrieved February 16, 2010 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~msiuo/taylor/art/scientificamerican.pdf University of California (n.d.). Research Problems in Data Provenance. California: Author. Vargas, R. (2008, November/December). Standards for Questioned Document Examination. ASTM Standardization News. Retrieved January 4, 2010 from http://www.astm.org/SNEWS/ND_2008/vargas_ nd08.html n
EARN CE CREDIT To earn CE credit, complete the exam for this article on page 85 or complete the exam online for FREE at www.acfei.com (select “Online CE”). This article is approved by the following for continuing education credit: (ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates and certified members. After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following: 1. Describe the process of fine art authentication. 2. Demonstrate various forensic methods used to authenticate works of art. 3. List methods of forging art. KEY WORDS: Art authentication, provenance, connoisseurship, pigment, examplar, chaos theory TARGET AUDIENCE: Artists, art collectors, insurers, conservators, appraisers, investigators, consumers, attorneys PROGRAM LEVEL: Basic DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
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The Last Frontier: Myths & the Female Psychopathic Killer
CE ARTICLE
Frank S. Perri, JD, MBA, CPA; and Terrance G. Lichtenwald, PhD
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n this article the authors focus on psychopathic women who kill. Not all women who kill do so because of mental illness, abuse, or coercion. Some kill because they are antisocial and behaviorally exhibit psychopathic traits. In this article the authors examine some of the misperceptions of female criminality; current research on female psychopathy; and case studies of female psychopathic killers featuring Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, cesarean section homicide, fraud detection homicide, female kill teams, and a female serial killer. In addition, both the means by which the myths of societal perceptions influence how the criminal justice system operates when encountering these offenders and recommendations for law enforcement and forensic examiners who have to interact with them are addressed.
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Introduction Within the past 50 years, industrialized countries have witnessed the rise of women filling positions traditionally held by men. At one time, women were not thought of as capable of fulfilling such positions because of beliefs surrounding gender that were based on socio-cultural norms. Women were deemed less intelligent than men; thus, the thought of a well-educated woman appeared foreign. Moreover, women were thought of as the weaker sex and the thought of women participating in the military or in law enforcement was not tolerated. Yet as we have observed throughout the decades, myths surrounding what women are and are not capable of have dissipated over time. The authors believe the area of female criminality adheres to myths still accepted by the majority of society but has slowly been changing. While many areas of female progress are attributed to the empowerment of women historically, the study of female criminality (as opposed to the study of male criminality) has only recently been linked to antisocial behaviors instead of relying on socio-cultural explanations. Common and legitimate explanations used to rationalize homicides committed by females include killing because of a mental illness, coercion, or because they were abused (Follingstad et al., 1989). Such explanations, however, ignore the possibility that motives for both genders may be steeped in antisocial behaviors where violence is not necessarily reactive, such as claiming selfdefense to a physically abusive situation, but planned in a cold-blooded manner facilitated by those who harbor psychopathic traits to satisfy diverse motives. The purpose of this article is not to address whether there has been an increase in female violence and its potential causes, or to revisit already well documented statistics that show males tend to engage in more violent crimes than women. The goal of this article is to analyze homicides committed by women, the diverse motives for the kill, and the offender’s psychopathic traits that may facilitate the use of murder to satisfy a motive. The article reveals that the underlying behavioral traits are gender neutral even though the methods and motives to kill may at times be gender specific and societal misconceptions still attribute gender specific explanations to crimes such as homicide. Some of the issues the authors tackle to support the position that motives to kill are diverse and that some female killers exhibit
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psychopathic traits include case studies on Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, fraud detection homicide, kill teams, female serial killers, and cesarean section homicide. The authors further examine how the criminal justice system displays the myth in terms of how it influences homicide trials. The authors conclude by cautioning forensic examiners and those in law enforcement to not succumb to misconceptions of genderbased violence when interacting with female psychopaths.
Societal Perceptions or Misconceptions
“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.” ~President John F. Kennedy The myth that females are not aggressive is being challenged in the literature as well as by the statistical evidence that influences society’s view relative to the existence of the problem of female aggression (Denfeld, 1997). However, violent aggression is still considered the province of men, one of the most pervasive myths of our time (Pearson, 1997). Male dominance, as expressed through aggression, has been historically supported by a patriarchal society that viewed female aggression as a threat and, as an extension, unnatural and atypical (Jack, 1999). Dating back to at least 2500 BC, women were considered subservient to men and were punished for indiscretions according to written Greek and Roman law (Steinmetz, 1980). However, times have changed and women now participate in combat, work in law enforcement, and compete in the corporate world (Beckner, 2005). As for their criminal inclinations, Jack (1999) wrote, “And women hurt others. They abuse, kill, inflict harm on the human spirit, and dominate others through pain and intimidation ... Violence is not limited to men.”
When the authors speak of myths, what we are referring to is not necessarily the mythological stories of antiquity. Although these stories may be relevant, our reference to myths is the more colloquial basis of some beliefs—which may or may not be accurate—that are extrapolated from fact or fiction and used to explain human behaviors, practices, societal ideals of a society, an individual(s), or a segment of society. For example, some beliefs may be based on a fictional story that conveys a truism about human behavior, such as the Greek story of Narcissus and the self-destructive behaviors of excessive pride. Conversely, some beliefs may be based on an interpretation of truthful facts that should not be used to provide an explanation for similar but different scenarios, though they may apply for a limited purpose. For example, some women kill because they were abused; however, this limited explanation should not be used as a general explanation of all motives for female homicide. The authors understand the utility of myths because myths may serve a useful purpose in explaining life lessons—the problem that the authors observe is that the use of myths lacks completeness when applied to criminological elements. In essence, culturally we have forgotten how the ancients may have used myths to explain human behaviors in more complete terms that were gender neutral, such as the capability of depravity by both men and women. For example, we have cultural archetypes such as Mother Earth, which evokes a nurturing image of the female gender. Conversely, the image of Mother Nature also evokes images of wrath in which innocents are not spared; it is this aspect of the myth that tends to be ignored or denied when examining female aggression. Moreover, Freud and psychoanalytic theory were influential in the evolution of theories related to aggression; the influence of World War I on Freud’s views increased his perception that aggression was mostly male and instinctual (Jack, 1999). Women functioned as a calming effect on the aggressive and/or sexual drives that moved men to violent behavior (Beckner, 2005). Those women who did not repress their anger were considered masculine, thus perpetuating the belief that aggressiveness in women was an anomaly. From a societal perspective, this assumption that aggression is an inherent characteristic to males, as passivity is to females, perpetuated a patriarchal structure
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As author and editor of the New York Times Book Review, Samuel Tanenhaus, stated, “female violence is stuck in a ‘time warp’ bound by themes of sexual and domestic trauma” (Wachter, 2010). Our belief in the intrinsic, non-threatening nature of the feminine is deceiving to both genders and actually exposes both to homicidal risks that are ignored because of long-internalized myths about female criminality. As we shall see in the next section on female psychopathy, some of the societal perceptions of female aggression may have influenced the lack of research on female psychopathy because it has not been seriously explored until recently. We will also look at how the myths that still surround female aggression are used by female psychopaths in what Dr. Robert Hare refers to as “impression management.”
Female Psychopathy
“Most of the people I killed were old enough to die, anyway, or else had some disease that might cause death. I never killed children. I love them.” ~Female serial killer Jane Toppan (Vronsky, 2007). Overview of the Disorder According to Hare, international psychopathy expert from the University of British Colombia, the term or concept of “psychopathy” has had a long and sometimes confusing history. Dr. Hare states part of the conceptual confusion stems from the use of multiple terms to describe similar personality traits and behavioral patterns (e.g. moral insanity, psychopathic personality, sociopathy, antisocial personality) (Hare, 1991). The concept of psychopathy is no longer an actual clinical diagnosis but rather refers to a specific cluster of traits and behaviors used to describe an individual in terms of pervasive dominating personality traits and behaviors (Hare, 1993). Currently there is no diagnostic criterion in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (Semple, 2005). Psychopathy is most strongly correlated to the DSM-IV’s antisocial personality
disorder (ASPD) and is considered a subset of ASPD because the behavioral traits of a psychopath are more severe in terms of lack of consciousness, callousness, and remorselessness. While psychopathy has similarities to ASPD, which is characterized by a disregard for societal rules including criminal behavior, psychopathy is not synonymous with or to be confused with criminality or violence in general. However, those who have psychopathic traits are more at risk for committing crime and acting out violently (Herve & Yuille, 2007). The concept of psychopathy, however, has been studied for several hundred years before Dr. Hare refined the concept, beginning with French practitioner Philippe Pinel. Pinel observed patients whose behavior was outside of society’s cultural expectations—but who were not clinically insane. The interest in psychopathy continued throughout the centuries until Dr. Hervey Cleckley delineated recurring behavioral traits of psychopathy in his book The Mask of Sanity (1941). Dr. Hare then took the traits delineated by Dr. Cleckley and devised an instrument referred to as the Psychopathic Checklist Revised (PCL-R), which measures whether or not psychopathy is present and the severity of the disorder. One should understand that psychopathy is not a mental illness but a personality disorder. Personality disorders can be characterized by a class of personality types which deviate from societal expectations of acceptable behavior. Although there is a subjective quality to diagnosing personality disorders, research has proven that those who have personality disorders display a rigidity or inflexibility in their thinking, feeling, and behaviors that impairs them from functioning with others in a larger societal context. In contrast to personality disorders, mental illness is characterized by a probability of a biochemical imbalance that may act as a catalyst for the individual to behave in an inexplicable, erratic manner that has no connection to such logic as cause and effect. For example, a person who is delusional and experiencing sensory hallucinations, like feeling as if he is on fire, would consequently have his thought processes disrupted. It is possible that a mentally ill person can premeditate a murder like a psychopath, but the question lies in the thought processes that led to the kill— and how erratic and illogical is their reasoning? Keep in mind that understanding this aspect of psychopathy is important. One Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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that was dominant until the feminist movement of the 1970s and still influences certain aspects of society today. Women who were aggressive were labeled irrational and in need of psychotherapy (Beckner, 2005). Even from an evolutionary perspective, Darwin’s views influenced societal perceptions of his belief that the success of human evolution was due, in large part, to the differences between males and females (Jack 1999). A female who exhibited perceived masculine characteristics (e.g. aggression) or a male who had feminine characteristics was considered to be reminiscent of less developed species (Beckner, 2005). Considering the opinions of Freud and Darwin alone, then coupled with religious and cultural views of how females are perceived, it is not surprising that myths of female aggression have persisted and have been perpetrated for as long as they have—the aggressive female is still considered to have an abnormal, unnatural quality even in the face of evidence illustrating criminal behavior that contradicts the myth of female passivity. As a result, the aggressive female was essentially considered an anomaly throughout the first half of the 20th century, and research pertaining to female aggression (let alone research on female psychopathy) is lacking, which suggests that a “male perspective” has biased research related to female aggression. A more complete study of aggression in females should consider various forms of aggression, both direct and indirect. Jack (1999) commented on the issue: Almost all of what psychologists have thought and felt about aggression has been shaped by a predominantly male perspective. This position is supported by the facts that much of the research conducted on female aggression has been associated with domestic violence or violence perpetrated on a significant other and that many in the social and behavioral sciences communities were unwilling to accept that women could be violent—and men the victims—when researchers examined the evidence of female on male aggression (Beckner, 2005). When women commit violence, the only explanations offered have been that it is either involuntary, self-defense, the result of mental illness, or hormonal imbalances inherent with female physiology (Vronsky, 2007). Women have been perceived to be capable of committing only reactive or “expressive” violence—an uncontrollable release of pent-up rage or fear—and that they murder unwillingly and without premeditation.
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Notoriety follows Myra Hindley to the grave
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Between 1963 and 1965, Myra Hindley helped her lover select his victims, waited as he raped and murdered them, then helped him dispose of their bodies in Manchester, England. The brutal killings of five children left an emotional scar on Britain that lingers to this day, almost a decade after Hindley’s death from a chest infection in November 2002. One reason for the enduring fascination with the case may be that the body of one of the victims, 12-year-old Keith Bennett, has never been found. In March 2010, after a public appeal for funds, a new search for the boy’s remains began on Saddleworth Moor, where Hindley and her partner in crime, Ian Brady, disposed of three other victims (Smith, 2010). So far, the search has proved fruitless. Hindley and Brady were convicted in 1966 in the murders of Lesley Ann Downey, age 10, and Edward Evans, age 17, and sentenced to life in prison. The death penalty for murder had could simply claim to have some type of mental illness diagnosis attempt to explain away behavior that somehow was out of their control. Psychopathy is not a mental illness, although many psychopaths want others to believe that their antisocial ways are a result of a mental deficiency in order to gain favor, especially in criminal legal settings where a judge is required to impose a punishment. It is a common but mistaken belief among law enforcement and forensic professionals that people who commit violent, incomprehensible crimes must be crazy, psychotic, or they “just snapped.” This perception is reinforced in the media (Herve & Yuille, 2007). Moreover, the fact that an individual may have a mental illness does not mean that she cannot also be psychopathic; the two characteristics are not mutually exclusive and co-occur (Murphy & Vess, 2003). Unfortunately, many individuals are capable of fooling professionals who observe “abnormal behavior.” The professionals equate
been abolished the previous year. Brady was also found guilty of the murder of 12-year-old John Kilbride, and Hindley was convicted of being an accessory. The two waited more than two decades to admit killing the other two victims, confessing in 1987 to the murders of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade, age 16. Dubbed “the most evil woman in Britain” and “the most hated woman in Britain” for her role in what came to be known as the Moors Murders, Hindley nevertheless gained prominent supporters during her 30-plus years in prison, including Lord Frank Longford and David Astor, former editor of The Observer. She also fought tirelessly—and unsuccessfully—for her own Saddleworth Moor s release.
the behavior to a mental illness and ignore the calculating, manipulating, and planning beneath the schemes; these are not the symptoms of someone who is mentally ill. Dr. Hare described psychopaths as intraspecies predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret (Hare, 1993). The psychopathic theoretical model was first delineated by Cleckley (1941) in The Mask of Sanity, named as such to convey to the reader that psychopaths have a core deficit in emotional sensitivity beneath an overtly normal social exterior. The authors use this concept of the “mask” to ask whether or not the myth of the female character is used as the mask to convey normalcy in the face of aggression. The concept refined by Dr. Hare
Figure 1: Major Personality Types
Interpersonal Superficial charm Grandiosity Lying
Affective Remorselessness Shallow affect Callousness
Lifestyle Impulsivity Stimulation seeking Irresponsible
Anti-Social Poor Behavioral controls Delinquency Criminal versatility
Conning & manipulative
Failure to accept responsibility
Parasitic lifestyle
Early behavioral problems
Lack of realistic goals
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identifies a number of personality and behavioral characteristics that have become a generally accepted definition of psychopathy. Some of the major personality and behavioral traits identified by Hare are noted in Figure 1 below (Herve & Yuille, 2006). Psychopaths are not disoriented or out of touch with reality, nor do they experience the delusions, hallucinations, or intense subjective distress that characterizes most other mental disorders. They are rational and aware of what they are doing and why. Their behavior is the result of choice, freely exercised, but coupled with a distorted sense of reality (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2007). As Edelgard Wulfert, forensic psychologist and professor at the University of New York at Albany, stated, “A psychopath invents reality to conform to his needs” (Grondahl, 2006). Psychopaths also have difficulty projecting into the future; that is, understanding how their actions play themselves out in life, and they also have deficits in reflecting upon their pasts; “[t]hey are prisoners of the present” (Meloy, 2000). Clinical descriptions of the traits can be misleading. For example, to say that a psychopath is unable to learn from his or her experience is misleading because there is no mental incapacity; psychopaths do learn from the past, but learn only what interests them, not what society wants them to learn (Samenow, 1984). To call them impulsive
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Hindley and her defenders contend that her love for Brady led her to get caught up in his crimes. Hindley was 18 when she met Brady, an aloof stock clerk at the small chemical company where the two both worked. He had a minor criminal record and a fascination with Hitler and the writings of the Marquis de Sade. According to a new biography of Hindley by Carol Ann Lee, titled One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley, her diary suggests she quickly became infatuated with Brady. By early 1962, Hindley wrote: “I hope Ian and I love each other all our lives and get married and are happy ever after” (Smith, 2010). In one of 150 letters to the producer of a 2000 BBC documentary on her case, Hindley wrote that Brady had “such a powerful personality, such an overwhelming charisma. If he’d told me the moon was made of green cheese or that continues on page 56
as exemplified by female serial killer Jane Toppan, who admitted to killing over 30 individuals after nursing school. Toppan stated, “Don’t blame me, blame my nature. I can’t change what was meant to be, can I” (Vronsky, 2007). Toppan is partially correct that it was her “nature” that provided the catalyst to become a cold-blooded killer. She did not suffer from a mental illness that robbed her of her ability to distinguish between right and wrong, the ability to plan her murders, or experience sexual gratification from the deaths. Although all of the traits are important, certain traits stand out more than others in terms of identifying psychopaths, and those will be presented in this article. Lack of remorse or guilt is the hallmark of psychopathy—in other words, a lack of conscience. Psychopaths do not feel bad for their actions because they are not capable of internalizing how their behavior had an impact on another person. Usually when we feel bad about what we did to hurt someone, an unsettling physical behavior accompanies the remorse. This quality does not apply to psychopaths; they are capable of fooling people with outward signs of emotions because they learned to mimic behaviors that dovetail a given set of circumstances while they themselves feel either nothing or entirely opposite emotions (Meloy, 2000).
Gender Differences Although men are more likely to show characteristics of psychopathy than women, Cleckley (1976) included female subjects among the prototype cases in the Mask of Sanity, suggesting that the full syndrome of psychopathy occurs in both genders. According to psychopathy expert Hare, there are many clinical accounts of female psychopaths but relatively little empirical research (Carozza, 2008). Reasons for the neglect of research on female psychopathy include the persistence of rigid sex role stereotypes in society and the diagnosis of personality disorders is, to a large extent, influenced by sex role expectations (Widom, 1978). This adherence to sex role stereotypes may explain the reluctance of some diagnosticians to label women with personality disorders that have an antisocial complexion (Brown, 1996). For example, when diagnosing men and women with similar clinical features, mental health professionals tended to label the men as exhibiting antisocial personality disorder and women as exhibiting histrionic personality disorder (Brown, 1996). What is interesting about this observation is that the authors examined available, but different, editions of Cleckley’s Mask of Sanity and the first mention of female psychopathy that the authors could locate appeared in the fifth edition, published in 1976. The authors consider whether Cleckley may have been unconsciously influenced by Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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is to assert a lack of self-control; in reality, psychopaths can rationalize. They have calculating minds that are very much in control. We observe predatory behaviors that are analogous to the animal kingdom—they stalk their prey and do not act impulsively, very analogous to instrumental violence of planning to kill, a trait of psychopathic killers that is more pronounced than in nonpsychopathic killers who may kill reactively, such as a crime of passion (Herve & Yuille, 2006). However, some social and behavioral sciences experts are willing to accept that women may engage in reactive violence, such as engaging in self- defense, but refuse to accept the notion that females would be willing to take their time to plan a violent act (Pearson, 1997). Moreover, do not confuse the lack of a normal range of emotions in these killers as synonymous with being antisocial; they can be very gregarious and charming, but their charming demeanor should not be mistaken for affection or sincerity. In fact, psychopaths want to be able to blend in with others to give the appearance that they too have values and traits that are probably diametrically the opposite of that of the psychopath; thus, the external mask of normalcy they portray to the world is used to shield the true mask of exploitation (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2008a). Blame externalization is a hallmark trait of psychopaths,
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the sun rose in the west I would have believed him” (“Hindley: I wish,” 2000). The crimes themselves were horrendous, the victims lured into a van or car by Brady while Hindley drove him through working-class areas of Manchester. Some the victims were photographed in pornographic poses before being raped and killed (Smith, 2010). Some were strangled; the last, Edward, was strangled and attacked with a hatchet. A tape recording played at trial of Lesley Ann pleading with her captors made it clear that Hindley was present at the time (Morris, 2002) and helped seal Hindley’s fate. Brady’s desire to involve others in his crimes helped bring the killings to an end. He befriended David Smith, Hindley’s brotherin-law, at first attempting to involve him in an armed robbery. While Smith was considering the robbery plan, he was summoned by Hindley to her house in Hattersley, where the two walked in to find Brady attacking Edward with an ax. Terrified, Smith played along with the “initiation,” even helping Brady hide the body. The couple was so confident in his loyalty that he was allowed to go home, where he promptly called the police to report what he had witnessed (Smith, 2010). During the trial, Hindley’s defense argued that she had been subjected to threats, intimidation and violence from Brady sex role stereotypes referred to by Brown (1996) and Widom (1984) and reflected in his diagnosis of Anna, one of the two female psychopaths in the book. Cleckley described Anna as an individual with high intelligence, contagious enthusiasm, who worked out plans for a career with good judgment, and had a taste for living for healthy experiences. Yet the mask she wore for Cleckley did not match her true mask as reflected by her actions outside of Cleckley’s presence. For example, Cleckley revealed Anna’s pathological lying to her parents and others, manipulation of peers and authority figures, physical fights, forgery, document fraud, promiscuous sexual behaviors to rob others, expulsion from school for failing and misconduct, transmitting sexual diseases, urinating on peer clothing, thievery, and a lack of proper remorse for her acts still indicated that “Anna never really seems to have meant much harm to others or to herself.” In Cleckley’s words, she never meant to harm others, but the authors suspect Cleckley may have unconsciously harbored gender stereotyping by dismissing her criminal acts because they were not reflective of male aggression. Ironically, the very behaviors behind the mask—not the mask of normalcy Anna displayed to Cleckley—were the reason Anna’s parents brought her to Cleckley in the first place but that Cleckley minimizes. It is here that the authors part company with
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(“Obituary: Myra Hindley,” 2002). The tactic didn’t work. Incredibly, Hindley was apparently shocked at being sent to prison at the end of her trial, swaying as her sentence was announced. She reportedly asked her grandmother, “Do you remember how we both thought I’d be out on probation in no time? (Smith, 2010). Hindley and Brady wrote each other love letters during their first five years of incarceration, although he later called her a manipulative liar who was as committed to the murders as he had been (“Obituary: Myra Hindley,” 2002). Brady claimed that Hindley had savored the murders, writing him letters in which she recalled them “lyrically,” and even regarded them as “a substitute marriage ritual” (Smith, 2010). The two never saw each other again after the trial. Hindley’s argument that she had been corrupted by Brady appeared to have won her some sympathy. The judge who sentenced Hindley said, just two days after the trial, “Though I believe Brady is wicked beyond belief without hope of redemption, I cannot feel that the same is necessarily true of Hindley once she is removed from his influence” (“Obituary: Myra Hindley,” 2002). A similar statement was made by the detective to whom she made her 1987 confession, Inspector Geoff Knupfer: “Had she not met Ian Brady and fallen in love with him, she would
Cleckley’s analysis of Anna when he appears to relieve her of malice, perhaps not grasping that the end result of aggression does not have to mirror male aggression to be harmful. The authors’ position is that the mask can seduce the diagnostician and in the analysis of Anna, Cleckley had difficulty attributing malice to the behaviors behind the mask—the very behaviors he had been trained to look for and acknowledge. For example, although Anna was charged with multiple counts of grand theft auto, he suggested that Anna’s intent was not to keep the vehicles. During Anna’s analysis, Cleckley does not pursue the behavior of Anna arranging specific times and places that she could meet with men under the pretext of a sexual encounter while she robbed them. When Anna was expelled from one school, her parents were financially able to send Anna to a private school in another part of the country where she could start over. While at the new school, Anna wrote letters to her parents. Cleckley reports: “In these letters she sometimes mentioned her conviction that she knew of no way to express her gratitude except to show by her own conduct that she did deserve the trust her mother and father had shown in her and the support of their love and understanding. No happiness could mean more than that she would find in making them feel they could be proud of her again.”
This excerpt displays the “double talk” with which psychopaths are well endowed— saying one thing and doing another, telling people what they want to hear to buy themselves time to engage in the next scheme. What is in line with psychopathic reality is that Anna would continue to profess her innocence, claim to behave like a lady, and assert that she is trustworthy while showing no regard for the consequences of her behavior. Anna’s mask of innocence is rooted in her failed ability to form attachments or empathize with others, a hallmark trait of psychopathy. In the final analysis, Cleckley leaves the reader with the consideration of “the possibility that such a person as Anna might be born with a subtle and specific biological defect” since he cannot find any environmental explanations (such as family dynamics, history of abuse, compulsive disorders, etc.) for the development of her behavior. The authors’ question of the mask of innocence is more likely to be attributed to a female criminal than to a male. Cleckley further supports the assertion that Anna’s criminal behavior falls within the lower range of antisocial when he states the following: “It is interesting to note that Anna, unlike so many whose conduct closely resembles hers in other respects, seems never to have committed a major felony or tried to do serious physical injury to another.” It appears as if Cleckley is indicating that because
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have fallen in love and got married and had a family and been like any other member of the public” (Smith, 2010). But Hindley herself wrote in 1994 that she was “wicked and evil” and that “without me, those crimes could probably not have been committed.” (“Obituary: Myra Hindley,” 2002). In the 2000 BBC documentary, Hindley claimed she wished she had been hanged for her crimes. “It would have solved so many problems. The family of the victims would have derived some peace of mind and the tabloids would not have been able to manipulate them as they do to this day. I would have made a total confession to the priest before I hanged and would not still be half crippled by the burden of guilt that will not go away. But I didn’t hang” (“Hindley: I wish,” 2000). The families of the victims were outraged by the documentary. Alan West, the father of Lesley Ann, asked: “Why can’t the families be spared the constant indignity of Hindley’s continuous publicity seeking?” (“Hindley, I wish,” 2000). But the BBC defended its coverage, which coincided with a national debate over the length of life sentences. Hindley caused no trouble during her years in prison, pursuing studies with the Open University, embracing religion, and claiming to be reformed. But she remained so reviled in Britain that when she died in 2002, the prison service couldn’t find a
References Hindley: I wish I’d been hanged. (2000, February 29). BBC News. Retrieved April 22, 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ news/661139.stm Morris, T. (2002, November 16). Myra Hindley: icon of homicidal infamy. The Independent. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/myra-hindley-604332.html Obituary: Myra Hindley. (2002, November 15). BBC News. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ news/4539785.stm Smith, J. (2010, April 10). “One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley by Carol Ann Lee.” The (London) Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/ article7091709.ece n
affective features, including egocentricity, deceptiveness, shallow emotions, and lack of empathy (Carozza, 2008). All will make maximum use of their physical attributes to deceive and manipulate others, but female psychopaths may be less prone than males to use overt, direct physical aggression to attain their needs (Carozza, 2008). Researchers have found evidence of at least two broad categories of female psychopaths; one category appears to be characterized by interpersonal deception, sensation seeking, proneness to boredom, and a lack of empathy, and the second category appears to be characterized by early behavioral problems, promiscuous sexual behavior, and adult, nonviolent antisocial behavior (Salekin et al., 1997). However, as we shall see in this article, female psychopaths are willing to resort to brutal violence to attain their needs; violence is simply a solution that is available to them as other forms to control someone (such as deceit, manipulation, charming someone, etc). While most of us have strong inhibitions to injure others, violence is a solution psychopaths use when they are angered, defied, frustrated that their narcissistic sense of entitlement is threatened, and give little thought to the pain and humiliation experienced by their victims. Their violence is callous and can be planned in order to satisfy a want, and psychopaths’ reaction to their actions are likely to be indifferent, possibly
coupled with a sense of power, pleasure, and a smug satisfaction instead of remorse (Hare, 1991). Many of the personality and behavioral features associated with psychopathy in men are also found in women, and the more severe psychopathy in women has been linked to greater instances of violent and nonviolent offenses. However, researchers have only begun to investigate female psychopathy within the last 15 years since research has focused almost exclusively on the characteristics of male offenders. For example, do the traits that tend to predict male psychopathy apply in equal strength to women? Is female psychopathy expressed differently than male psychopathy? Gender differences are clearly observed in the prevalence, severity, behavioral expression, and factor structure of psychopathy (Warren et al., 2003). However, the question is raised whether the differences found in psychopathy research to this point reflect actual gender-based differences or are the result of potential biases in sampling, diagnostic criteria, and/or assessment instruments. Moreover, disagreement remains in the most suitable factor solution for measuring psychopathy in females. What is certain is that although there may be differences of opinion on how psychopathy is expressed across gender or how it should be measured, the core traits of psychopathy (such as exploiting others or institutions for self-servicing Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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Anna’s aggression does not dovetail male-like physical aggression, she is considered more harmless or less culpable. If Cleckley were predisposed to the myth of female criminality, then Anna’s seduction of Cleckley would not be surprising. Given the negative connotation of some of the traits inherent in psychopathy (such as being manipulative, remorseless, callous, parasitic, irresponsible, etc.), the reluctance to place the label of “psychopathic” on females is not surprising. This reluctance is due in part to the historical position that women are passive, emotional, nurturing, and self-sacrificing, and is coupled with the belief that female criminals are viewed as psychiatrically unstable (Brown, 1996). By labeling women as psychiatrically unstable, this removes accountability from their actions, which contradicts the diagnosis of psychopathy that clearly indicates that they are not suffering from some type of delusional thinking (Brown, 1996). Not only does the pervasiveness of the myth of the female character percolate into forensic studies of personality disorders that is in direct contradiction to the behavior displayed by female offenders but, as we shall see, the myth is also perpetuated in the legal setting with the assistance of forensic psychology and psychiatry. Nevertheless, the available evidence suggests that male and female psychopaths share similar interpersonal and
local undertaker willing to handle her remains and had to use one 200 miles away, and even the linens from her hospital room were destroyed to eliminate all trace of her (Smith, 2010).
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reasons, lack of empathy, lack of remorse, blame externalization, etc.) hold true for both genders. At their core, especially male and female psychopathic killers, they harbor a depravity that stands outside our moral universe. Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) is characterized by traits reflecting pervasive attention-seeking behaviors that include inappropriate sexual seductiveness and exaggerated or shallow emotions—and appears to have the strongest relationship to psychopathy in female samples (Salekin et al., 1997). Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy and appears to have a stronger relationship to male psychopaths than female psychopaths (Blackburn & Coid, 1998). Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by traits reflecting “black-andwhite” thinking and instability in relationships, self-image, and behavior—appears to have a modest relationship with psychopathy, regardless of gender (Salekin et al., 1997). Given the overlap of personality traits with each other, there appears to be momentum to categorize subtypes of psychopathy into four types that can be empirically verified, namely psychopathy that may be categorized as narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and histrionic personality disorders (Murphy & Vess, 2003). Female psychopaths were comparable to psychopathic males in terms of irresponsible lifestyles (Rogers et al., 2007). Female psychopaths typically have higher unemployment rates, relationship instability, and dependency on social assistance programs, while male psychopaths tend to have higher rates of unlawful behavior and violent crimes (Salekin et al., 1998). Analysis of adolescent populations found gender differences in psychopathy related to violence. Specifically, nonviolent antisocial behavior appeared to be key to understanding psychopathy in females, whereas violent antisocial behavior was more important in males (Cruise et al., 2003). Sexual conduct has emerged in several studies differentiating between male and female psychopathy; specifically, female psychopaths appear to engage in more promiscuous sexual behavior than males (Grann, 2000). These findings are likely due to gender specific socialization in which assumption of strong, dominant roles is expected and accepted more so for men than it is for women.
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As a result, psychopathic female offenders appear to demonstrate significant concern regarding impression management, a propensity to portray themselves in the most favorable light to others, which has not been reported in male psychopathic offenders (O’Connor, 2002). This characteristic may play an instrumental role, as we shall observe, in whether they have more options for impression management by the myths that are available for them to exploit for their benefit, especially in a legal setting. Yet what is certain is that both male and female psychopaths are not affectionate, they do not value traditional social norms or close relationships, can be vengeful or physically violent, and victimize others for personal gain (O’Connor, 2002). Ratings of female psychopathy in youth reflected much less aggression than those of males (Salekin et al., 1997). Furthermore, Cruise et al. (2003) reported that (a) physical cruelty to people and/or animals and (b) bullying/threatening were prototypical of psychopathy in male but not female youth. Females with psychopathic traits might rely on different tactics than psychopathic males to achieve the same goals; for example, brute force in general is less likely to achieve the same results as men, thus women may resort to manipulation and flirtation as methods to achieve similar results (Nicholls & Petrila, 2005). In the next section, different motives to kill are examined.
Fraud Detection Homicide Fraud detection homicide refers to whitecollar criminals, regardless of gender, who resort to murder to silence those that may have detected or are in a position to detect fraud that a white-collar criminal perpetrates (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2007). These whitecollar killers silence their victims in order to prevent them from divulging what they have discovered or could discover to law enforcement. These killers exhibit significant psychopathic traits that apply to both genders who exhibit extreme remorseless brutality (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2007). Fraud detection homicide cases overwhelmingly illustrate instrumental (planned) violence. The Nancy Siegel Case Jack Watkins, a widower, supported himself comfortably in his retirement years until he met Nancy Siegel. Watkins, 30 years senior to Siegel, met her in the fall of 1994, when she sold him a burial vault; soon thereafter
the relationship became romantic. Within months after meeting him, Siegel began using Watkins’ personal information to open new accounts and had persuaded him to buy her thousands of dollars of luxury items and real estate. Siegel exerted as much control over Watkins’ financial affairs as she needed to have the ability to commit financial fraud to support her lifestyle; she isolated him from his family to inoculate herself from being discovered by them. On May 14, 1996, Watkins’ emaciated body was found near an access point to the Appalachian Trail in Loudoun, Virginia. The body was stuffed inside two duffel bags and then stuffed into a footlocker. The cause of death was cervical compression, and there were bruises and other marks on the body consistent with manual strangulation. A toxicology analysis revealed that Watkins’ blood and liver contained toxic levels of an over-the-counter medication with sedative effects, which suggested that Watkins had been ingesting extremely high levels of the medication for a period of weeks or months. In January 2003, nearly seven years after Watkins was murdered, Virginia law enforcement officials identified his body through military fingerprint records and determined that Siegel had been receiving his Social Security checks. After a few months of investigating and watching Siegel, postal inspectors and an FBI agent approached Siegel after she had retrieved Watkins’ Social Security check from her post office box. She agreed to be interviewed and initially claimed that Watkins was alive and well, living in Pennsylvania with a woman named Ruth; but when the investigators told Siegel they knew what she was doing, she never provided them with any details about Watkins’ death, except to say that “[i]t didn’t happen the way you think.” The prosecution argued that Siegel murdered Watkins to prevent him from discovering and reporting her fraudulent crimes, a classic case of fraud detection homicide. Siegel was found guilty of murder.
The Sante Kimes Case After the victim, David Kazdin, detected that his colleagues, Sante and Kenny Kimes, had committed mortgage fraud in which they obtained a $280,000 loan in his name, he began receiving threatening telephone calls from Sante demanding that he cooperate with the fraud scheme. Kenny indicated that it was his mother who made the decision to kill Kazdin after she stated to Kenny, “He
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Kill Teams About 68 percent of female serial killers operate alone, while the other 32 percent kill with either a male or female partner. Sometimes the male partner is dominant and at other times it is the female who is dominant. It is in the male-female serial killer partnerships that women participate in sexual homicides. Female-female serial killer partnerships are a unique complex phenomena and what is interesting about the Golay and Rutterschmidt case is not only is there a female-female kill team, but that they are
in their 70s, debunking the myth that age slows down the psychopathic killer. Often, regardless of gender, two meet and establish an intimate familiarity that allows them to share fantasies that may be violent; when eroticized, this approval encourages acting out (Ramsland, 2007). However in the kill teams represented here, it was all business with no indication that their motive was to act out a fantasy.
The Case of Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt
“I am evil. . . . You have no idea how evil I am.” ~Helen Golay In April 2008, jurors found Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, and Helen Golay, 77, guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of homeless men Kenneth McDavid, 50, and Paul Vados, 73 (Deutsch, 2008). Prosecutors said the women recruited their prey from among the homeless of Hollywood and invested thousands of dollars in insurance policies on them by providing food and lodging (Keith, 2008). According to the prosecution, they took care of the men to the extent they needed them to stay alive for two years, the period in which insurers could not contest the policies for possible fraud. Golay collected more than $348,000 in life insurance proceeds from more than half-dozen insurance companies, while Rutterschmidt collected more than $246,000 from Vados’s death. Golay collected more than $1.5 million and Rutterschmidt more than $674,000 after McDavid’s death. After the two-year waiting period, Golay and Rutterschidt would drug the men and then drive them to a secluded alley and run them over until they were dead. According to appellate court documents, while in custody, they discussed the circumstances of their arrests without knowledge that they were being videotaped. Rutterschmidt said: “That is very serious, everything dragged into Paul [Vados].” Rutterschmidt again blamed Golay for “mak[ing] all these extra insurances ... You were greedy. That’s the problem. That’s why I get angry. We had no problem with the relationship. You pay me and be nice and don’t make extra things. I
was doing everything for you.” During the trial the jury saw the recorded videotape of the two; Rutterschmidt berated Golay, saying her actions in taking out 23 insurance policies raised a red flag when the men died. Rutterschmidt told Golay: “You cannot make that many insurances. It’s on your name, only.” Golay responded that she did not want to talk to Rutterschmidt, but the latter told her, “[Y]ou have to because you did all the insurances extra. That’s what raised the suspicion. You can’t do that. Stupidity.” Golay answered: “All they’re after is mail fraud. It is no mail fraud involved.” As the discussion continued, Golay reasserted that the insurance companies were complaining against them for “mail fraud”—“They have nothing else.” They discussed suing the insurance companies to get the benefits that had been denied. Interestingly, the defense for Golay said, “This case is about the insurance industry retaliating against Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt. ... They don’t like the fact that two little old ladies are involved in an insurance scam. ... They are going to teach them a lesson. ... This is a nightmare for her. ... It’s unfortunate that two men are dead.” The defendant’s attorneys characterized the women as grandmotherly types, two “little old ladies” not physically capable of this (Pringle, 2008). Interestingly, Golay stated to her hairdresser, “I am evil...You have no idea how evil I am” (Huck, 2008). She laid out a scenario where a woman marries an older man, insures his life, and then uses Viagra to engineer a heart attack. Homeless people, Golay stated, were parasitic. As for the people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina: “she said those people were nothing. . . . They were just on welfare . . . they were useless to society” (Huck, 2008). Yet Golay, in attempting to control the impression others would form of her, said that McDavid “loved them and that he wanted to be part of our family” (Pringle & Kim, 2008). Neither of the women trusted each other, and Golay tried to get Rutterschmidt’s name removed from one of the policies. What is truly bizarre is that when Golay tried to change the fraudulently obtained insurance policies, Rutterschmidt called the insurance company and stated, “I want to report a fraud. ... I’m the fiancée, she [Golay] is not the fiancée” (Kim, 2008). Speaking in a heavy accent, Rutterschmidt began ranting and raving like a lunatic that Golay had committed fraud by listing herself as the Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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knows too much and we got to do something about him, we’re going to have to kill him.” As Kenny left Sante to kill David, Sante said to Kenny, “Good luck. Do a good job.” According to the statement given by Kenny Kimes, when he went to Kazdin’s home, he followed Kazdin into the kitchen and shot him in the back of the head in his own home. After the killing, Kenny stated that he felt high from the killing and stopped by a florist shop to buy his mother flowers. Kenny stated, “In my mindset, I thought that I had completed a great duty for my mom. I felt that it was a significant completion and I wanted to celebrate.” In an attempt to control the impression others would form of her, during the trial, Sante told the jury that she loved Kazdin and “God bless him wherever he is. I need his help. I wish he was here today.” As an interesting side note, in order to avoid the death penalty, Kenny testified against his mother. He disclosed that he and his mother had drugged a 55-year-old banker by the name of Syed Ahmed. As Ahmed struggled against the sedative effects of the drugs, Sante and Kenny would take turns holding his head under water in a bathtub. In another case in which Sante and Kenny murdered 80-year-old Irene Silverman with the motive of fraudulently obtaining her residence in Manhattan, the sentencing judge stated, “It is clear that Ms. Kimes has spent virtually all her life plotting and scheming, exploiting, manipulating and preying upon the vulnerable and the gullible at every opportunity” (King, 2002). Forensic psychologist Dr. Arthur Weider stated that Sante demonstrated psychopathic personality features with “no guilt, conscience, remorse or empathy,” adding that Sante was “socially charming, arrogant, full of herself [and] egocentric coupled with a superiority complex” (King, 2002).
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beneficiary on the policies (Kim, 2008). Interestingly, Golay described Rutterschmidt as “crazy, very explosive, very loud . . . hard to deal with in public” (Pringle & So, 2008b). Yet Golay’s daughter Kecia described her mother exhibiting “thirty years of psychopathic behavior” (Pringle & So, 2006a).
Instrumental Homicide Versus Reactive Homicide One of the interesting aspects of the cases presented so far and those to follow is that they represent murders that are planned consistent with research on the link between instrumental murder and psychopathy. Psychopathy appears to be one of the strongest predictors of aggression and violence, and the distinct psychopathic traits of lack of empathy and lack of remorse are the best indicators of aggression, especially in unprovoked aggression that is observed in the cases in this article (Reidy, et al., 2008a). Psychopaths tend to engage in violence, especially homicide, in a more predatory, instrumental manner and are willing to take their time to plan the kill as contrasted to non-psychopathic killers (Herve & Yuille, 2007). The behavior of the psychopath often is motivated by a clear goal, void of emotional reactivity, rather than a powerful emotion of rage or despair associated with crimes of passion (Woodworth & Porter, 2002). For a homicide to be instrumental, the offense had to have been clearly goal oriented in nature with no evidence of an immediate emotional or situational provocation; the catalyst for the homicide has to be attributed to something other than spontaneous anger (Woodworth & Porter, 2002). In contrast, for reactive violence to be present there must be strong evidence for a high level of spontaneity/impulsivity and a lack of planning surrounding the commission of the offense; thus a rapid and powerful affective reaction prior to the act with no apparent goal other than to harm the victim immediately following a provocation/conflict (Woodworth & Porter, 2002). Reactive violence is more illustrative between family members and acquaintances, while instrumental violence is more illustrative of violence between strangers (Woodworth & Porter, 2002). In fact, the mistake many in law enforcement make when they learn of a homicide that is between acquaintances is that the killer must have been angry; yet if the individual was psychopathic, then emotion had nothing to do with the kill—murder was a solution to
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achieve a goal (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2008b). Because their violence is often instrumental and committed without intense emotion, psychopaths would be less distraught and immobilized with fear or confusion in postoffense behavior (Hakkanen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009). This post-offense attribute is especially evident in the Munchausen syndrome by proxy offenders, fraud detection homicides, and the cesarean section homicide offenders, which should serve as a clue to investigators as to whom they should consider potential suspects. The absence of emotion actually assists them in planning the kill and not killing reactively because a time requirement to predation is not necessarily present (Meloy, 2000). If there is an absence of emotions, empathy, and the ability to form attachments to others, what replaces these human qualities? According to Dr. Liane Leedom, the inability to have emotions is replaced by the motivation for dominance, control or power; to them, having power over another is the pleasure (Leedom, 2006). For those psychopaths who view homicide as an acceptable and ultimate solution to controlling others, Dr. Leedom’s views are accurate. Another way to think about what replaces these human qualities is to consider Dr. Martha Stout’s assessment when she states that life, in essence, is reduced to a contest and human beings are nothing more than game pieces to be moved about, used as shields or destroyed—it’s about winning to satisfy an intrapsychic need (Stout, 2005). Research also has shed light on the fact that the narcissistic subdimension of psychopathy is linked to the probability that a psychopath will resort to violence (Cale & Lilienfeld, 2006). The authors caution that narcissism is not the cause of violent aggression but should be understood as a risk factor, like psychopathy, that has been empirically linked to violent aggression, especially when someone has threatened their highly favorable views of themselves by not agreeing with them or through a perceived insult that to others are viewed as harmless (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998). Moreover, recent scholarship has identified that narcissists who displayed traits of extreme entitlement and exploitation of others to achieve their goals were more likely to resort to extreme forms of aggression and deleterious violence against innocent people even in the absence of provocation (Reidy, et al., 2008b). Some researchers have posited that the pathological
form of narcissism is actually psychopathy in that when egocentricity, lack of empathy, and sense of superiority of the narcissist blends with the impulsivity, deceitfulness, and criminal tendencies of the antisocial, the result is a psychopathic individual who seeks gratification of selfish impulses through any means without remorse or empathy (Millon & Davis, 2000). Psychopaths committing instrumental violence did not display a state of heightened emotional arousal at the time of the murder as contrasted to non-psychopaths whose reactive murders exhibited an emotional discharge such as “jealousy, rage, or a heated argument during the offense” (Woodworth & Porter, 2002). Thus the rage displayed by a psychopath should not be confused with the emotion-based rage that Woodworth and Porter refer to and that law enforcement erroneously concludes when they do not have any insights into the behavioral profile of a suspect. Quite the opposite holds true; psychopaths’ display of rage in the context of instrumental violence represents a dispassionate expression of their devaluation of others where murder is a viable option to satisfy their motives. Because they lack empathy, do not have the ability to anticipate remorse, and devalue others, instrumental violence is possible, especially given that their diverse motives to kill are not emotionally driven as they might be for a non-psychopath who engages in reactive murder.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Psychopathic Mothers and Caregivers Interviewer: So when you were, you know, ready to do this thing, what was going through your head. Female Killer: All I knew was that I was gonna do this thing, and there wasn’t anybody gonna stop me. I thought about it a lot, how I was gonna do it. The first one, the one I was charged with, I watched her sleeping before I…her mouth was open, and I put my hand over like this (displays putting hand over the girl’s nose and mouth). It was warm, you know, her breath on my hand. She kicked a couple of times, but I held her down because she was so little. I can’t remember nothing after that. Interviewer: Was there anything on her, like marks or anything someone could see?
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Female Killer: No. I was good at not leaving no marks. It wasn’t hard because they were so little. It was like they was sleeping, and all I had to do was…that’s all I remember. — Statement of female serialist (SchurmanKauflin, 2000).
signs of caretaker stress that might be an indication of wrongdoing to law enforcement, because psychopaths are capable of holding themselves up under a perceived stressful situation without showing emotion because there were no emotions to manage in the first place. Yet it is this lack of emotion that should be a sign that law enforcement should not ignore when investigating a potential suspect. The mother of a dead child gets a lot of attention from the ambulance crew, the emergency-room folk, the doctors, the nurses, the social workers, and then she gets attention from family, friends, neighbors, the funeral home, and clergy (Brown, n.d). Then when the excitement dies down, she starts the process all over again. Marybeth Tinning, over the course of 14 years, kept taking her kids to the hospital and collecting flowers at their funerals until she was eventually found to have killed nine of them. She was a “predator” and a woman who “located her well-spring of power in maternity” (Pearson, 1997). The mystery of how these women eluded suspicion is really no mystery at all; they were accomplished liars, and it helped that medical science had settled on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as an explanation. Above all, argues Pearson (1997), these women got away with their crimes for years because so few of us are willing to acknowledge that women are as capable of cool and calculating brutality as men are, again relying on the myth that females are incapable of such monstrosities. In November 1997, the Journal of Pediatrics published the results of a terrifying experiment; doctors at several hospitals in Great Britain had decided to covertly videotape 39 parents–most of them mothers– whom medical personnel had begun to suspect were deliberately bringing their young children to the brink of death (Southall et al., 1997). In 30 of the 39 cases, the parents were observed intentionally suffocating their children; in two they were seen attempting to poison a child; in a third, the mother under surveillance deliberately broke her 3-month-old daughter’s arm. Many of the parents seemed as methodical and as brazen, as scoured of fear or conscience, as any serial killer. “Abuse was inflicted without provocation and with premeditation, and in some instances, involved elaborate and plausible lies to explain consequences” (Southall et al., 1997). For example, one mother claimed that she had suffocated her son because of Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is a severe form of child abuse in which a parent or caretaker fabricates symptoms on behalf of another causing that person to be regarded as ill; the diagnosis has been widely accepted by clinicians in medically related fields (McKee, 2006). The persistent and repetitive inducement of serious injury or illness is a commonly reported characteristic of MSBP (Gross, 2008). Because MSBP entails deliberate injury to a victim through life-threatening methods such as poison or suffocation, the disorder has been considered to have an extremely high mortality rate. Within MSBP research, mothers are the most common perpetrators, but men have also engaged in MSBP, as well as caretaker daughters of elderly parents (Ben-Cherit & Melmed, 1998). Syndromes are usually characterized by evidence that a particular person shares a particular behavior that is characteristic of a larger class of people. Syndromes are often used at trial as a justification of why someone may have killed, such as battered child syndrome. The authors caution, however, that the use of syndromes is fraught with abuse, particularly a psychological syndrome that can almost never successfully diagnose the causes of criminal conduct (Mosteller, 1996). When these pathological behaviors are labeled syndromes, professionals often fail to see people with MSBP to be in complete control of their behavior in that they have not lost touch with reality. Dr. Geoffrey McKee, forensic psychologist and clinical professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, had the opportunity to evaluate hundreds of murder defendants, including women such as Susan Smith who strapped her children in her car and then allowed the car to run into a body of water, drowning them. In his book, Why Mothers Kill (2006), Dr. McKee outlines multiple behavioral reasons why mothers kill their children ranging from the psychotic/depressed mother, the abusive/neglectful mother to the psychopathic mother who exhibits MSBP. Dr. McKee indicates that mothers who demonstrate narcissistic
and psychopathic traits are found in persons with MSBP, further stating “few of us can imagine someone who could deliberately and repeatedly injure a child and then deceptively thwart the well-intentioned efforts of medical personnel to successfully treat the highly vulnerable victim.” Abandonment or neglect of biological children is more diagnostic of psychopathic women, and this observation makes sense given psychopathic inability to bond with others in emotional/humanistic manner (Strachan, 1993). Hundreds of infants and young children die at the hands of their mothers, and newborns are abandoned in public or are discarded and left uncovered to die. Although many may be mentally ill and be housed in forensic hospitals, women convicted of killing their children will display a wider array of characteristics, including those of psychopathic mothers (McKee, 2006). In a deceitful way, the mother destroys the child that supports the myth of motherhood in order to satiate her narcissism. During the pregnancy, the mother is the center of attention and the need for narcissistic attention is fed; but once the child is born the attention shifts to the well-being of the child, and the perceived benefits of motherhood, the attention, are replaced by the realities of parenthood. Thus the mother attempts to project the myth of the nurturing and caregiving female by placing herself in the role of the heroic mother who saves her child. Placing herself in the role of the mother-hero garners the narcissistic approbation she craves by usurping the myth to her benefit at the expense of the child who was simply a means to an end. For these women, children, like a commodity, are objects to be used for self-gratification. The value of the child is dependent on what they get out of them; if they are more valuable alive, then they are kept alive, but if they happen to die, they can always have another without remorse. It was never about upholding the myth of motherhood; the myth was a guise for their narcissism because these mothers never formed any real attachments/bonding to their children in the first place, symptomatic of psychopathy. Part of the problem in the detection of MSBP and caregiver abuse is that the deaths can be staged, victims might be too young or too old to not rule out a medical explanation, there are no outward signs of foul play, no marks, no weapons, no struggle, natural death is plausible, and no outward
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stress related to his crying and continually waking her from sleep. However, under surveillance, the mother was seen, with premeditated planning, to suffocate her infant when he was deeply asleep. The majority of other cases showed attempted suffocation when the child was asleep or lying passively on the bed. The disturbing feature was that these were women (and a few men) who masqueraded as good parents, the sort who rushed their children to the emergency room when they had trouble breathing, and stood by them with fortitude and devotion while the doctors puzzled out what was wrong. They were conning; they could give the appearance of the concerned mom the minute a doctor or nurse walked in the room, enjoy the social prestige of a mysterious disease, the proximity to powerful medical professionals, they liked the attention and the drama—the wail of the sirens, the adrenalin rush of the emergency room (Brown, n.d.). With further investigation, it turned out that the 39 patients under surveillance, ages 1 month to nearly 3 years old, had 41 siblings, and that 12 of those siblings had died suddenly and unexpectedly.
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Cesarean Section Homicide Cesarean section homicide is based on the motive to obtain a baby by murdering the natural mother and removing the baby from the womb through cesarean section. The behavioral profile of these women suggests that the abductors use a confidence style approach to the victim mother whom they have befriended, deceived, conned, or recently met (Burgess et al., 2002). The offenders faked their pregnancies by gaining weight, wearing baggy clothes, setting up nurseries, showing friends fake sonograms, and stalking their victims (Geberth, 2006). Cutting instruments such as knives are used, but a tool as simple as a pair of car keys was used to cut the mother open, and methods of killing the mother include strangulation and gunshot (Burgess et al., 2002). The abductors carefully planned the murder attempting to effectively cover up their crime and avoid detection; this behavior is more consistent with psychopathy than psychosis (Geberth, 2006). Some of the women kill for their own purposes, while others do so to please a male partner (Burgess et al., 2002). Narcissistic traits of extreme entitlement and exploitation coupled with psychopathic traits of remorselessness and lack of empathy are risk factors to consider, given that the desire of the mother is not to bond with the child, but to garner more attention that accompanies motherhood via remorseless and brutal violence (Brown, 2009). The narcissistic blow over not being able to have a baby because of fertility problems may play a role in the motive, but this is not always the case where women abducted the child to sell it for profit (Burgess et al., 2002). In addition, the alleged motive of their overwhelming desire to have a child is muted by cases in which the woman kills to take the child but also voluntarily had tubal ligation to prevent pregnancy. Interestingly, MSBP and cesarean section homicide are the flip sides of the same mythical coin in that the women destroyed objects
that gave rise to the myth they exploited to support their narcissistic sense of entitlement. The murder of Bobby Jo Stinnett by Lisa Montgomery is one such cesarean section homicide. Although Montgomery knew Stinnett through their mutual dogbreeding interests and a related Web site, Montgomery signed on the Web site with a different username in order to make an appointment with Stinnett about buying a dog. The day before the murder, Montgomery drove her car from her Malvern, Kansas, home to Stinnett’s home in Skidmore, Missouri, in what police said was a practice run, and Montgomery ordered a birthing kit online and studied how to perform a cesarean section. After being arrested for the crime, Montgomery was recorded in a telephone call with her husband saying that she was “messing with” the psychiatrists by saying she heard voices. Interestingly, the defense attempted to explain her behavior by showing the jury brain scans, arguing that she could not stop herself from committing the crime because of an abnormality in the region of the brain that controlled aggression. Consider that neurobiological impairments may be considered risk factors for antisocial behavior, but this method of assessment should not be over-interpreted as representing a causal one-to-one relationship with behavior (Glenn & Raine, 2009). An abnormality in a particular brain region does not imply that the abnormality was the cause of a specific crime (Glenn & Raine, 2009). The medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, told the jury that the large amount of blood on the bottom of Stinnett’s feet showed she had her feet flat on the floor—either standing or sitting with her knees raised—when she was cut. “The evidence to me (Dr. Case) shows that she regained consciousness while the incision was being made, a struggle ensued and she was strangled again” (Stafford, 2007). Meanwhile, several witnesses from Montgomery’s hometown testified about her actions and demeanor after she said she had given birth. Five women who knew Montgomery said she and her husband were ecstatic about their new baby girl and she showed no signs of being upset; she answered all of their questions about giving birth to the child.
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Serial Killer: The Psychopathy of Aileen Wuornos
“Everybody has a right to defend themselves. That’s what I did. These were violent, violent rapes, and the other ones I had to beg for my life.” ~Aileen Wuornos (Vronsky, 2007).
“I killed those 7 men 1st degree murder and robbery…Not so much for thrill kill; I was into the robbery biz. I was into the robbery and to eliminate witnesses…I pretty much had ’em selected that they were gonna die…there was no self-defense.” ~Aileen Wuornos (Myers, 2005). Aileen Wuornos, 34 years old at the time of the murders, admitted to killing seven men in a one-year period between 1989 and 1991. It should be noted that Wuornos’ upbringing can be described as nothing short of horrendous, and her borderline personality disorder could be partially caused by her traumatic upbringing and the physical and sexual abuse inflicted upon her (Myers, 2005). In this case Wuornos scored a 32 out of a possible 40 on the Hare Psychopathic Checklist Revised, placing her in the moderate to severe range of the disorder (Myers, 2005). She also met the criteria for borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. In Wuornos’ case, it is impossible to separate her abusive upbringing from biological predispositions toward violent criminality inherited from her absent father (Arrigo & Griffen, 2004). As an interesting side note, Wuornos is atypical of
other female killers in that she appears to have killed strangers in public as opposed to family and acquaintances in private settings where women can operate with less scrutiny. Prior to her execution by lethal injection, Wuornos admitted that if she was ever released from prison or if she had not been arrested, she had planned to kill a minimum of 12 men (Myers et al., 2005). One can observe the psychopathic traits of blame externalization, egocentricity and lack of remorse in her television interview with Dateline where Wuornos stated to the victim’s family, “You husband raped me violently, Mallory and Carskaddon [the victims’ husbands]. And the other five tried, and I went through a heck of a fight. You owe me, not me owe you” (Vronsky, 2007).
Criminal Trials: The Ultimate Display of the Myth
“Remember, I look innocent. Impression is worth as much as facts.” ~Carol Bundy (Pearson, 1997). Female serialist Carol Bundy’s statement to Doug Clark, the co-defendant, could have easily replaced the word “impression” with the word “myth”; the “myth” is worth as much as facts. Our legal system functions, especially criminal trials, as a funnel that captures our societal myths, which empty and reveal themselves onto the legal stage to persuade others to accept their message as fact. One would naturally think that from a criminal perspective, those who have to defend female killers would be the ones who would most rely on myths to persuade others, most notably a jury, that because she is female she does not have the capability, either because she was coerced, abused, exhibited mental illness traits, or purely for gender stereotypical reasons, to engage in heinous acts that men do. Yet the reality is that prosecutors and the courts rely on the myth if they must in making decisions either for trial strategy or for punishment. Information is relatively sparse on how offenders manage the image they present to the criminal justice system. It is difficult to determine the extent to which people’s inSummer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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It is estimated that serial murder accounts for about 0.5-1.0% of all murders or about 70-140 victims per year (McNamarra & Morton, 2004). Only small percentages, about 5-10%, of the perpetrators are believed to be female (Hickey, 2002). Unfortunately, there are no reliable national or international data to accurately determine the prevalence of female serial killers. Many of these women are labeled psychopathic (Brown, n.d.). Unlike their male counterparts who usually kill for sexual reasons, most female serial murderers kill either for money, excitement, and power, often in institutional settings such as hospitals and nursing homes (Wilson & Hilton, 1998). Of a total of about 400 serial killers identified between 1800 and 1995 in the United States, nearly 16%—a total of about 62 killers—collectively killed between 400 and 600 victims (Hickey, 2002). More than a third of the female serial killers made their appearance since 1970, and the numbers keep increasing (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000). Regrettably, the huge increase in the number of female serial killers has been ignored by the media, and not surprisingly law enforcement agencies and society as a whole fail to realize that women are capable of such brutality (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000). The authors believe that such figures are conservative given that many female serialists kill at home or at work in the capacity of caretakers such as nurses, babysitters, etc. where a child’s mysterious death could be explained away as a medical anomaly or to old age. Attacks occur in accepted social and professional relationships, while the means to kill are often surreptitious like poison, drug overdose, or sudden suffocation; the murder in essence becomes hidden because of the belief that someone who established a
bonding relationship with the child would not kill (such as a nurturing nurse, mother, caretaker, etc). Many female serialists tend to use poison and trap their victims on territory that is familiar to them and is shared with the victim (Vronsky, 2007). Female serial killers tend to have longer killing careers than men, presumably because their crimes are more carefully planned, methodical, precise and “hidden” on the whole (Hickey, 2002). As for other serial crimes committed by women, some aid their boyfriends and husbands in abducting, torturing, and killing women; such was the kind of assistance Karla Homolka gave her husband, Paul Bernardo, when they killed Karla’s sister and two other school girls.
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teraction involves impression management or self-presentation, which is the process by which a person tries to control the impressions that other people have of him or her; one can clearly observe from Carol Bundy’s quote that she understood the power of impression management. Impression management is relevant to the investigation and prosecution of crime, interviews and court proceedings, yet it has remained a relatively unexplored concept in forensic psychology. Psychopaths in the legal system use impression management to control the players in the system such as detectives and prosecutors, and this should not be surprising when the need to control and win is so very important to these individuals (Hakkanen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009). Impression management should be taken seriously, considering how the myth is used in court to convey messages to the jury. For example, Diane Downs, the woman who killed her two children by shooting them, came to her jury trial pregnant, projecting the image that a mother could not commit such an act. Golay and Rutterschmidt projected a disposition of two elderly, grandmotherly-like women, and Karla Homolka projected the image that she was under the control over her husband when she helped kill three young women. The power of impression management being used to gain favor by decision makers, such as judges or jurors, should not be taken lightly, especially when dealing with psychopathic killers facing trial (Hakkanen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009). For example, after serving her sentence for killing three young women, Homolka appealed common restrictions that are placed on homicide parolees (such as reporting new addresses, abstaining from using narcotics, provide DNA samples to authorities, entering therapy, etc). Superior Court Justice James Brunton granted her appeal to have these restrictions lifted because she had no record of violence in prison. In the Golay and Rutterschmidt case, the defense used the myth of age and gender to try to convince the jury that they are innocent. University of Southern California law professor Jean Rosenbluth stated that “The prosecution has to be worried that one or more jurors will feel sorry for these two old women” (Pringle, 2008). Jonathon Simon from the University of California at Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice said the presence of two older women could evoke favorable responses from the jurors; “When we see women generally, we either view them
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as nurturers or as needing protection, age is a proxy for non-threateningness” (Pringle, 2008). In other words, donning the feminine mask, they can manipulate the biases of the community by maintaining the idealized image of the feminine (Pearson, 1997) We can observe how impression management impacts the type of punishment that women who kill can receive from the court. In 1999, Marie Noe, who admitted to killing her eight children, received probation. It had been suggested that her 72-year-old appearance, mannerisms and her gender affected the decision and because society is reluctant to believe that women kill serially, law and prosecutions lacked the motivation to investigate and vigorously prosecute these women (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000). Another female serialist received only 10 years in prison after admitting to killing her five children, but the jury felt sorry for her because she had lost all the children in her life (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000). Prosecutor and defense counsel believe that part of packaging impression management for court proceeding involves the use of packaging the myth for persuasive purposes. Accepting or rejecting of the myth for impression management depends on which position one is advocating. Thus, for Homolka, it was law enforcement and the prosecution who bought her impression of being a victim then packaged the impression to the jury, even though the prosecution indicated that it was scripted (Pearson, 1997). As one police investigator would tell her, “You’re innocent, you’re the victim” (Davis, 2001). The myth of who is likely to be in control in a male-female kill team is still widely used in the courts for strategy purposes. In cases where there are male-female homicide teams, it is not unusual for both the defense, if representing the female, or law enforcement and the prosecution using the female to get to the male co-defendant, to use impression management to project the myth to a jury that the female was not in control of the kill, but was somehow coerced into performing the act by the male defendant and thus less culpable. The question remains whether their submissive trait is actually a guise of the puppet master to control the kill, such as whether Homolka used her husband as a proxy to kill her sister because she did not like the fact that her husband was attracted to her. In order to prepare for her testimony against her husband, Homolka read Perfect
Victim while in prison, which documents the case of a California teenager who was kidnapped and kept in a box for three years: ‘What made the victim convincing in court? Someone asked in the book. The juror replied: Her deadness. Her stillness” (Pearson, 1997). Homolka read up on battered women’s syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, mastering the jargon and its symptoms. In describing her relationship with Bernardo, Homolka frequently used the terms “cycles of abuse” and “learned helplessness.” When Homolka appeared in court to blame the sexual assault and slaughter of three young girls on Bernardo, her face was described as blank. During the trial she showed little emotion, only dabbing theatrically at her eyes with a handkerchief when the mothers of the dead girls made statements, and during the trial, Homolka was softly spoken and in full victim mode (Davis, 2001).
Lessons for Forensic Professionals and Law Enforcement “I don’t think most parents who murder children wake up in the morning and say,
“This is the day I’m going to kill my kids.” ~Social Worker (Van Biema, 1994). Is this social worker’s statement correct? Does this individual understand that parents who kill may not be mentally ill but possess psychopathy traits that, in fact, make them more prone to planning their child’s death? Does this person have training on how to spot psychopathic traits or are does he harbor the view that a mother is incapable of intentionally killing her child because of her gender? If the parent did plan the murder, could this professional participate in the evaluation of such a case without resorting to myths to resolve the “shock” he or she experiences? These questions are not to be posed simply to those in the social, behavioral and forensic fields, but also to law enforcement. From a law enforcement perspective, the psychopath can be described as one of their greatest challenges because they are more likely to encounter this group than any other professional. Unfortunately,
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behavior (Denov, 2003). Consequently by denying female acts of aggression, the complexities that are intrinsic to cases remain unexplored by law enforcement who are employed to solve brutal crimes. Thus, to not consider female psychopathy or its risk factors for violence because one does not want to accept the fact that females can kill in a premeditated manner is considered professional negligence and exposes others to potential harm (Nicholls & Petrila, 2005). The question is, how does a criminal investigator who may have to interview a female psychopath or forensic examiner who may have to evaluate a female defendant for court purposes avoid Cleckley’s error of minimizing criminal intent and marginalizing the damage done by the female psychopath evident in his case analysis of Anna? First, acknowledge the myths associated with the mask of innocence and the power that the myths can have over us (Denov, 2003). To inoculate ourselves against Cleckley’s error one must have a self-awareness of one’s own version as well as society’s version of gender stereotypes. Specifically, regardless of the relationships we may have had with significant women in our own lives that may have been positive, one must be able to emotionally and intellectually consider that a range of different female experiences exist beyond our own. Moreover, regardless of our own experience, the professional must be able to manage the cognitive dissonance of the dissimilar experiences of the female as care taker and female as abuser, female as peace maker and female as perpetrator. Finally, if the investigator or examiner cannot resolve the cognitive dissonance and locks into only
one version of the myth prior to beginning the evaluation, he should seriously consider excusing himself from further involvement in the case. The bias of the examiner can lead to a flawed initial approach to a case, which leads to a series of flawed decisions and ultimately a miscarriage of justice (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2009). Next, the examiner must approach the evaluation with a solid collection of data with the intent to test for the different myths regardless of the gender of the individual being evaluated. The steadfast view of an examiner regardless of the information gathered which contradicts an examiner’s views can lead to a variety of conflicts with the ethical guidelines defined by the American College of Forensic Examiners International (Perri & Lichtenwald, 2009). It is not unreasonable to enter the evaluation process with the understanding that the examinee has much to gain and little to lose by manipulating (Hakkanen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009). For example, in the analysis of Anna, Cleckley outlines that each of Anna’s criminal acts was followed with Anna participating in a “restorative justice” episode in which she displayed the emotional expectation of the mask she wore. It is at this point that Cleckley’s fatal flaw in Anna’s behavioral study is evident, because as the accumulation of the data increasingly supported the rejection of Anna’s external mask to Cleckley, Cleckley increasingly minimizes the criminal acts behind the mask. To achieve an impartial collection of data, the examiner must be willing to examine his emotions for countertransference, such as the feeling of disappointment that the in-
About the Authors
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courses designed to study psychopathy are not a traditional part of basic law enforcement curriculum or for social, behavioral and forensic professionals. Often the study of violent offenders is lumped together under the same umbrella that somehow criminals are from the same mold (Herve & Yuille, 2007). It can be particularly unnerving for professionals to realize that a female is capable of brutal violence, especially homicide, and project normalcy to those she encounters. Unfortunately, many in the law enforcement and behavioral field resort to the myth in order to resolve an uncomfortable inconsistency between what they observe and what they want to believe. Dr. Myriam Denov’s research on the myths surrounding sexual abuse by females and the impact of harboring such myths can be generalized to myths surrounding females who kill because they both rely on the same stereotypes of female aggression to come to conclusions about culpability regardless of the type of crime. Professionals’ beliefs about female aggression influence their approach to inquiry, interviews, investigation, and their reactions to female disclosures about their criminal acts have an enormous impact on who is labeled a victim or an offender (Denov, 2003). Criminal justice professionals may be more comfortable in prosecuting, convicting, and punishing those who fit the traditional stereotype, and in many cases that is men. Studies have shown, for example, that denial by police and psychiatric professionals of female aggression assisted professionals in understanding the act by realigning it with more culturally acceptable notions of female
Frank S. Perri, ACFEI member and lead author of this research project works as a criminal trial attorney. Areas of concentration include white-collar crimes and homicide. Mr. Perri received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois, his master of business administration from Case Western Reserve University, and his bachelor of arts from Union College. In addition, Mr. Perri is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Scholarship interests include fraud detection homicide, crime-terror nexus, and the application of the developmental smuggling model. You may contact Mr. Perri via e-mail at frankperri@hotmail.com.
Terrance G. Lichtenwald, PhD, is a Life Fellow and Diplomate in the ACFEI. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from an American Psychological Association (APA) approved program and completed an APA-approved internship. He has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a second master’s in school psychology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in broad field social studies and psychology. Dr. Lichtenwald has spent 20 years completing forensic, behavioral, and security evaluations, as well as threat assessments. Scholarship interests include fraud detection homicide, the crime-terror nexus, and the application of the developmental smuggling model. Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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dividual is not what she first seemed. In the event that the forensic examiner is not able to move past this countertransference to the examinee and the mask she wears, then the examiner must recuse him/herself from further involvement in the case. If the forensic examiner cannot “know thyself,” especially when the dichotomy between the mask and behavior is evident, then all of the forensic interview techniques, psychological tests, behavior rating scales, document reviews, and research regarding the female psychopath will be contaminated by the examiner’s own defense mechanisms, and thus, a distorted analysis is offered to the court, complete with a mix of the examiner’s biases (e.g., caring mother, wounded female in distress, unwilling participant unable to overcome the abusive partner in crime, etc.)—all of which hide the female psychopath from her crimes and will lead to a miscarriage of justice that is nothing short of professional negligence. Lastly, the examiner who is able to follow procedure will evaluate not only the deception of the mask, but evaluate the quality of the deception. How did the examinee respond when the deception was exposed? For example, did the examinee advance another deception? Did the manipulation incorporate the examinee incorporating the wants and needs of the examiner? Specifically, did the examinee offer ego-enhancing statements design to bolster the examiner’s self-esteem?
Conclusion Violence, especially murder, is a human issue and not a gender-specific phenomenon. Failing to recognize that psychopaths can exact brutal violence on others exposes any gender or age group to be preyed upon. Moreover, we observe how technology can be used to debunk myths surrounding female aggression as depicted in criminal trials. For example, we observe mothers being videotaped killing or attempting to kill their children while in a hospital, Karla Homolka being videotaped by her husband Paul as she too enjoyed the thrill of killing her sister and two other girls, Lisa Montgomery being audiotaped as she tells her husband that she is fooling the forensic professional into believing that she is mentally ill, and Rutterschmidt and Golay videotaped discussing their crimes. It has become increasingly difficult to rely on the myth, whether prosecution or defense, when technology displays images that contradict the myth, revealing criminal be-
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haviors that are gender-neutral. Furthermore, social, behavioral, law enforcement, legal personnel, and forensic professionals must be willing to consider whether they harbor any gender stereotypes that may inhibit them from accurately performing their duties. Although myths of gender specific aggression persist, slowly, false perceptions are being exposed and hopefully corrected by the media, academic research, field work, and technology.
Methods and Sources Sources of information consist of published case law, news media, scholarly articles and articles retrieved from the Web. References
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Law and Human Behavior, 30(1), 51-74. Carozza, D., (2008). These men know snakes in suits. Fraud Magazine, 22(4), 36-43. Cleckley, H. (1976). The mask of sanity, (5th ed.), St Louis: Mosby. Cleckley, H. (1941). The mask of sanity, (1st ed.), St. Louis: Mosby. Cruise, K.R., Colwell, L.H., Lyons, P.M., & Baker, M.D. (2003). Prototypical analysis of adolescent psychopathy: investigating the juvenile justice perspective. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 21, 829-846. Davis, C. (2001). Women Who Kill. Allison & Busby Limited. Denfield, R. (1997). Kill the body, the head will fall: a closer look at women, violence and aggression. Warner Books. Denov, M.S. (2003). The myth of innocence: Sexual scripts and the recognition of child abuse by female perpetrators. The Journal of Sex Research, 40(3), 303-314. Deutsch, L.(2008). Women convicted in hit-run killings. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Black_Widow_murders Follingstad, D.R., Polek, D.S., Hause, E.S., Deaton, L.H., Bulger, M.W., & Conway, Z.D. (1989). Factors predicting verdicts in cases where battered women kill their husbands. Law and Human Behavior, 13(3), 253-269. Geberth, V.J. (2006). Homicides involving the theft of a fetus from a pregnant victim. Law and Order, 54(3). Glenn, A.L., & Raine, A. (2009). Psychopathy and instrumental aggression: Evolutionary, neurobiological, and legal perspectives. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 32, 253-258. Grann, M. (2000). The PCL-R and gender, European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 16, 147-149. Grondahl, P. (2006, Aug. 13). Porco labeled a psycho killer. Times Union. Retrieved from http:// www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?sto ryID=508011&category=PORCO&BCCode =&newsdate=9/9/2009 Gross, B. (2008). Caretaker cruelty, Munchausen’s and beyond. The Forensic Examiner, 17(2), 54-57. Hakkanen-Nyholm, H., & Hare, R.D. (2009). Psychopathy, homicide and the courts: Working the system. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(8), 61-777. Hare, R. (1993). Without conscience; The disturbing world of the psychopaths among us. New York: The Guilford Press Inc. Hare, R. (1991). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised-manual. Toronto: MHS, Multi-Health Systems, Inc. Herve, H. & Yuille, J. (2007) The psychopath. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Hickey, E.W. (2002). Serial murderers and their victims. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Huck, P. (2008, April 12). Hit-and-run grans shock Hollywood, Retrieved from http://www.journal-
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tion homicide. The Forensic Examiner, 17(2), 72-78. Perri, F.S., Lichtenwald, T.G., & MacKenzie, P. (2008c). The lull before the storm: Adult children who kill their parents. The Forensic Examiner, 17(3), 40-54. Perri, F.S., & Lichtenwald, T.G. (2009). When worlds collide: Criminal investigative analysis, forensic psychology and the Timothy Masters case. The Forensic Examiner, 18(2), 52-68. Pringle, P. (2008a, April 14). Age, gender could play role in hit-and-run verdict. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www. latimes.com/news/local/la-me-olgahelen14apr14,1,7172283.story Pringle, P. & So, H. (2006b, May 31). Two psychopathic old ladies-killers. Retrieved from http:// friedgreentomatoes.org/articles/psychopathic_old_ladies.php Pringle, P. & Kim, V. (2008). Murder case against women outlined. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/news/local/lame-olgahelen19mar19,0,6252440.story Ramsland, K. (2007). When women kill together. The Forensic Examiner, 14(2), 64-66. Reidy, D.E., Zeichner, A., & Martinez, M.A. (2008a). Effects of psychopathy traits on unprovoked aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 319-328. Reidy, D.E., Zeichner, A., Foster, J.D. & Martinez, M.A. (2008b). Effects of narcissistic entitlement and explotativeness on human physical aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 865-875. Rogers, R., Jordan, M.J., & Harrision, K.S. (2007). Facets of psychopathy and axis II traits among jail detainees. Behavioral Science and the Law, 25(4), 471-483. Salekin, R.T., Rogers, R. & Sewell, K.W. (1997). Construct validity of psychopathy in a female offender sample. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106(4), 576-585. Salekin, R.T., Rogers R. Ustad, K.L., & Sewell, K.W. (1998). Psychopathy and recidivism among female inmates. Law and Human Behavior, 22, 219-239. Samenow, S.E. (1984). Inside the criminal mind, Times Books. Schurman-Kauflin, D. (2000). The new predator, women who kill, Algora Publishers. Semple, D. (2005). The Oxford handbook of psychiatry, USA. Oxford University Press, 448-449. Southall, D.P., Plunkett, M.C.B., Banks, M.W., Falkov, A.F. & Samuels, M.P. (1997). Covert video recordings of life-threatening child abuse: lessons for child protection. Pediatrics, 100(5), 735-760. Stafford, M. (2007). Victim called conscious during cesarean, USA Today. Retrieved from http:// www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-043237445976_x.htm. Steinmetz, S.K. (1980). Women and violence, victims and perpetrators. Journal of Psychotherapy, 34(3), 334-350. Stout, M. (2005). The sociopath next door, Random House.
Strachan, C.E. (1993). The assessment of psychopathy in female offenders. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of British Columbia, Canada. Verona, E., Hicks, B.M., & Patrick, C.J. (2005). Psychopathy and suicidality in female offenders: mediating influences of personality and abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1065-1073. Vronsky, P. (2007). Female serial killers, New York: New York, The Penguin Group. Wachter, P. (2010, March 10). Jihad jane and femme fatale fascination, retrieved from www. aolnews.com. Warren, J.I., Burnette, M.L., South, S.C., Chauhan, P., Bale, R., Friend, R., & Van Patten, I. (2003). Psychopathy in women: structural modeling and comorbidity. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26, 223-242. Wilson, W. & Hilton, T. (1998). Modus operandi of female serial killers. Psychological Reports, 82(2), 495-498. Widom, C. (1978). Toward an understanding of female criminality. Progress in Experimental PersonalityRresearch, 8, 208-245. Woodworth, M., & Porter, S. (2002). In cold blood: Characteristics of criminal homicides as a function of psychopathy. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 11(3), 436-445. n EARN CE CREDIT To earn CE credit, complete the exam for this article on page 86 or complete the exam online for FREE at www.acfei.com (select “Online CE”). This article is approved by the following for continuing education credit: (ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates, and certified members. After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following: 1. Describe misconceptions about female killers. 2. Explain the link between psycopathy, aggression, and its application to female killers. 3. Demonstrate to law enforcement the different motives to commit murder. 4. Prepare forensic psychologists and legal professionals to assess female killers. 5. Illustrate the difference between instrumental violence and reactive violence and its connection to psychopathy. 6. Prepare the legal community on the use of impression management in judicial settings.
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isted.com/peter-huck. Jack, D.C. (1999). Behind the mask: destruction and creativity in women’s aggression. Boston: Harvard University Press. Keith, T.V. (2008, March 18). Jury hears opening statement in trial of women accused of killing homeless men. Retrieved from Knowledgeplex. Kelleher, M.D. & Kelleher, C.L. (1998). Murder most rare: the female serial killer. Praeger Publishers. Kim, V. (2008, April 6). Greed, betrayal are themes in testimony at women’s hit and run trial. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-olgahelen6apr06,0,3960984.story Kim, V., & Pringle, P. (2008). Woman convicted of murder in homeless men’s deaths. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Black_Widow_murders King, J. (2002). Dead end: the crime story of the decade—murder, incest, and high-tech thievery. New York: M. Evans. Leedom, L.J. (2006). Just like his father? Healing Arts Press. Mckee, G.R. (2006). Why mothers kill. New York: Oxford University Press. McNamarra, J.J. & Morton, R.J. (2004). Frequency of serial sexual homicide victimization in Virginia for a ten-year period. Journal of Forensic Science, 49, 1-5. Meloy, J.R. (2000). The psychopathic mind, A Jason Aronson Book. Millon, T., & Davis, R. (2000). Personality disorders in modern life. John Wiley & Sons. Mosteller, R.P. (1996). Syndromes and politics in criminal trials and evidence law. Duke Law Journal, 46(3), 461-516. Murphy, C., & Vess, J. (2003). Subtypes of psychopathy: proposed differences between narcissistic, borderline, sadistic and antisocial psychopaths. Psychiatric Quarterly, 74(1), 11-29. Myers, W.C., Gooch, E., & Meloy, J.R. (2005). The role of psychopathy and sexuality in a female serial killer. Journal of Forensic Science, 50(3), 652-657. Nicholls, T.L., & Petrila, J. ( 2005). Gender and psychopathy: An overview of important issues and introduction to the special issue. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 23, 729-741. O’Connor, D.A. (2002). The female psychopath: Validity and factor structure of the revised psychopathy checklist (PCL-R) in women inmates. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State University Department of Psychology. Pearson, P. (1997). When she was bad: how and why women get away with murder. Penguin Books. Perri, F.S., & Lichtenwald, T.G. (2007). A proposed addition to the FBI criminal classification manual: Fraud detection homicide. The Forensic Examiner, 16(4), 18-31. Perri, F.S., & Lichtenwald, T.G. (2008a). The arrogant chameleons: Exposing fraud detection homicide. The Forensic Examiner, 17(1), 26-34. Perri, F.S., & Lichtenwald, T.G. (2008b). A tale of two countries: International fraud detec-
KEY WORDS: Psychopathy, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, fraud detection homicide, kill teams, cesarean section homicide, narcissism, impression management, trials TARGET AUDIENCE: Forensic pscyhologists, forensic psychiatrists, legal professionals, law enforcement professionals PROGRAM LEVEL: Basic DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
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THE DETECTIVE’S CORNER
ICED THE DETECTIVES CORNER
By Laird Long
Sergeant Carlyle has a cold case on his hands … Sergeant Carlyle of the Bissett RCMP detachment was driving down the lonely logging road, on the lookout for a rogue wolf reported in the area, when he came to a clearing in the forest and spotted Les Frum out on Lake Eaglet, frantically waving at him. Carlyle pulled off the road and drove down to the edge of the frozen lake. But with the temperature hovering around -50 degrees Celsius with the windchill, and exposed skin subject to freezing in less than a half-minute, the police officer didn’t get out of his warm 4x4. Instead, he let Les run over to him. The man was wearing heavy snowmobile mitts, and he fumbled with the passenger door handle, before finally pulling it open and jumping inside the vehicle. “Buzz Tilden! Murdered!” he gasped. Les was wearing a bulky snowmobile suit, heavy boots and a thick toque, to go along with his mitts, and the skin that showed on his cheeks burned red as his distinctive beard. Carlyle let him thaw out for a moment. Then calmly said, “Okay, let’s have it.” “Buzz Tilden is lying dead in his fishing shack! Blood all over his face and around his head! I just got here and on my way to my own shack further up the lake, I spotted the guy. Then I spotted you driving by.” Sergeant Carlyle was already donning his fur hat with the hanging ear flaps. He pulled his fleece-lined gloves out of his RCMP-issue parka, said, “Let’s go see.” There were three other fishing shacks on the remote lake, along with Tilden’s, and two of them had smoke coming out of their metal chimneys. “Get whosever in those other two shacks and bring them over to Tilden’s!” Carlyle yelled at Les, the icy wind whipping his words away, the bitter cold constricting his throat. He found Buzz Tilden stretched out on his back inside his fishing shack, colder than the northern pike in the waters below the threefoot-thick ice. A blow to the right side of the man’s face seemed to be the deathblow, and the blood looked fresh. There were signs of a struggle inside and outside the shack, and the heavy double padlocks on the thick plywood door of the fishing shelter hung open.
The Sergeant knew that Buzz Tilden was a prospector, trapper and fisher, with a well-earned reputation for eccentricity. He was also aware of the rumors that Tilden had a cache of gold hidden somewhere; the man’s fishing shack served as his winter home for all practical purposes. Les Frum crunched up to the open door, followed by Stan Tarnan and Mike Wilson, the other two ice fishermen out on the lake. Tarnan was wearing a parka with the fur-fringed hood up, snow pants, and a pair of gloves. While Wilson was bundled up in a snowmobile suit like Les’ and an orange wool balaclava pulled up on his face, a thick pair of deerskin mitts on his hands. “Normally, I’d cordon off the crime scene,” Sergeant Carlyle said, his teeth chattering. The small wood stove in the shack was unlit. “But given the weather conditions …” “You don’t want another ‘stiff ’ on your hands, eh?” Wilson joked. Carlyle cleared his throat. “Looks to me like someone picked the two padlocks on Tilden’s shack and was searching for something when Tilden surprised him, and he was killed in the ensuing struggle. And that ‘someone’ is one of you three men. Tilden was killed only a short time ago, and that logging road ends at the tip of this lake—and no one drove by me on my way up here.” The three men shuffled their boots, blinking at one another with ice-laden lashes, arms and bodies almost as rigid as the dead man’s with the cold. “You all knew about the rumor that Tilden had a hidden stash of gold?” They all nodded, reluctantly. Carlyle shoved his gloved hands into his parka pockets and stamped his feet, looking over each man in turn. And then he stated in a cold, authoritative voice, “Okay, I think I’ve got my man.” What gave the killer away?
Check acfei.com for the answer!! n
About the Author Laird Long pounds out fiction in all genres. Big guy, sense of humor. His writing credits include: Blue Murder Magazine, Orchard Press Mysteries, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, Plots With Guns, Hardboiled, Thriller UK, Shred of Evidence, Bullet, Albedo One, Baen’s Universe, Sniplits, 5 Minute Mystery,Woman’s World, and stories in the anthologies Amazing Heroes, The Mammoth Book of New Comic Fantasy, The Mammoth Book of Jacobean Whodunits, and The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries.
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BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK Reviews The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds
BOOK REVIEWS
By Katherine Ramsland, book review by Anna Pry 303 Pages; ISBN 978-0-425-23226-2; $15.00
Katherine Ramsland, PhD, got her start with the help of John Douglas when she wrote The Cases That Haunt Us. Since then she has been no stranger to the bookshelves with titles such as True Stories of C.S.I., Beating the Devil’s Game, and The Human Predator. In her book The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, Dr. Ramsland gives readers an inside look at how forensic psychologists use their finely tuned skills in order to see a crime and then show law enforcement experts what criminal to look for. Through her ability to portray real-life stories of crime and punishment in a clean and understandable manner, Dr. Ramsland guides the reader through such stories as Jack the Ripper and Peter Kürten, who drank the blood of his victims. The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds does not focus solely on the killers; quite the contrary, its main focus is on the people and the methods used in bringing these vicious crimes to an end.
Clarke’s Analytical Forensic Toxicology
Edited by Sue Jickells and Adam Negrusz, book review by Richard Skaff, PsyD, DABPS, FICPP 648 Pages; ISBN 978-0-85369-705-3; $69.99 In these murky times of enhanced foods, enhanced drugs, enhanced interrogations, and enhanced technology, forensic toxicology has become an increasingly difficult and complicated discipline. Forensic toxicology is an interdisciplinary specialty that employs the techniques of analytical chemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology to the analysis and interpretation of drugs and chemicals in biological samples for legal purposes. It
She starts with the early days of criminal profiling and pioneers of this technique such as Howard Teten, who spent years honing his profiling techniques by studying cases that had already been solved. He exercised his skills by developing a profile of the killer and then checked his theories against the actual offenders. One of his discoveries in doing this was that two of the hardest elements to attribute to a killer were age and race (the sex of the killer wasn’t considered since at the time most serial killers were male). Dr. Ramsland isn’t out to tease her readers; she takes them through the full circle of how law enforcement personnel carry out justice, starting in the early phases of the Behavioral Science Unit, psychological autopsies, victimology, analysis, and negotiations, and ending with profiles giving the expert witness testimonies at trial. Sandwiched between Dr. Ramsland’s vivid imagery of a serial killer and her detailed descriptions of how they were stopped, she takes time to take her readers into the crimes themselves. Battered women found on the side of highways, nooses wrapped around their necks; bludgeoned victims found in their own homes; and the crimes of Ed Gein, whose story you may have already seen played out by Anthony Hopkins in the film The Silence of the Lambs. In conclusion, this literary thrill ride, The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, is a book that will enlighten readers by plunging them deep into the dark and dangerous psyches of some of the most notorious beings to ever stalk the shadows. n
is a specialty that is usually associated with work for the police, the coroner, and the criminal law courts. Identifying an ingested substance is often complicated by the body’s natural processes, as it is uncommon for a chemical to remain intact once it enters the body. Therefore, a forensic toxicologist (FT) may conduct chemical analyses to detect the presence of poison, measure its concentration, and assess its level of toxicity on the organism. The FT may work with a medical examiner to establish poisoning as the cause of death and identify the chemical ingredient that contributed to that death. The FT will also attempt to provide answers to questions that may arise during criminal investigations or in following court proceedings. Other FT functions might also entail investigating drug-facilitated sexual assault, assessment of poisoned emergency room patients, investigating unlawful poisoning by a third party, detecting noncompliance with policies governing the use of drugs in the workplace, screening for performance-altering tests to athletes and animals, and working with law enforcement
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agencies to determine whether a driver was operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The forensic toxicologist is involved not only in the analysis of body fluids and tissue for drugs and poisons but also in the interpretation of the resulting information in a judicial context. Interpreting cases that involve combinations of drugs and chemicals and their complex interactions constitutes the greatest challenge facing the forensic toxicologist. Clarke’s Analytical Forensic Toxicology is a timely textbook that appeals to the booming public interest in forensics, which was triggered by popular television shows that have glamorized forensic work and aroused a monumental interest in it. The volume will tackle most of the issues discussed above and more, and will provide the reader with a comprehensive review of forensic toxicology. It is also a massive reference book that was written by prominent international experts. It covers all the main elements of forensic and analytical toxicology techniques as well as the important parts of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacology in general, with a particular focus on drugs of abuse. The volume is composed of 23 chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to forensic toxicology. Chapter two discuses pharmacokinetics and metabolism. Chapter three elaborates on the common drugs of abuse, while chapter four explores other substances encountered in clinical and forensic toxicology. Subsequently, chapter five addresses workplace drug testing issues and chapter six examines alternative specimens like hair analysis and drugs in oral fluids. Chapter seven undertakes postmortem toxicology, and in chapter eight the editors
attempt to instruct on clinical toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, in utero exposure to drugs of abuse. Chapter nine and 10 analyze drug abuse in sports and drug-facilitated sexual assault. The rest of the chapters cover every related topic to forensic and analytical toxicology. The book leaves no stone unturned starting with alcohol, drugs and driving to forensic chemistry and solid dosage form identification, to color test and thin-layer chromatography and immunoassays to ultraviolet, visible and fluorescence spectrophotometry. In addition, the volume examines new emerging techniques in the field and even quality control and assessment. It is also equipped with a clear index, wonderful illustrations and tables, as well as a convenient abbreviation lists, and useful Web sites. The textbook flows smoothly from chapter to chapter and provides the reader with a vast amount of information that covers broad spectrum of forensic science. The book is scientific, yet simple and jargon free. It is massive yet concise and clear. The editors have successfully disseminated and elucidated great details with scientific clarity and eloquence. This is a volume for the professional and for the student who harbors a passion for forensics. It also makes an excellent introduction to the subject for students of forensic science, forensic toxicology, and analytical chemistry. It will also be of interest to academics teaching these courses and a detailed resource for those working in forensic science laboratories. The book will take the reader on a panoramic journey into the land of forensic toxicology and will leave him or her enlightened and longing for more. n
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INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW with Deborah Blum, RN, CFN, CCHP Poison Detectives, Prohibition, and the Jazz Age
Interview and Review Conducted and Written By Katherine Ramsland
INTERVIEW
“In order to understand any field, you have to understand its history.”
In 1915, an exasperated city commissioner issued a scathing report on the corruption and negligence in the Manhattan coroner’s office. Its pathologists lacked any background in forensics and the prevailing attitude toward science was scornful. Among its coroners from the past two decades were undertakers, politicians, barbers, butchers, real estate agents, and even a musician. None had solid medical training. Mayor John P. Mitchell demanded change. Although he was ousted before he could achieve it, the mayor ensured that a professional medical examiner would subsequently conduct the city’s death investigations. It was the age of poison, as award-winning science author Deborah Blum depicts in her new book, The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. Not only was criminal poisoning pervasive during the 1920s, but toxic substances in daily life were common and caused numerous deaths as well. Along with a solid presentation of forensic history, Blum offers a multitude of dramatic tales. A longtime fan of chemistry, she researched how poisons, from cyanide to thallium to various toxic alcohols, debilitate the human body. Framing this information in state-of-the-art knowledge from a century ago, she takes readers right into America’s first toxicology lab. Blum is a professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her reporting and has co-edited The Field Guide for Science Writing. She enjoys delving into forgotten arenas to revive public awareness of fascinating research. An earlier book, Ghost Hunters, describes William James’ involvement in19th-century attempts to scientifically document paranormal activity. “I’m interested in the intersection of science and society,” Blum says. “How does science change society and how does society change science? All of my books try to get at that—the way science affects culture, and vice versa. And beyond that, I also have a deep affection for chemistry.” Thus, in her latest offering, she tackles one area of the then-emerging field of forensic medicine. In some cities during this time, pathologists had advocated for replacing the coroner system, inherited from England, with medical examiners. A growing movement insisted that training in medicine and science was required for investigating criminal and questionable deaths. Boston made this transition in the late 1870s, and with Mayor Mitchell’s initial boost, New York’s coroner system ended. Charles Norris, from the chemical and bacteriological laboratory at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, became the city’s first chief medical examiner. Honest, diligent, and imposing, Norris studied under
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Europe’s leading forensic practitioners. His standards were exacting, and he hired only assistants who demonstrated fortitude. To test applicants, he would make them perform revolting experiments with decomposed brain matter. Shrewd enough to know he needed a staff toxicologist, Norris fought restrictive budgets and dipped into his personal funds to set up a lab and hire Alexander O. Gettler, a “cigar-smoking gambling enthusiast from Brooklyn.” Already employed at Bellevue and NYU, Gettler agreed to work part time on chemical and toxicological investigations. He had no idea then how many cases he faced or how often he would have to pioneer new methods from scratch. To reinvent the office and change past practices, Norris went to all significant death scenes and performed regular autopsies. With his wealth and flair, he became a legendary figure, and his reputation for solid work shone a positive light on forensic science. Norris and Gettler were determined to make killers think twice. By 1934, Norris had created a Department of Forensic Medicine at New York University’s College of Medicine. While researching the era’s poisons, Blum discovered Norris and Gettler. She was delighted to find this pair of heroes, up to their elbows in fatal compounds, to carry the narrative. “I knew I wanted to write a book about the mechanics of how poisons kill you,” she recalls, “because it’s always been fascinating to me that you can take hydrogen and carbon and oxygen, and mix them up one way and it’s sugar, but mix them another way and it’s deadly. I looked through the literature and when I found Gettler and Norris, I was so thrilled, and also lucky. People called Gettler the ‘Father of American Forensic Toxicology,’ but I couldn’t find a biography of him. So I thought that it was a great, partly-untold story.”
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With such towering figures making dramatic changes in the name of science, Blum realized that the period is fascinating. “It always strikes me when I’m doing these quasi-biographical stories that we forget so many people who came up with critical ideas—fundamental science— that shape who we are today. It gets lost in this mist through which we view the past. I loved the personality contrast between Norris and Gettler. Norris was one of these people who really valued character and quality—and Gettler was a character.”
The Mechanics of Poison Poison was not just a murderer’s game, either. It came from corporations, bootlegging entrepreneurs, and even the U.S. government. Chemists hired to assist the cause of Prohibition made an already dangerous substance even more toxic. The hope, apparently, was to make alcohol so lethal that even the worst boozer would be deterred. The reality was that drinkers just kept drinking, and many died. “I discovered some incredible things about what happened,” Blum states. “I went through newspapers from those times and was surprised about things I hadn’t known. And yet in most histories of Prohibition, they don’t mention it—not even a book devoted to Prohibition in Manhattan.” Some poisons were quite literally in the air. Tobacco smoke was pervasive, as were the fumes from tetraethyl lead in gasoline. “I was looking at the world through a sense of being surrounded by poisons,” says Blum. “I looked at Prohibition, but not in the usual ‘speakeasy society’ way. I was interested in the poisons served at the bars. So, I was doing my research with a very narrow focus that made everything lethal stand out.” No other U.S. city at this time had a dedicated toxicology lab. Gettler and Norris had to design their own, decide on its tools, and invent a methodology that would stand up in court. They had no help from mentors, textbooks, or educational programs. Little was known about how the wide variety of poisons available worked on human organs, so these two men carried out scientific analyses as part of their enormously busy schedules. Norris paid for the equipment, while Gettler purchased chemical supplies and raw liver for experiments. For example, to test how carbon monoxide might be implicated in a death, they designed an airtight corpse-size box with a rubber gasket that allowed CO2 to be safely pumped in. Unclaimed cadavers were exposed to this heavily toxic air for either 24 or 36 hours. The results indicated that the CO2 levels in their blood did not change. Thus, thanks to these experiments, one could now prove that if CO2 blood levels were toxic, the poison had been introduced ante-mortem. “They worked in that era when there were no institutional review boards,” Blum points out. “If you had the time and materials, you Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
INTERVIEW
Double Deception Blum discovered that telling the story of early forensic medicine through chapters devoted to specific poisons helped to organize a massive amount of material. “I wanted it to be a book about how poisons work and what happens, so I organized each chapter around a specific poison to focus on that time period. That way, I wasn’t bouncing back and forth between a bunch of poisons.” Chloroform is the first deadly substance, with the first case being its use by health care serial killer Frederic Mors. Tasked with reducing the number of patients at a Yonkers facility for the elderly, he discovered how easy it was to obtain and use chloroform to dispatch them. “I wanted to be able to really explain each poison,” says Blum. “The tricky thing was to look for poisons that were meaningful in each time period. The one poison I wanted to get into the book was strychnine, but I couldn’t find a way to do it. There weren’t any good cases in Gettler’s life until 1943, after my book had ended. It was painful to leave it out.” Norris and his crew worked hard to ensure that in each investigation they had attended to every detail. Whenever Gettler attended an execution in which his work played a part, he obsessed over each step he took so he could be certain he had done everything correctly. Sometimes they let a guilty man go free, but more often they ensured his conviction. Among the many murder cases is the one that inspired novelist James M. Cain to write Double Indemnity. At the time, it drew enormous media attention. In 1915, Ruth May Brown married her much older boss, Albert Snyder. They had a baby and moved to Long Island. Ten years into their difficult marriage, Ruth met Henry Judd Gray, a married corset salesman. They jumped into a torrid affair and plotted to insure and then kill Albert. Ruth managed to get an insurance policy that paid double in the event of death by mishap, but she wasn’t too bright about the planning or execution of the “mishap.” Gray’s role was to purchase chloroform, picture frame wire, and a five-pound sash weight. Then, on a designated night, the lovers bludgeoned Snyder in the head with the weight, stuffed his nose and mouth with rags soaked in chloroform, and wrapped the wire around his throat. Staging the room to resemble a break-in robbery/homicide (but forgetting to force a door or window), Gray then bound Ruth and left. The Snyders’ daughter discovered and freed her. When detectives investigated, the scene contradicted Ruth’s tale of a robbery, since portable valuables were visible in the house. In addition, Ruth had no injury where she’d supposedly been knocked out. When they found the bloodstained sash weight in the basement, Ruth confessed, implicating Gray as the killer. He was quickly arrested, but he pointed the finger back at Ruth. Then he said he acted in self-defense when Albert struggled with him. The case came into Norris’ office and Gettler soon established that both defendants had lied. He testified in their joint trial before a roomful of journalists, writers, and celebrities on what the physical evidence
proved concerning the events that night. The audience hung on his every word. “Probably because Ruth Snyder was an attractive blonde and partly because of the spectacular nature of that crime, it became sensational,” Blum explains. “Everyone was fascinated with the theater of it. What was most interesting to me was that, for all the planning they did, they were still stupid.” First, Gettler said, he had tested a bottle of whiskey removed from Gray upon his capture; it contained a lethal amount of bichloride of mercury. In addition, Gettler found, Snyder had been so drunk on bootleg alcohol, as well as treated to so much chloroform, he could not have fought with anyone. These things alone would have killed him. Thus, Gray’s account of self-defense was a sham. “Gettler pointed out,” says Blum, “that they had so effectively poisoned Snyder with chloroform and alcohol that, if they had just left it alone [without the bludgeoning], it would have looked like a natural death. They wouldn’t have gotten the double indemnity, but they probably would have walked.” On May 9, 1927, Ruth Snyder and Gray were found guilty of firstdegree murder and sentenced to death. Both wrote self-promoting autobiographies vilifying their partner. They were executed in the electric chair in Sing Sing on the same day—January 12, 1928.
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could do almost anything. And the other thing was that they had to do it. They didn’t know things and they had to find out. Sometimes they had to invent the apparatus. I tell one story about a botched abortion where Gettler figured out how to calculate the amount of chloroform in the woman’s brain. All these things that we take for granted, they had to figure out on the job.” Thanks to their rigorous approach, Blum describes, New York’s system became a model for others. “A guy named Otto Schultz, who was the original candidate for Norris’ job, did a couple of reviews of the forensic medical system for the National Research Council, in which they used the New York system as the ideal. They set it out as the direction the country needed to go. Norris and Gettler were actively involved in trying to raise the national standard.” Demonstrating this influence is a tragic case that united New Jersey and New York during a difficult investigation.
into their blood and lungs. Those individuals who naively trusted in science and industry at a time when accountability was minimal paid a terrible price. “In the end,” says Blum, “all stories are stories about people. It’s not just about experimental procedures. In this story the politics raise troubling ethical issues (not a surprise), and I was interested in the way swallowing radium was so dangerous because the body absorbed it like calcium. I thought, ‘This is a good chance to make people think about science and what makes it interesting.’ They’ll get caught up in the story. You educate them without sitting them down and lecturing in their faces.” Blum’s closing thought gets right to the heart of the matter: “Both sides of our nature are revealed in the history of poisons.” She’s referring to the poisoners and their nemeses, the investigators who bring them to justice. “One of the reasons I’ve always been interested in poisons,” she states, “is that the poisoner has always struck me as the Mutual Concerns most cold-blooded of killers. It has to be premeditated, and what Several radium factories in Orange, New Jersey, employed young happens to the victims is so awful. The killer has to know that’s not women to apply glow-in-the-dark radium to watch dials. At the time, a nice death. Yet, as soon as poisons were available, killers were using science touted radium as a wonder drug and its them. Even now, somewhere in the world, every discoverers, Pierre and Marie Curie, had sung its day, someone tries to poison someone else. So it praises throughout the world. As Blum depicts, shows us at our worst. But the other side is that radium was included in many consumer prodthe rest of us try to hunt those people down, and ucts, from water to face cream to pain relievers, we’ve done a good job. We don’t live in fear of with ads that promised “radiant” health and vigor. poison the way people did during Gettler’s and However, the dial painters, who used their lips to Norris’ time. They changed that. There are poison “sharpen” their paintbrush tips, began to sicken. killings, and they stand out, but we’ve gotten the Their teeth fell out, their jaws abscessed, their ‘daily-ness’ of it under control.” bones decayed, and they grew anemic. When nine s Radium Girls work in a factory of the United States Blum believes that forensic scientists today had died by 1924, it drew the attention of the Radium Corporation should study the work forerunners like Norris medical examiner of New Jersey’s Essex County, Harrison Martland. and Gettler did to improve forensics. “In order to understand any field,” He discovered that the skin and clothing of radium factory workers she insists, “you have to understand its history. The lessons from the were heavily contaminated, and he suspected that radium was related past put what we do today into context. Although the needs of today to the numerous illnesses and deaths. However, corporate management are different, the actual issues—and even some of the science—remain resisted attempts to protect the workers. They hired scientists to declare the same. Some is so fundamentally important and instructive. It also that radium was safe. When five dying “Radium Girls” filed a lawsuit gives you a sense of how a dedicated forensic scientist works, how the in 1927, the body of a deceased co-worker (sister to two of them) was field took shape in this country, and what the important questions are, exhumed. Martland asked his close colleague, Norris, for help. Blum like separating out the innocent from the less innocent. It’s also about describes how Gettler and his crew accepted the challenge and proved integrity—why it matters that we get it right. Norris wanted toxicolthat the deceased woman’s bones were radioactive. By the time the ogy to be taken seriously and regarded as an important discipline.” suit, with Gettler’s results, neared a trial date destined to spark a furor, The book has rightly been called “caviar for true-crime fans and all five women were dying. When the company offered a dramatically science buffs alike.” It’s a page-turner, but it’s also a solid lesson reduced settlement that would pay medical bills and provide a small for anyone involved in the medico-legal system about how science, stipend, the desperate women accepted. The medical examiners jointly compassion, and human dignity can together achieve a just result. brought attention to a public health danger, but it was too late for The Poisoner’s Handbook has a firm place among the best depictions many workers. Once their bones had absorbed the chemical, it got of early forensic science. n About the Author
Katherine Ramsland, PhD, CMI-V, has published over 900 articles and 36 books, including The Devil’s Dozen: How Cutting Edge Forensics Took Down 12 Notorious Serial Killers and Beating the Devil’s Game: A History of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation. Dr. Ramsland is an associate professor of forensic psychology and the department chair at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. She has been a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute since 1998.
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FALSELY ACCUSED
Florida Man Exonerated After 26 Years DNA proves innocence of Anthony Caravella
FALSELY ACCUSED
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nthony Caravella was 15 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison for the 1983 rape and murder of Ada Cox Jankowski, 58, of Miramar, Florida. On March 25, 2010, shortly before his 42nd birthday, Caravella got his life back—along with an apology from Broward County Circuit Judge Thomas M. Lynch IV. “The past couple of years a lot of people have worked very hard for you...on the other hand, there are some people who may owe you an apology,” the judge told Caravella. “Let me take the opportunity to apologize to you for the criminal justice system of the state of Florida,” Lynch said. “Good luck in the future, sir” (McMahon, 2010). Caravella spent more than half his life in prison before prosecutors asked that his convictions and life sentence be thrown out when new testing of his DNA showed it did not match genetic evidence recovered from Jankowski’s body. “I never had any doubt that Anthony was innocent,” said public defender Diane Cuddihy, who worked for nine years to free him. “The shocking thing is that an innocent man can be convicted like this” (McMahon, 2010a). Caravella had an IQ of 67, well below normal, when he gave police several inconsistent statements that were treated as confessions and used against him at trial. The original prosecutor, Robert Carney, sought the death penalty for Caravella (Innocence Project of Florida, 2010). Caravella was provisionally released from prison September 10, 2009, when DNA testing appeared to exonerate him. He had to wear a GPS ankle monitor and obey a curfew while prosecutors did more forensic testing. Final DNA test results confirmed his innocence on March 24, 2010, leading to his official exoneration. Cuddihy argued in 2009 that new evidence showed police coerced the confession from Caravella when he was arrested on an unrelated charge in December 1983, two months after Jankowski’s body was found in a field at Miramar Elementary School (Murray, 2010). She also contended the teen was beaten and only confessed in exchange for the release of a female friend who was arrested with him. Both Cuddihy and prosecutor Carolyn McCann, who handled the new appeal since 2001, say Caravella was convicted largely on the strength of his statements to police, despite a lack of physical evidence. Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues noted that it was the first time allegations that Caravella was beaten were ever raised. “This is the first time we’ve heard these allegations in the 26 years since the arrest,” she said in September 2009 (McMahon, 2009).
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Cuddihy said Caravella made five different, conflicting statements to Miramar police and a Broward Sheriff ’s Office sergeant over the course of seven days, getting key details wrong in the first statement and, by the fifth, including key information that appeared to have been suggested to him by police. The case illustrates how juveniles and mentally challenged suspects are vulnerable to confessing to crimes they did not commit, say specialists on false confessions and wrongful convictions. “When statements in these kinds of cases get more and more detailed and incriminating, we find that the information can only end up in the suspect’s knowledge by a process known as contamination,” said Steven Drizin, a Northwestern University law professor and expert on false confessions. “Nine out of 10 times, the source of that information is law enforcement officers” (McMahon, 2009). Cuddihy credited persistent coverage of Caravella’s case by South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Paula McMahon with keeping his plight in the public eye. “Just a little pressure from the press … and I have no doubt that her detailed reporting is the reason that Mr. Caravella is a free man today” (Maucker, 2010). At the time of Caravella’s release, Broward prosecutors and Miramar police said they accepted the scientific evidence but offered no apology (McMahon, 2010). Caravella is the 252nd person in the nation and the 12th in Florida to be exonerated by post-conviction DNA testing, according to the Innocence Project of Florida, a group that tracks such cases (McMahon, 2010). References Innocence Project of Florida (2010, March 30). Anthony Caravella officially exonerated. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://floridainnocence.org/ content/?p=1860 McMahon, P. (2010, March 25). Exonerated inmate given freedom, judge’s apology. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14760079). McMahon, P. (2010, March 25). DNA testing exonerates Florida man convicted of 1983 murder. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://articles.latimes.com/2010/ mar/25/nation/la-na-dna-florida25-2010mar25 McMahon, P. (2009, September 4). DNA result just one of troubling aspects in convicted man’s case. Retrieved April 20, 2010, fromhttp://www.sun-sentinel.com/ news/local/breakingnews/sfl-dna-caravella-b090309,0,258915.story Maucker, E. (2010, April 4). Journalist's crusade: persistence shows commitment to serving the public. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://articles.sun-sentinel. com/2010-04-04/news/fl-emcol-mcmahon-oped0404-20100404_1_caravellacase-anthony-caravella-ada-cox-jankowski Murray, J. (2010, March 25). Man officially exonerated after 26 years in prison. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from http://cbs4.com/local/anthony.caravella. dna.2.1588746.html n
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U.S. Army Mortuary, Saigon: An Unlikely Assignment By Dr. Raymond J. Byron, Jr., DMD
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It was near midnight on January 2, 1970. I was sitting in the back of an extended Boeing 707 jetliner flying over the South Pacific at over 500 miles per hour. Every seat was occupied in the cabin, with 220 military personnel flying on their final leg of a 24-hour flight to the Republic of South Vietnam. I was tired and my legs were cramped from sitting for the duration of the long flight. All I wanted to do was to get off the plane so I could breathe fresh air and stretch my legs. As a boy I thought I might have to eventually go off to war, but I found it surreal to actually be happening to me. At 20 years of age, after attending college for two years, I enlisted in the U.S. Army for three years.
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Following my basic training, I was trained as a dental assistant. I plane was quickly refueled and we were off again. The takeoff was as assumed, if sent to Vietnam, that I would be assigned to a dental scary as the landing. With its new load of fuel, our plane seemed to clinic or possibly be part of a KJ Team. KJ Teams consisted of a lumber endlessly down the runway, straining to become airborne. I dentist and dental assistant; they flew out on helicopters to remote was sure we weren’t going to make it in the air before running out of artillery bases along the Cambodian or Laotian borders to provide runway and crashing into the ocean. Just as the plane was in the air dental treatment. I had no idea where I would eventually end up we were immediately over water. I was glad to be in the air again. (see Figure 1). After leaving Wake Island, we arrived at our intended next stop, Our flight left McCord Air Force Base, located south of Seattle, Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. Our stay there was short. After topWashington, on New Year’s Day. We were scheduled for layovers ping off our fuel tanks, we took off again for our final destination— in Hawaii and Guam before our final arrival 24 hours later at Vietnam. I was nervous about going to Vietnam—I had no idea Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam. Our laywhat to expect. Throughout high school I over in Honolulu, Hawaii, was short, but I had kept up with the news about Vietnam by found the island absolutely beautiful with reading our hometown newspaper, national its abundance of flowers, blue skies, and magazines, or watching the evening news. the surrounding Pacific Ocean. In middle My classmates at school and I talked about school I learned about Japan’s December 7, the war, with most of us supporting the need 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and studied to halt Communist aggression. We felt it was history books about World War II in the better to fight “commies” over there than in Pacific region. My short visit to Hawaii only the USA. Most of my male classmates realincreased my interest in the island that made ized that if the war was still going on after me determined to return to Hawaii for a we graduated from high school, there was a longer stay. After a few hours on the ground, s Fig. 1: Artillery base along the Laotian border chance that many of us would either enlist we left Honolulu; Guam was our next stop. or be drafted. What had been a concern of Flying over the South Pacific Ocean for what mine throughout my teenage years was comseemed like endless hours made me realize ing true. how huge this body of water is. Now on our final leg of our flight, the Two-thirds of the way to our next stop, cabin was quiet. Most of the passengers were Anderson Air Force Base on Guam, our plane either sound asleep or dozing. A few were made an unscheduled landing at Wake Island reading with their overhead lights on when due to strong headwinds to refuel. (See Figure a stewardess announced that we had begun 2). Wake Island is a V-shaped coral atoll surour final approach to Cam Ranh Bay Air rounding a lagoon. It is a tropical island that Base, South Vietnam. We were advised to consists of three small individual islands with turn off all overhead lights. I thought, “No only 12 miles of shoreline. A large part of the s Fig. 2: Wake Island’s runway located in the lower half of sense in making our plane an easy target.” island is occupied by a 9,800-foot runway, a the atoll The passengers stirred as we made our final terminal, and a jet fuel storage area. During approach. I could see parachute flares drifting World War II, Wake Island was attacked by the Japanese at the downward along the perimeter of the base as the plane approached same time they attacked Pearl Harbor. Our landing on Wake was the end of the runway. The plane touched down and taxied to the as hard as I had ever experienced; an experienced pilot once told me terminal before stopping. The stewardess made a final announcement that landing a plane was nothing more than a controlled crash. The that they had enjoyed serving us on our flight and wished us well.
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As she concluded her announcements the front left door opened, “old timers” called new replacements “snakes.” That afternoon I was allowing a rush of humid air to enter the plane. An Air Force ser- notified along with three other dental assistants that we were being geant stepped aboard to advise us where to go as we disembarked. I assigned to the 1st Logistic Division’s U.S. Army Mortuary at Tan will never forget passing the stewardesses along the aisle as I made Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon. I had no idea what I was going to do my way to the front door. Each stewardess looked at me as they there. I thought maybe it had a dental clinic. Fortunately for me, said either “God bless you,” “Stay safe,” or “See you next year.” The one of the dental assistants was a Specialist 5th Class, equivalent to looks on their faces revealed that they knew some of us wouldn’t be a buck sergeant, who was returning to Vietnam for a second tour returning home alive; it was eerie. As I stepped through the plane of duty. I quickly realized that he knew what was happening and door, the hot, humid air struck me in my face. Standing for a few promptly latched onto him. He informed me and the other two seconds at the top of the tall mobile stairs, I newcomers that we were being assigned to not only saw parachute flares drifting lazily the mortuary to perform forensic dentistry to earth, but now I could hear them make a examinations on remains. At the time I knew popping sound as they opened at their apex nothing about forensic dentistry—I knew and began drifting downward. I thanked God this was about to change. that I had arrived safely. The “Nam,” as it was The following morning we took off at 3 called, was going to be my home for one long a.m. on an Air Force C-130 transport plane year. headed for Bien Hoa Air Base, located north After going through customs and sitting east of Saigon. We landed at Bien Hoa just through a briefing, I carried my heavy dufat sunrise, then made the short trip over to fel bag to my barracks for the night. By the Long Bing Army Base, adjacent to Bien Hoa. time I arrived there were few bunks left. The s Fig. 3: South Vietnamese children walking home from school We reported to the 1st Logistic Division along a busy boulevard in Saigon. bunk I took had no pillow, no sheets, and no personnel center to complete all necessary blankets; the mattress smelled of urine at its paperwork. In the military, a job isn’t finished head. I was so exhausted that I simply flipped until all the paperwork is completed. Later in the mattress upside down and rotated the the afternoon, we traveled on a school bus to urine-smelling end to the foot of the bunk. Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, where the I laid my head down and slept like a baby in mortuary was located. The last thing I had my jungle fatigues. The next morning I arose expected was to be riding a school bus in late, ate breakfast, and reported to the “bullVietnam. I had envisioned riding in an army pen.” The bullpen was an outdoor covered deuce-and-a-half (2.5-ton truck) with a .50 area where newly arrived military personnel caliber machine gun mounted on top of the reported to receive their new assignment orcab. Our trip took about one hour and was ders. During the day as I looked around Cam uneventful. Being in a third-world country Ranh Bay, I was reminded of Dunes State s Fig. 4: Wounded Marines being evacuated on a tank for the first time, I was totally wrapped up in Park, located on the shores of Lake Michigan its sights, smells, and sounds (see Figure 3). in Northern Indiana. Cam Ranh Bay is located in the middle of We arrived at the mortuary around 3 p.m. It was located on the Vietnam along the coast of the South China Sea. There were sand far side of Tan Son Nhut Air Base along its perimeter. Early in the dunes everywhere. Around mid-morning we had our first roll call Vietnam War, from 1961–1965, the U.S. Air Force provided mortuin the bullpen, but my name wasn’t called, indicating I had been as- ary services in a two-room mortuary at Tan Son Nhut. In July 1966, signed. The bullpen was packed with military personnel, all wearing the U.S. Army took over all mortuary operations in Vietnam and new green jungle fatigues and black boots. I soon learned that the Thailand. As the war escalated, so did its casualties (see Figure 4).
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Tan Son Nhut’s new modern mortuary was built and became To our immediate left were several modern, prefabricated steel operational in August 1968. It had 20 embalming tables and was buildings that were connected to one another. This area contained located on the uncongested side of Tan Son receiving, embalming, refrigeration storage, Nhut, which provided the much-needed shipping, Central Identification Laboratory, privacy (see Figure 5). Also located within and administration. In addition, a pathology the mortuary was the Central Identification detachment was attached to the mortuary Laboratory, which certified the identificato perform autopsies as needed. Another tion of remains and tracked military person- s Fig. 5: Saigon’s U.S. Army Mortuary/Personal Property unit, the Ballistical Data Analysis Research nel missing in action (see Figure 6). South Depot Complex Team, was tasked with evaluating the efVietnam was divided into four corps or secfectiveness of enemy weapons and providing tions. Tan Son Nhut was responsible for II, medical information to develop effective III, and IV Corps. A second mortuary was countermeasures. opened in Vietnam’s northernmost corps, I We reported directly to the unit commandCorps, at Da Nang Air Base in June 1967. er, a major, for a short briefing. He informed Remains were evacuated from the battlefield us that we had been assigned to the mortuby helicopter; they arrived at one of many ary to perform forensic dental examinations s Fig. 6: Central Identification Lab with unknown remains casualty collection points located throughout on remains. Historically, forensic dental exVietnam within hours. Casualty collection aminations weren’t routinely performed on points were responsible for securing and American military personnel if fingerprints transporting the remains, their medical/ were obtained. Due to a misidentification, the dental records, and personal property to Pentagon declared that all American civilian either mortuary. After initial processing, and military personnel remains would require remains were transported by air with an esa forensic dental examination. This change in cort to either Da Nang’s or Tan Son Nhut’s policy overloaded existing mortuary persons Fig. 7: Eight-foot plywood fence surrounding the mortuary nel. To fill the need, eight dental assistants— mortuary. The U.S. Army Mortuary at Tan Son Nhut with no prior forensic experience—reported was a large, walled compound divided into to the mortuary during the first two months the Personal Property Depot (PPD) and the in 1970. Our new commander told us that mortuary itself. the job was critically important and that PPD received the personal property bemany people couldn’t handle working with longing to deceased personnel. PPD perremains. He asked us to give it a try, and if sonnel examined personal property of the s Fig. 8: Stacked aluminum transfer cases we found we couldn’t do the job, he would deceased, looking for drugs, pornography, assign us another job within the mortuary/ or anything that would embarrass or bring PPD complex or somewhere else in Vietnam. stress to surviving family members. The morThat “somewhere else in Vietnam” caught tuary was surrounded by eight-foot plywood our attention. We were all confident that walls—not to protect its personnel from atwe knew dental anatomy; it was the sights tack, but to keep curious onlookers out (see and smells that we were unsure if we could Figure 7). As we drove through the mortuhandle. ary’s main gate, I could see that the right half s Fig. 9: Remains arriving at Mortuary Receiving After our meeting with our new comof the mortuary compound stored hundreds mander, the lieutenant in charge of Central of aluminum transfer cases that were neatly stacked on top of one Identification took us on a tour of PPD and the mortuary. We another in an open yard (see Figure 8). Transfer cases were reusable completed our tour of the mortuary in receiving, where remains coffins that shipped remains home. were initially received and processed (see Figure 9).
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Receiving was a large room with nine embalming tables equally until our arrival, he was the only military person capable of performing spaced on a white ceramic tile floor (see Figure 10). Hanging on the a forensic dental examination. Each day we saw a different category walls of receiving were several large American flags. After remains of remains. Many remains were mutilated with missing limbs, while were processed, they were either transferred to a large walk-in refrig- others were charred beyond recognition. Some were decomposed, erator until their identification was certified, or they went directly their bodies covered with maggots. Others were partial or totally to embalming if an identification was quickly made. Upon entering skeletal, while others were totally intact with only one penetrating the receiving area, I quickly noticed two body bags—with remains wound. Many had rigor mortis, which made opening their mouths inside—lying on the embalming tables. extremely difficult. Each type of remains had The lieutenant gathered us around the a smell of its own that I can recall to this day. first table and unzipped the bag. Inside was Accompanying each set of remains was a caa 19-year-old male with a penetrating chest sualty report describing how the soldier had wound. He had a certain smell that would died. I quickly realized that human beings are become familiar over the next year. He was very fragile and that life is short. cold to the touch and his muscles were stiff Positive identification of remains is the from rigor mortis. We moved to the next table; most important aspect of casualty reporting the body bag was unzipped. The soldier was before notifying surviving family members. missing a large portion of his head. A large Incorrect identification of a body leads to projectile had ripped his head off just above s Fig. 10: Body bag lying on embalming table unnecessary grief for family members and the tongue. His lower jaw and teeth were causes embarrassment to the military. Military present, with everything from the tongue personnel are taught to wear their identificadown intact. All four of us just stood around tion tags (dog tags) around their neck or tie the table, stared at the remains, but didn’t say them to their boots by their bootlaces. We much. also marked the inside of our clothing and After our tour of the mortuary/PPD comboots with indelible ink. While this is an explex, we drove to the other side of the base to cellent way to identify remains, it isn’t always our new quarters. To my surprise, they were a guarantee that the deceased didn’t borrow located next to the Saigon Golf Course. I a neighbor’s shirt or pick up the wrong dog thought “not bad for the Nam.” Our new s Fig. 11: Army barracks in rear areas of Vietnam with clothes tags. If the remains weren’t severely burned, hanging out to dry barracks was very typical for base camp areas fingerprints or footprints would provide posiin Vietnam; two-story wood framed building, tive identification. Other means of identifying hot and cold water, but no air conditioning a body are race, height, hair color, tattoos, (see Figure 11). It did have ceiling fans that scars, healed fractures (detected by X-ray ran constantly. I picked a corner bunk on the analysis), injuries, cause of death, markings on first floor with 18 inches of concrete on two clothing and jewelry. Though more tedious sides. I thought its location would be great and time-consuming, dental examination of protection from being shot by a stray bullet. remains was and still is one of the most effecAfter settling in, we headed to the mess hall tive means of identification. Unfortunately, for dinner. I didn’t eat much that night; I DNA identification wasn’t available in 1970. Fig. 12: DD Form 891-Record of Identification Processing mostly just pushed my food across my plate s Civilian identification specialists made idenDental Chart. from one side to the other. I sat at a table tification certification of the remains after with another newly arrived dental assistant; comparing antemortem medical/dental rewe were both in our early 20s. Neither of cords with postmortem. My job was to perus talked until he asked if “I was thinking form a dental examination of the remains and about what he was thinking about.” We both produce an accurate and legible postmortem opened up and discussed what we had seen dental chart (see Figure 12). that afternoon. We confessed that we weren’t There are so many unique identification sure if we would be able to handle working traits that can be found from human teeth. with mutilated bodies. Up until then I had s Fig. 13: a. normal pulp chamber b. tooth decay c. amalgam Posterior teeth are divided into molars (three d. pulp stones e. pulp horn seen only elderly relatives lying in coffins at the per quadrant) and premolars or bicuspids (two funeral home with their best suit or dress on. We decided during per quadrant). Anterior teeth (six upper and six lower) are divided dinner to support one another when needed. We had no idea what into canines and incisors. Externally, each tooth has a unique shape we had agreed to and what we were about to see. or contour. The chewing surfaces of posterior teeth have distinct The first three months were the hardest. We worked six days a week anatomical features such as the number of cusps, pits, fissures, and for 8–12 hours a day. I initially worked the day shift so the other three triangular ridges. If healthy, each tooth has an internal chamber new dental assistants and I could be trained. Our trainer was an en- (pulp chamber) that contains living nerve and blood tissues that listed member who had one year of experience performing forensic make up the pulp tissue. Pulp tissue can have identifying features examinations. He volunteered for another six months to train us and such as extended pulp tissue (pulp horns) or calcified tissue (pulp to receive an early separation from the Army to return to college. Up stones) seen within pulp chambers (see Figure 13). If the tooth has
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undergone disease or trauma, the pulp chamber can be completely Each category of remains—charred, decomposed, dismembered, calcified and appear to be totally missing. The root can have evidence mutilated, etc.—had its unique processing problems. Rigor morof internal or external resorption. tis, the stiffening of limbs in the deceased, is caused by a chemical Missing teeth, the drifting forward or rotation of remaining teeth change in the muscles after death. Rigor mortis begins to develop are excellent identification traits. The presence or lack of wisdom after about three hours, reaching maximum stiffness at 12 hours. teeth can help identify remains. Existing dental decay, but more After this point it slowly dissipates during the first 72 hours after importantly existing dental fillings, crowns (caps), bridges, or full death. There were times we couldn’t open the corpse’s mouth, so or partial dentures have tremendous identifying features. During we placed it in the refrigerator until rigor mortis had lessened or the 1970s, existing fillings were either white completely dissipated. fillings (silicates or composites) or silver fill Decomposed remains were the toughest ings (amalgams). Each filling is cut into hard type for me to examine because of the foul tooth structure with a high-speed hand piece odor released by decomposing human flesh. (drill) leaving a one-of-a-kind outline of the Vietnam’s tropical jungles resulted in human filling at the top of the tooth and beneath as remains that would begin decomposing in the filling rests inside the tooth. While some only a couple of days. The smell made me features can be seen by the naked eye, others and others gag at times. Placing a drop or can be seen only with the aid of dental X-rays. two of orange oil inside our surgical masks Depending on what type of X-ray is taken, helped us in completing our examinations they will either show only the clinical crown s Fig. 14: Periapical X-ray revealing amalgam filling with of decomposed remains. Many decomposed as seen with the naked eye or the entire tooth overhang remains arrived at the mortuary totally covincluding the root and surrounding bone. An ered with maggots. Maggots are the larval overhang of excess filling material can exist in phase of flies, which grow into mature flies in between teeth (interproximately) (see Figure 8–20 hours while feeding on decaying flesh. 14). While a sign of truly poor dentistry, To remove the hundreds upon hundreds of an overhang can be a great aid in identifymaggots, we would place thick fibrous cotton ing remains. Teeth that are endodontically over the remains and soak it with chloroform. treated (root canals) can have canals obturated Approximately 30 minutes later we would (root canal space filled) with silver points or remove the dead maggots with running water. plasticized gutta perch; both have unique apUnfortunately for me, the chloroform didn’t pearances on X-rays. Endodontically treated kill all the maggots residing in the remains’ teeth sometimes have posts placed in the mouth, so the rest had to be removed by canal space that help hold fillings or crowns hand. It seemed to never fail that rice was (caps) to teeth (see Figure 15). The depth served in the mess hall at dinner almost every and size of the post are unique. Finally, the s Fig. 15: Lower molar treated with root canal, post, and time we processed decomposed, maggotporcelain crown anatomy of the ends of the roots, as revealed covered remains. We called it “mechanized by dental X-rays, can reveal a very straight, rice.” Since the remains had been out in the curved, long, or short root or one with an jungle or floating in a swamp or river for over abscess at its end. The pattern of the bone in 24–48 hours, rigor mortis usually wasn’t a the jaws can be of some aid too. My trainproblem. ing in dental anatomy at Fort Sam Houston, Human flesh is extremely susceptible to Texas prepared me for the task. heat and fire. The mortuary received a large As the days and months passed, I pernumber of remains that suffered third- and formed more and more dental exams on fourth-degree burns that completely deremains. Our workload wasn’t constant. As stroyed the first two layers of skin, epidermis military activity increased, so did the number s Fig. 16: Mortuary staff walking out to unload remains from and dermis, and burned muscle, tendon of deaths that resulted from accidents and Chinook helicopter and ligament tissue. The remains arrived in hostile fire. In February, we received approxia charred or leathery state and were unrecmately 13 mutilated remains of newly arrived Army personnel. The ognizable. Charred remains result from intense fire caused by the soldiers were unloading grates of mortars when a grate was dropped explosion of high-yield explosives or crashes of military vehicles, and resulted in a chain reaction explosion. I had never seen such helicopters, or planes. The sight and smell of burned flesh has never dismemberment. Our busiest period was during our invasion of left me. A forensic dental examination was critical for identification Cambodia in May 1970 to rid the region of Communist storage of charred remains because their fingerprints were often completely and troop staging areas. Remains arrived by large transport planes, destroyed. Since teeth are a combination of non-living material trucks, or at times CH-47 Chinook helicopters would land at the (enamel) and encased and protected living tissue (nerve and blood mortuary’s private landing pad carrying a full load of remains (see vessels), teeth could survive the effects of fire. Many aircrew members Figure 16). It was during these times that everyone worked extended also had prior footprints on record. There were instances when their hours to keep up with the increased numbers of remains. We were boots weren’t consumed during the fire and actually protected the relieved when our forces pulled back into South Vietnam. bottoms of their feet, enabling us to obtain footprints. The charred
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condition of the muscles of mastication (chewing) that surrounded months left on my tour made it tolerable. A couple of days after the mouth made performance of a dental examination on charred Thanksgiving I was walking across the mortuary’s open yard when remains very difficult. To overcome the mouth being charred shut, my first sergeant approached me and advised me that because of the an incision was made from each corner of the mouth, through the drawdown in troop strength, my tour in Vietnam was being cut short cheek and muscles of mastication, back to the angle of the mandible by 30 days. I was almost in a state of shock. After two days of out(see Figure 17). We then used an oscillating saw, similar to one used processing, I found myself lifting off the runway at Tan Son Nhut to cut off orthopedic casts, to cut through the angle of the mandible. Air Base with Vietnam quickly disappearing out my window as we Once this was accomplished we could open the mouth and examine flew east. Thirty-six hours later I found myself meeting my parents the teeth. at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Many Army personnel were specifically sporting a dark tan and shivering from the trained to work in grave registration. Others cold as we walked to my parents’ car. like me had no prior experience working with One of the interesting things about goremains. The more experienced personnel ing away to a war zone is that life goes on took us under their wings and provided onback in the States while you are gone. Upon the-job-training for the first month. After this return, people really don’t understand what period, we divided into teams and were asyou went through, and most don’t ask you signed to one of three shifts. Usually, working a lot of questions about what you saw or the graveyard shift (no pun intended) from s Fig. 17: Orthopedic oscillating saw used to section the did. Maybe that is for the best. I do know 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. meant receiving the least mandible that I grew up a tremendous amount during remains. We were a tightly knit group of men my year in Vietnam. Upon my return to the who took our job seriously; we respectfully accomplished our tasks. States, I reported to Fort Knox, where I served another eight months We fully understood the importance of accurately identifying the until I was permitted to separate from the Army early to return to remains. An earlier misidentification brought unbelievable grief to school. Eight years later, in 1979, I graduated from the University two families—one family whose son didn’t die but had been notified of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry and re-entered the military. I that he had, and the other family which eventually was notified that served 21 years in the Air Force Dental Corps and returned to Asia their son had in fact died. At times I would be standing in blood, in 1986 when my family and I moved to Okinawa, Japan, where we trying not to gag, when I’d look up at the large American flag and lived for almost four years. I have never forgotten my experience in think of the price each of these men paid. By the end of my tour, Vietnam, how horrible war is, and how fragile human beings truly over 10,000 remains (U.S. military/civilians, and allied personnel) are. My time in the Army made me realize that life is short and that had been processed between Saigon’s and Da Nang’s mortuaries. one must make the most of the time you have while alive. If you had to serve in Vietnam, being assigned in Saigon had its pluses. During Tet of 1968, Tan Son Nhut Air Base was attacked by Figure 14 and 15 were published in a book titled Principles and the Communists on the ground, which resulted in many American Practice of Endodontics, by R.E. Walton and M. Torabinejad, pages deaths. By the time I arrived in January 1970, Tan Son Nhut was 143 and 318 respectively, W.B. Saunders n pretty quiet, with only an occasional rocket attack. Since Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) headquarters was located next to where we lived in MACV Annex, the facilities were rather nice for Vietnam because of the large number of general and senior officers assigned to MACV. When a U.S. soldier, fresh from the field and caked with mud, visited our base or ate in our mess hall, the expression on his face always reminded me of how fortunate I was to be living and working at Tan Son Nhut. I quickly became aware of this fact the first day I arrived at Tan Son Nhut. My time in Vietnam often seemed to drag on forever. In September I went on R&R with two other buddies to Tokyo. I had a great time sightseeing, experiencing Japanese food and culture. It was a great week. I reluctantly returned to Vietnam, but having only four About the Author
Dr. Raymond J. Byron, Jr., DMD, was born in Gary, Indiana. In 1968 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam during 1970. He was assigned to the U.S. Army Mortuary, Saigon, where he performed forensic dental examinations on remains. After his Army enlistment, he returned to college and graduated from the University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry in 1979. Dr. Byron joined the U.S. Air Force where he served 21 years as a dental officer. He retired in 2000 as a colonel. He is currently an associate professor at the University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry, Restorative Division, teaching restorative and prosthetic dentistry. Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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CE ARTICLE 1: (Pages 28–39) Law Enforcement Skeletal Remains of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Fernando Miranda:Victims of a Dictatorial Regime in Uruguay ATTENTION ACFEI MEMBERS: Journal-Learning CEs are FREE when taken online.Visit www.acfei.com. TO RECEIVE CE CREDIT FOR THIS ARTICLE
CE ACCREDITATIONS FOR THIS ARTICLE
In order to receive 1 CE credit, each participant is required to
This article is approved by the following for 1 continuing education credits:
1. Read the continuing education article. 2. Complete the exam by circling the chosen answer for each question. Complete the evaluation form. 3. Mail or fax the completed form, along with the $15 payment for each CE exam taken to: ACFEI, 2750 East Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804. Or Fax to: 417-881-4702. Or go online to www.acfei.com and take the test for FREE.
(ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates and certified members, whom we recommend obtain 15 credits per year to maintain their status.
For each exam passed with a grade of 70% or above, a certificate of completion for 1.0 continuing education credit will be mailed. Please allow at least 2 weeks to receive your certificate. The participants who do not pass the exam are notified and will have a second opportunity to complete the exam. Any questions, grievances or comments can be directed to the CE Department at (800) 592-1399, fax (417) 881-4702, or e-mail: cedept@acfei.com. Continuing education credits for participation in this activity may not apply toward license renewal in all states. It is the responsibility of each participant to verify the requirements of his/her state licensing board(s). Continuing education activities printed in the journals will not be issued any refund.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following:
1. Describe what a forensic anthropologist is and their contributions to the medico-legal system in Uruguay and around the world. 2. Explain how forensic anthroplogists contribute to the investigation of cases of violations of human rights in several Latin American countries and around the world. 3. Explain how the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City has contributed to human rights cause in Uruguay. 4. Explain the importance of a forensic anthropology laboratory in which forensic anthropologists, pathologists, toxicologists, and law enforcment officers work together as a team to identify human skeletal remains and solve crimes—not only those related to human rights.
KEYWORDS: human skeletal remains, forensic anthropology, human rights, Uruguay TARGET AUDIENCE: forensic examiners, forensic anthropologists PROGRAM LEVEL: Basic DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
ABSTRACT Scientists make unique contributions in human rights cases by applying scientific and forensic techniques to criminal investigations. In human rights cases, evidence is often based solely on the oral testimonies of victims or witnesses. There is little doubt concerning the importance of oral testimonies. However, spoken evidence is much more effective when it is corroborated by physical evidence. Experts such as forensic anthropologists, pathologists, and archaeologists contribute to rights cases by aiding in death investigations and in the identification of victims’ remains. Forensic anthropologists are often called on for cases in which trauma analysis and identification of human skeletal remains is necessary. In March 2005, the socialist government of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas sought to execute Article 4 of Law 15.848 concerning the investigation of the final destination of missing persons from the last dictatorial regime in Uruguay (1973-1984). The purpose of this study is to present forensic anthropological procedures used in the excavation and subsequent identification of skeletal remains—those belonging to missing individuals thought to have been killed during that period. A team of archaeologists was assembled with the permission of the government and after the four previous democratic administrations to execute a scientific investigation to examine previously restricted areas. The team entered the military headquarters where the offenses were presumed to have occurred and where the clandestine burials were assumed to be located. This archaeological team was supported by forensic scientists of the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo and members of the Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense. Two nearly complete skeletons were recovered and identified. A left radius, representing a third individual, was also found inside the 13th Infantry Headquarters. Presented here is the study of the forensic anthropological identification of missing skeletal remains and skull photograph superimposition of Ubagesner Chaves Sosa and Fernando Miranda, both members of the Communist Bureau of Uruguay.
POST CE TEST QUESTIONS (Answer the following questions after reading the article) 1. Where is Uruguay located? a. In the United States b. In North Africa c. In Europe d. In South America
5. Approximately when did the missing persons die? a. About 50 years ago b. About 100 years ago c. About 30 years ago d. About 5 years ago
2. How can “modern forensic anthropology” be defined? a. A modern branch of forensic medicine b. The study and identification of human skeletal remains in a legal context c. The study of the human skeletal remains d. The physical study of human remains
6. What was the first method used to identify the human skeletal remains in this case? a. Skull-photo comparison by digital video superimposition b. DNA fingerprints analysis c. X-ray dental chart comparisons d. Radiographic comparisons
3. Where were the human skeleton remains analyzed found? a. On the ground of a Uruguayan national park b. Buried at military headquarters and the other one buried at a farm c. Buried in a local cemetery d. Buried near a highway
7. How many missing persons could be identified? a. Two b. One hundred c. Five d. Twenty-one
4. Did any of the skeletons found have dental gold restorations? a. No, neither Miranda nor Chaves’ skeletons had b. Yes, Miranda´s c. Yes, Chaves’ d. Both did
8. When was the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology at the Judicial Morgue of Montevideo City created? a. 1961 b. 1973 c. 1950 d. 1992
9. Who submitted this case to the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology for analysis? a. The Montevideo Police Department b. The coroner or the legal authorities c. The University Medicine School d. A forensic examiner 10. What is the office in charge of carrying out official forensic anthropology analyses in Uruguay? a. The Forensic Medicine Department at the University Medicine School b. The Department of Forensic Medicine at the Forensic Technical Institute c. The Medical Examiner Office d. The Police Department
EVALUATION: Circle one (1=Poor 2=Below Average 3=Average 4=Above Average 5=Excellent)
PAYMENT INFORMATION: $15 per test (FREE ONLINE)
If you require special accommodations to participate in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the CE Department at (800) 592-1399.
Name:
Information was relevant and applicable. Learning objective 1 was met. Learning objective 2 was met. Learning objective 3 was met. Learning objective 4 was met. You were satisfied with the article. ADA instructions were adequate. The author’s knowledge, expertise, and clarity were appropriate. Article was fair, balanced, and free of commercial bias. The article was appropriate to your education, experience, and licensure level. Instructional materials were useful. 84
THE FORENSIC EXAMINER® Summer 2010
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CE ARTICLE 2: (Pages 40–46) Law Enforcement Fine Art Authentication: Where are the Forensic Examiners? ATTENTION ACFEI MEMBERS: Journal-Learning CEs are FREE when taken online.Visit www.acfei.com. TO RECEIVE CE CREDIT FOR THIS ARTICLE
CE ACCREDITATIONS FOR THIS ARTICLE
In order to receive 1 CE credit, each participant is required to
This article is approved by the following for 1 continuing education credit:
1. Read the continuing education article. 2. Complete the exam by circling the chosen answer for each question. Complete the evaluation form. 3. Mail or fax the completed form, along with the $15 payment for each CE exam taken to: ACFEI, 2750 East Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804. Or Fax to: 417-881-4702. Or go online to www.acfei.com and take the test for FREE.
(ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates and certified members, whom we recommend obtain 15 credits per year to maintain their status.
For each exam passed with a grade of 70% or above, a certificate of completion for 1.0 continuing education credit will be mailed. Please allow at least 2 weeks to receive your certificate. The participants who do not pass the exam are notified and will have a second opportunity to complete the exam. Any questions, grievances or comments can be directed to the CE Department at (800) 592-1399, fax (417) 881-4702, or e-mail: cedept@acfei.com. Continuing education credits for participation in this activity may not apply toward license renewal in all states. It is the responsibility of each participant to verify the requirements of his/her state licensing board(s). Continuing education activities printed in the journals will not be issued any refund.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following: 1. Describe the process of fine art authentication. 2. Demonstrate various forensic methods used to authenticate works of art. 3. List methods of forging art.
KEYWORDS: Art authentication, provenance, connoisseurship, pigment, exemplar, chaos theory TARGET AUDIENCE: artists, art collectors, insurers, conservators, appriaisers, investigators, consumers, attorneys, and forensic and fraud examiners PROGRAM LEVEL: Basic DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
ABSTRACT The art world has been generating billions of dollars of sales over the last few years. Much evidence exists suggesting that much of the art being sold is of questionable authenticity. One expert—Thomas Hoving, former Metropolitan Museum director—has stated that 40% of the examined works under his watch were inauthentic. Forensic science has been used as a mechanism to identify fake art but has taken a back seat to connoisseurs who have traditionally made the final judgment of a work’s authenticity. This article introduces the concept of authenticity, the various forensic structures and systems used to establish levels of authenticity, and how forensic examiners should take a stronger and more salient role in the fine art authentication process.
POST CE TEST QUESTIONS (Answer the following questions after reading the article) 1. The process of authenticating objects of art such as paintings, antiques, glass, silver, and rugs follows: a. a forensic examination of the crime scene. b. using an appraisal for authentication. c. the owner’s certificate of authenticity. d. scientific analysis of the media for age, provenance or identifying documents supporting ownership, and connoisseurship. 2. In the Nicholson work, Zagel concluded that the work was a fake because: a. Nicholson was a known forger. b. coffee stains were found on the back of the work. c. there was no match of the fingerprint found. d. the tacks were superficially aged and the glue attaching the front and back of the wood was recent, and the paint was not even dry. 3. In providing a conclusion of authenticity, the investigator need only establish that the age of a given work coresponds to the time of creation by the artist. a. True. b. False.
4. The examination of layers of paintings and sketches made by the use of carbon black or charcoal by the artist is called: a. infrared reflectography. b. carbon 14 analysis. c. Wood’s light d. Forensic linguistics. 5. Connoisseur analysis, the traditional final say in much of art authentication, is being slowly replaced by: a. historical analysis. b. fingerprint scheduling. c. chaos theory approaches. d. a more objective quantitative grounding.
7. One of the general principles relevant to the scientific approach in determining the authenticity of a work of art is: a. analysis may determine an age, but not a precise date. b. if it is not broken, do not fix it. c. if material analysis of a given work of art demonstrates that a work allegedly made in 1710 was made recently, it is appropriate to continue the investigation since documents may determine that work is authentic. d. some works have the capacity to “sing” to the examiner.
6. In testing for artist signature matches, it is necessary to first possess a(n): a. background in quantitative biology. b. exemplar of the signature of the artist. c. the logic of signature matching. d. certified courses in appraisal signature analysis.
EVALUATION: Circle one (1=Poor 2=Below Average 3=Average 4=Above Average 5=Excellent)
PAYMENT INFORMATION: $15 per test (FREE ONLINE)
If you require special accommodations to participate in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the CE Department at (800) 592-1399.
Name:
Information was relevant and applicable. Learning objective 1 was met. Learning objective 2 was met. Learning objective 3 was met. You were satisfied with the article. ADA instructions were adequate. The author’s knowledge, expertise, and clarity were appropriate. Article was fair, balanced, and free of commercial bias. The article was appropriate to your education, experience, and licensure level. Instructional materials were useful.
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Statement of completion: I attest to having completed the CE activity. Please send the completed form, along with your payment of $15 for each test taken. Fax: (417) 881-4702, or mail the forms to ACFEI Continuing Education, 2750 E. Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804. If you have questions, please call (417) 881-3818 or toll free at (800) 592-1399.
Summer 2010 THE FORENSIC EXAMINER®
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CE ARTICLE 3: (Pages 50–67) Law Enforcement
The Last Frontier: Myths & the Female Psychopathic Killers ATTENTION ACFEI MEMBERS: Journal-Learning CEs are FREE when taken online.Visit www.acfei.com.
TO RECEIVE CE CREDIT FOR THIS ARTICLE
CE ACCREDITATIONS FOR THIS ARTICLE
In order to receive 3 CE credits, each participant is required to
This article is approved by the following for 3 continuing education credits:
1. Read the continuing education article. 2. Complete the exam by circling the chosen answer for each question. Complete the evaluation form. 3. Mail or fax the completed form, along with the $15 payment for each CE exam taken to: ACFEI, 2750 East Sunshine, Springfield, MO 65804. Or Fax to: 417-881-4702. Or go online to www.acfei.com and take the test for FREE. For each exam passed with a grade of 70% or above, a certificate of completion for 1.0 continuing education credit will be mailed. Please allow at least 2 weeks to receive your certificate. The participants who do not pass the exam are notified and will have a second opportunity to complete the exam. Any questions, grievances or comments can be directed to the CE Department at (800) 592-1399, fax (417) 881-4702, or e-mail: cedept@acfei.com. Continuing education credits for participation in this activity may not apply toward license renewal in all states. It is the responsibility of each participant to verify the requirements of his/her state licensing board(s). Continuing education activities printed in the journals will not be issued any refund.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this article, participants should be better able to do the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Describe misconceptions about female killers. Explain the link between psycopathy, aggression and its application to female killers. Demonstrate to law enforcement the different motives to commit murder. Prepare forensic psychologists and legal professionals to assess female killers. Explain the difference between intrumental violence and reactive violence and its connection to psychopathy. 6. Prepare the legal community on the use of impression management in judicial settings.
(ACFEI) The American College of Forensic Examiners International provides this continuing education credit for Diplomates and certified members, whom we recommend obtain 15 credits per year to maintain their status. The American College of Forensic Examiners International is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The American College of Forensic Examiners International maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
KEYWORDS: Psychopathy, Munchausen syndrome by Proxy, fraud detection homicide, kill teams, cesarean section homicide, narcissism, impression management, trials TARGET AUDIENCE: Forensic pscyhologists, forensic psychiatrists, legal pro-
fessionals, law enforcement professionals
PROGRAM LEVEL: Advanced DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose. PREREQUISITES: None
ABSTRACT In this article the authors focus on psychopathic women who kill. Not all women who kill do so because of mental illness, abuse, or coercion. Some kill because they are antisocial and behaviorally exhibit psychopathic traits. In this article the authors examine some of the misperceptions of female criminality; current research on female psychopathy; and case studies of female psychopathic killers featuring Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy, cesarean section homicide, fraud detection homicide, female kill teams, and a female serial killer. In addition, both the means by which the myths of societal perceptions influence how the criminal justice system operates when encountering these offenders and recommendations for law enforcement and forensic examiners who have to interact with them are addressed.
POST CE TEST QUESTIONS (Answer the following questions after reading the article) 1. The author of The Mask of Sanity is: a. Meloy b. Cleckley c. Freud d. Smith
5. Aileen Wournos psychopathy score: a. 5 out of a possible 20 b. 28 out of a possible 30 c. 32 out of a possible 40 d. 18 out of a possible 20
2. Psychopathy is considered a: a. Personality disorder b. A form of mental illness c. Both a personality disorder and a mental illness d. A physical disability
6. Who said, “Remember, I look innocent. Impression is worth as much as facts.” a. Aileen Wournose b. Sante Kimes c. Lizzie Border d. Carol Bundy
3. Female killers Golay and Rutterschmidt killed: a. their husbands b. their children c. homeless men d. other women 4. What percentage of female killers operate alone? a. 23% b. 45% c. 68% d. 30%
9. Lisa Montgomery murdered: a. Jennifer Hudson b. Brenda Smith c. Bobby Jo Stinnet d. Lisa Jones 10. How many homeless men did Golay and Rutterschmidt kill that we are aware of: a. 2 b. 4 c. 1 d. 3
7. Dr. Geofrey McKee evaluated which female: a. Sante Kimes b. Susan Smith c. Aileen Wournos d. Lisa Montgomery
11. Rutterschmidt and Golay were in which age group when they murdered: a. 50’s b. 60’s c. 70’s d. 80’s
8. Psychopaths are more apt to use: a. Emotional violence b. Psychological violence c. Instrumental violence d. Physical violence
12. Impression management refers to the desire to: a. Alienate others b. Help others who are in trouble c. Make favorable impression to others
16. Who siad, “I am evil, you have no idea how evil I am”: a. Janice White b. Olga Rutterschmidt c. Paul Vados d. Helen Golay
d. Create conflict with others 13. What book did Karla Homolka read in prison: a. The Bible b. Perfect Victim c. War and Peace d. Why Mothers Kill 14. Which personality disorder reflects a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a sense of entitlement: a. Antisocial Personality Disorder b. Narcissistic Personality Disorder c. Borderline Personality Disorder d. Histrionic Personality Disorder 15. White collar criminals who kill are motivated to: a. Silence those who may detect and disclose their fraud b. Commit sexual homicide c. Receive attention from the media d. Teach others how to commit fraud
17. Nancy Siegel’s murder was a classic case of: a. Sexual homicide b. Drug related homicide c. Fraud detection homicide d. Cesarean section homicide 18. According to Dr. Geoffrey McKee, some psychopathic mothers who kill their children display: a. Borderline personality disorder b. Munchausen Syndrome c. Antisocial personality disorder d. Psychical disabilities
EVALUATION: Circle one (1=Poor 2=Below Average 3=Average 4=Above Average 5=Excellent)
PAYMENT INFORMATION: $15 per test (FREE ONLINE)
If you require special accommodations to participate in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the CE Department at (800) 592-1399.
Name:
Information was relevant and applicable. Learning objective 1 was met. Learning objective 2 was met. Learning objective 3 was met. Learning objective 4 was met. Learning objective 5 was met. Learning objective 6 was met. You were satisfied with the article. ADA instructions were adequate. The author’s knowledge, expertise, and clarity were appropriate. Article was fair, balanced, and free of commercial bias. The article was appropriate to your education, experience, and licensure level. Instructional materials were useful.
86
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