Forensics of Hair Evidence: examining important cases
This is the Cover
D Block Forensics
The Ennis Cosby Case Kevin Murphy + Cyrus Solemaini
Ennis Cosby, son of famous Bill Cosby, was tragically murdered on January 16th, 1997. The incident happened near the 405, a famous interstate in Los Angeles, California. The Assailant is known as Mikhail Markhasev. The 18 year old was trying to rob Cosby, and when the situation went poor he ended up shooting him. The accident occurred around 1 AM. Cosby was a student at the time at Columbia University. He was on vacation in Los Angeles, when he realized he had a flat tire. Meanwhile, Markhasev was in a nearby parking lot doing drugs, with two of his friends. After seeing him fix the car, the three men approached Cosby. They demanded money, and when Cosby didn't answer in time, they killed him. Markhasev was only 18 years of age, while Cosby was 27.
Mugshot of Mikhail Markhasev
Primary crime scene of the murder of Ennis Cosby on a L.A. freeway
Picture of Ennis Cosby
Hair Evidence
Hair evidence played a huge role in this specific case. A single strand of hair was found in a hat that was in the area of the primary crime scene. Department forensic analyst Harry Klann saw six DNA markers from the tissue in the follicle. Markhasev’s DNA matched the DNA found on the strand of hair at the scene. It was found that only 1 out of 15,500 people can have the same DNA profile as the strand of hair and Markhasev matched it perfectly.
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Hair recovered from the crime scene
Photograph of outside car, Primary Scene
Mikhail Markhasev in court
The Central Park Jogger APRIL 19, 1989 At around 8pm, Trisha Meili was out for a routine jog after her shift at work. At the same time, a group of about 40-50 teens were harassing people around the park. Sometime this night, Meili was brutally beaten, raped, and left to die in the woods of Central Park. She was found clinging to life, and police started their investigation to find her attackers. Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Corey Wise were also at the park that night.
The crime scene in Central Park in 1989 where a female jogger was raped and beaten ~ NYTimes
THE SUSPECTS
5 Teenagers Convicted in the Crime ~ NY Daily News
LACK OF EVIDENCE During the trials of the five boys accused of the crime, it was evident that there was a lack of incriminating evidence. All the prosecution had were 2 hairs that were “similar” to Trisha found on two of the boys, as well as their coerced confessions.
Police officers arrested and charged five black and latino teenagers with the crimes against Trisha Meili: Antron McCray (15), Kevin Richardson (15), Yusef Salaam (15), Raymond Santana (14), and Korey Wise (16). When brought into police custody, the five boys were coerced into false confessions, incriminating themselves as well as the other boys in the crime. They were charged with crimes ranging from 5 - 15 years in jail. But were they guilty?
VICTIM: TRISHA MEILI At the time of the rape, Trisha Meili was a 28 year old who worked on Wall Street. After work, she would go for routine jogs through Central Park. She was on one of these jogs the night she was brutally beaten and raped. In the attack, she suffered severe brain injury due to Trisha Meili ~ The Cut blunt force trauma, but survived.
Magazine Spread Written By: Madison Butler
FINDING THE REAL CULPRIT
MATIAS REYES
While Korey Wise was serving his sentence on Rikers Island when he met Matias Reyes. Reyes was serving a 33 year to life sentence for serial rape and murder. When they met and exchanged stories, Reyes confessed to the rape and assault on Trisha Meili.
Matias Reyes is a serial rapist and murderer, who was convicted to 33 years to life for his crimes. Both before and after Trisha Meili’s attack, he committed 1 murder, 5 rapes, and 2 attempted rapes, all the way until he was caught in 1989.
Matias Reyes ~ PBS
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS OVERTURNED In December 2002, the convictions of the Central Park 5 boys were overturned, and they were exonerated. New DNA testing had shown that Matias Reyes was in fact a match to the DNA found on Trisha Meili, and with his amount of details from the crime and his confession, it was more than enough to exonerate the five boys. A testimony from a hair specialist also discredited the hair evidence that was used in the original trial, proving that there was no way to show who the hair belonged to. In 2003, the boys sued the city for “malicious prosecution,” and after over a decade of back and forth received a settlement of $40 million.
Inside the Courtroom of Exoneration ~ NY News
DID YOU KNOW? The 2019 limited series When They See Us is based on the Central Park Jogger case, and the wrongful conviction of the “Central Park 5.” This limited series was Emmy nominated, and is still available to watch! The Central Park 5 Today ~ People
The Gun Alley Murder OF NELL ALAMA TRITSHKE
On December 30, 1921, a young girl was sent out to go from her grandmother's house in Jolimont to a Swanston Street butcher, collect a parcel of meat, drop it at an aunt's Collins Street home and return to Jolimont. This was a little girl's errand run; she sadly never came back. Her name was Alme Tirtschke. She was 12 years old schoolgirl. Her body was found after it was reported missing and was recovered behind a saloon. The They suspected the murder to be Australian wine saloon someone who lived close nearby because it was a rape, and there aren't ever many cars going in and out of that area.
The man who owned the bar was accused because he was helpful with the case, which didn't work out too well. He was charged with murder and rape. His house was searched, and they found long red hair that was ripped from the root. They suspected this to belong to nell alme because she also had red hair. Some gossip was also going around that the owner likes children, which led to him being executed. The problem with this case was that forensics was new at the time, and hair research wasn't accurate.
Conviction of the Suspect Collin campbell Ross the owner of the saloon. was convicted of rape and murder. The case against him was base of to eye witness and a few strands of red hair he was set to be executed he was hung on April 22 1922
THE MURDER OF EVA SHOEN On the morning of August 6, 1990, between midnight and 2AM Frank Marquis invaded the family’s home, on Skunk Creek Drive, about four miles outside Telluride, CO. with the intention of burglary. Then, during a struggle with Eva Shoen, he pushed her down, which caused his gun to go off, causing her to death. The next morning, when her children found her dead body on the stairs ran to their neighbor’s house. Eva Shoen was the wife of Sam Shoen, the heir of HOW HAIR EVIDENCE the U-Haul fortune. He was president of U-Haul HELPED THIS CASE? until he was betrayed by his family and removed When the police were questioning a as president. A bitter family feud had been going companion of Frank Marquis, they found on in the Shoen family, which some people out he had been in Telluride, Colorado thought could have been a motive for murder. when Eva was murdered. Police had then Sam believes that the killer(s) did not know that discovered that Marquis had thrown out he wasn’t home that night. He suspects there two bundles from his car on his drive was a hired hitman sent to kill him, but ended up home to Arizona. Detectives had killing his wife instead. searched the road until they found a ball Ginger Hair Strand of clothing. The bundle of clothing contained a shirt that had a strand of hair attached to it. Both color and structure of the strand of hair matched Eva’s hair. “After he broke into Once Marquis was questioned with the the Shoen cabin, hair evidence, they confessed to the Mrs. Schoen came murder. Marquis was sentenced to 24 at him from an years in prison. upstairs bedroom and shouted ″Get out 3/8″ ″I was panicked. ... I pushed her down and that’s when the gun went off,″ the soft-spoken Marquis said.” -AP NEWS SAM AND EVA SHOEN
By Lauren Sellars
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CONFESSION: GUILT
Telluride, CO.
FRANK MARQUIS
Once Marquis was questioned with the hair evidence, they confessed to the murder. He pleaded guilty to the court in 1994 to manslaughter and burglary to other homes in telluride. In the end, Marquis was sentenced to 24 years in prison and was paroled in November of 2011.
WEAPON
The coroner said the weapon marquis used was a .25-caliber Locrin handgun. The actual weapon was not found.
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The Murder Of Amy Schultz 10 year old Amy Schultz was raped and stabbed to death in July of 1987. There were many leads to uncovering her murderer but they all were dead ends. The evidence that was left that wasn’t a dead end were hairs left on Amy’s body from suspect Cecil Sutherland. This itself wasn’t enough evidence but it led the investigators to find fibers from Amy’s clothing in Sutherlands car. He was found guilty on the original trial but then the trial was done again in year 2000 where Sutherlands conviction was overturned due to the exaggeration of hair and fiber evidence.
Pictured: Amy Schultz in younger days...
Pictured: Amy Schultz
Forensics Saves The Day HOW HAIR AND FIBERS MADE A CONVICTION In this investigation of Amy Schultz there was no substantial DNA evidence or witnesses to be used. The only evidence that lead to suspect Cecil Sutherland was dog hair that was found on Amy’s body was the same dog hair found in Sutherland’s car which ultimately came from his dog, Babe. The carpet and clothing fibers found on amys body were consistent with the ones found in his car; ultimately linking him to her rape and murder.
Pictured: Cecil Sutherland Suspect
Pictured: Hair Fibers
Elizabeth Ballard Elizabeth Ballard was found murdered and buried in a shallow grave in a New Mexican Desert after Christmas shopping. She was wrapped in plastic and her murders did a thorough job at cleaning up.
How dog hair convicted killers
“They tried to cleanse the world of anything linking them to Ballard’s death. A single dog hair thwarted them.’ That’s right, after cleaning everything they touched, a single dog hair lead the police right to them.
The dog “Hercules” who belonged to one of the murderers, was what brought justice to Ballard.
A typical dog hair under a microscope.
THE MURDER OF CHARISE KAMPS THE VICTIM Charise Kamps was a 19-year old Freshman at the University of Wisconsin Madison. On June 24th, 1980 Kamps was found sexually assaulted and murdered, face down in her bed. She was naked with a bathrobe belt on her bad in her apartment on Gorham Street Madison, Wisconsin
Pictured: Charise Kamps
THE SUSPECT Ralph Armstrong was a 27-year old previous student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. His fiancé was Jane May (who found the body of Kamps). He had been in prison previously in 1979 in New Mexico on account of four rape convictions. He was convicted of her murder in 1981 and was sentenced to life in prison. Pictured: Ralph Armstrong
THE MURDER The night prior to her murder Kamps was at Namio’s Restaurant with Jane May, Richard Armstrong and others. They then returned to May’s appartment where they consumed more alcohol and did drugs such as cocaine. Kamps’ body was found by Jane May and it suggested that she had been strangled and beaten. In addition she had injuries to her anus, vagina and throat (from the insertion of a blunt object)
By Electra & Haley Hamilton
The Charge On July 3rd, 1980, Ralph Armstrong was charged with the murder of 19-year-old Charise Kamps.
The Conviction Pictured: Ralph Armstrong during his court hearing.
On March 24th, 1981, Ralph Armstrong was convicted by the jury and sentenced to life plus 16 years in prison.
Pictured: Newspaper Article from Urban Milwaukee
Evidence
Hair evidence was proven to be a key part of solving this crime. Several hairs belong to Ralph Armstrong were found on the bathrobe located on Charise Kamp’s body at the site of her murder. Other evidence included blood identified under all of Armstrong’s fingernail and some of his toes that belonged to Charise Kamp after a lab analyst observed scrapings of those areas.
Pictured: Ralph Armstrong
Pictured: Ralph Armstrong after his conviction for the murder of Charise Kamps.
A Wrongful Conviction... THE ACCUSED Edward Honaker was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault, sodomy, and rape.
THE VICTIMS A woman and her boyfriend were involved. They were camping in there car and suddenly a truck showed up, and that’s where stuff went wrong. The man pointed a gun at the boyfriend and made him go into the woods. Then he took the woman and drove off with her, and rape her repeaditely.
WHEN & WHERE Honaker was convicted in 1985, and it happened at Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia
Leads to 10 Years. THE WOMAN & HER BOYFRIEND They were attacked while sleeping in there car. The man pretended to be a police officer and made the boyfriend go into the woods, the man then drove off with the woman and repeatedly raped her.
INTEROGATION When the woman was showed a picture of Edward Honaker she picked his picture out of all the pictures. She also was showed pictures of trucks that could have been involved, she picked honakers and said it was similar to the oned the assailant drove.
10 YEARS IN PRISON Edward Honaker, accused
Edward Honaker served 10 years in prison for rape etc.. that he did not commit. The DNA test proved that Edward Honaker was not the man who raped the woman. Edward was sentenced to three life sentences, and 34 years in prison until they found out who it really was.
AFTER BEING FREED Edward became a self employed driver after being freed from prison. He then died at the age of 65.
DNA testing proves that he was wrongfully convicted
Hair Evidence Exonerates Innocent Man ONE DAY IN LATE WINTER OF 1982 THE BODY OF A TWENTY ONE YEAR OLD FEMALE WAS FOUND. The prime suspect, a former MLB player. He was known to visit the residence of Debra Sue Carter also known as the victim.
The man accused of the crime Ron Williamson. https://innocenceproject.org/cases/ron-willia mson
This is a article following the disappearance of Debra.
https://line.17qq.com/articles/s nqhmgsky.html
The victim of the rape and murder, Debra Sue Carter. https://crimeola.com/debra-sue-carter-wiki/
The DNA THE COURT SAID THAT THERE WAS LIQUID DNA FROM RON INSIDE OF DEBRA. This concluded the case for Ron and his defense team could no longer help him so he was eventually sentenced to death. Then after serving 11 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, and filing for many appeals… there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Ron.
Scientist testing hair similar to what the scientist in this case would have done. https://daily.jstor.org/forensic-dna-evide nce-can-lead-wrongful-convictions/
Later on DNA evidence was used to prove that he in fact had not killed her.
This is a death row chair that someone would be put to death in. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/so me-tennessee-death-row-inmates-opt-for-elec tric-chair-over-lethal-injections
THE TRIAL OF GEORGE PERROT What Happened on November 30, 1985? Between 1984 and 1985, the Sixteen Acres neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts experienced a series of rapes of elderly women over an 18-month period. On November 30, 1985, George Perrot, a 17-year old boy at the time, was sentenced to life in prison for raping a 78 year old women in Springfield, Massachsuetts in 1985. Shortly after 4 a.m., a man broke into the home of a 78-year-old woman.
The Victim
The Suspect
The rape victim was a 78-year old lady by the name Mary Prekop. Shortly after 4 a.m., a man broke into Prekop’s home, about a mile away from another elderly woman’s home that was broken into just an hour before. Prekop was assaulted and raped. Once her attacker left, she called the police and was taken to the hospital.
The suspect, George Perrot, was 17 when he was arrested for raping Mary Prekop. At the time of his arrest, he was 17, with a history of multiple burglary arrests already on his record. The victim described her attacker as “a clean- shaven man with short, black wavy hair that did not go past his neck.”
George Perrot as a youngster
Why Convict Perrot? In George Perrot’s case, FBI crime lab hair analyst, Wayne Oakes, testified that he had conducted a microscopic comparison of the two recovered head hairs on Prekop bed sheets and hair from Perrot. He said that he ruled out Prekop as the source of the hair. He said there were “no significant differences in any of the microscopic characteristics” between the recovered hair and Perrot’s hair.
Hampden DA Anthony Gulluni said his office believes “that George Perrot committed several heinous offenses on elderly female victims.”
A 1985 Springfield police mug shot in which George Perrot is seen after being charged with the burglarizing, beating, and raping of Mary Prekop.
THE TRIAL OF GEORGE PERROT The Evidence In addition to the hair sample, FBI crime lab analyst, William Eubanks, testified that he analyzed two bloodstains on the bed sheet. He said that Perrot’s blood had all four genetic markers identified on the larger stain and that the blood did not come from Prekop. Eubanks also said he found a bloodstain on the gloves found in the bedroom that had a genetic marker that both Prekop and Perrot had. However, Prekop attested that she was assaulted on the floor, not on the bed. She also stated that the sheet had an old bloodstain from years earlier when a sick relative stayed in the bed.
Was Hair Enough to Convict Perrot? On December 14, 1987, the jury convicted Perrot of aggravated rape, burglary, and assault in a dwelling, unarmed robbery, and indecent assault and battery. He was sentenced to life in prison. After a retrial on January 9, 1992, Perrot was convicted again of the same charges. Again, he was sentenced to life in prison. The strands of hair were enough evidence for the jury to put Perrot behind bars. At least for the time being...
George Perrot hugging his mother after he was released
George Perrot celebrates his freedom at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.
Three Decades Later
Judge Robert J. Kane reads his decision out loud at the February 10 bail hearing, where he freed George Perrot
The defense filed a motion for a new trial in 2014, claiming that Oakes testified falsely and misleadingly about his hair examination. After getting the lab notes from William Eubanks' blood study, they filed a supplementary petition. Superior Court Judge Robert Kane overturned Perrot's convictions for the break-in and sexual abuse of Prekop in January 2016, after a two-day trial involving seven witnesses and 46 exhibits. On seven occasions, Kane found that Oakes' testimony exaggerated the science.
THE MURDER OF MANDY STEINGASSER Lila Whitman
Background: Amanda Steingasser was a 17 year old girl who went to North Tonawanda High School. She lead a pretty normal life for a teenage girl. Mandy’s parents were out for dinner the night of September 19th, and the girls told them they were “going to see a band”. Mandy and Stacie had gotten in a fight and separated before the crime occured, but she was the last one to see Mandy alive. At around 1:20am Mandy got into the car with Joseph Belstadt. At first the police thought Mandy had run away but Mandy’s mother (Lorraine Steingasser) knew something was wrong, so she filed a report with the police, and they kept looking.
The Crime: 5 weeks later, Mandy Steingasser’s body was found on October 25, 1993 at Bond Lake Park. Her body was heavily decomposed, so it was presumed she had been deceased for a while. The autopsy report revealed she had been strangled to death, and her death was not quick, she was fighting for her life. Her skull had been fractured, and her clothes were undone. Around Mandy’s neck was her bra with the hooks torn off. The DNA and testing showed that there was no evidence of sexual assault that occured. Mandy at age 17 in 1993
The Suspect: From the beginning law enforcement thought Joseph Belstadt was the murderer, the timing matched up perfectly, and he had no alibi. He asked his friends to lie about his were abouts the night of the murder which was a big read flag, but the evidence against Belstadt was inconclusive. Most of the evidence was trace evidence which is not enough to convict a person off of. Forensics did not have the tests back then that they do now, so there was not much more that could be done. Belstadts defense tried to pin Mandy’s ex boyfriend for the murder, because his semen was found on her underwear on two accounts. Even though he had an alibi that put him five states away from the murder, it was enough to plant doubt in the judges eyes.
Bond Lake Park in North Tonawanda
Joseph Belstadt
THE MURDER OF MANDY STEINGASSER
Evidence: The original set of evidence was not enough to convict Joseph, it was mostly trace evidence. Her pants were unzipped and torn, her skull was fractured, her underwear was showing, her shoes were missing, and the bra around her neck as the murder weapon. DNA evidence was also taken from the scene, in total 30 bags of material including hair, soil, fibers, dust, paint chips, and fingernails.
Back in 1993 they did not have the tests we have now in forensics, so they did not do testing with the DNA that mattered. In 2018 two pubic hairs from the crime scene were tested, confirming after 26 years that Steingasser was in face in Belstadt’s car.
Example of Hair Evidence
Joseph Belstadt iin second trial
Joseph with his defense attorney.
Case Outcome: The first Trial was inconclusive because there was not the testing that is available today so the evidence was written off as circumstantial. But he was arrested in 2018 after the two pubic hairs had been tested showing that Mandy was in the car. The trail was set to start in March in 2020, but had to stop on March 16th because of the Coronavirus outbreak. Joseph faces charges for the second degree murder of Mandy Steingasser, and a 250,000 bail. The trial is set to start back up this year.
The Murder of INTRO/BODY DISCOVERY In August of 2001, a man was walking his dog through woods near the town of Otley in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. As he was walking he stumbled upon a covered up and slightly buried body in the woods. The body belonged to a 16 year old girl named Leanne Tiernan, who lived ten miles away from where her body was found in Bramley, Leeds. Forensic investigators and detectives searching for evidence in the woods
LEANNE TIERNAN BACKGROUND/WHAT HAPPENED Leanne Tiernan was a schoolgirl who was 16 years old and lived in Bramley Leeds, the same town she was found dead in. She had been out christmas shopping with a friend on November 26th, 2000. The two were walking home together and eventually parted ways as Leanne headed back to her home. She traveled alone through a very dark and isolated path in the woods towards her house, but never made it back.
Leanne Tiernan in her school uniform
Police investigating the area in the woods near where Leanne’s body was found. They have set up tents to help keep them and their evidence out of the frequent rain.
Leanne Tiernan
ANDREW FERON
BODY When Leanne was found buried in her shallow grave, she had a black plastic back on her head, with a dog collar wrapped around holding it in place. She also had a scarf and multiple zip ties around her neck, along with zip ties holding her hands together. She was also covered in green plastic trash bags all tied together with twine. Many of the things used to conceal her body would end up being crucial pieces of evidence.
HAIR EVIDENCE AND CONVICTION In the scarf around Leanne’s neck, police found a few hairs stuck where the scarf was tied. There was not enough material from the root of the hair to gather the required amount of DNA to conduct a test. But, police did find trace amounts of DNA in the hair shaft, and they were able to use mitochondrial DNA testing to match it to John Taylor. In July of 2002 Taylor was sentenced to two life sentences. Later, police were able to use his DNA to connect him to two past unsolved rapes, giving him two more life sentences.
The zip (or cable) ties used by John Taylor
EVIDENCE First, police looked at the dog collar and were able to figure out who supplied that collar in the area. They found the supplier and learned that a man from Bramley had purchased multiple dog collars very similar to the one on Leanna’s neck. The man’s name was John Taylor, who was a hunter known to be in the woods around where Leanne was found. The type of twine that was used to conceal the body was not a common kind, usually used for rabbit netting, and was also traced back to the supplier, who said he had only produced a single batch. Eventually, the same type of twine was found in Taylor’s home.
John Taylor, Leanne Tiernan’s murderer
The scarf found on Leanne’s body
The Murder of Nancy Titterton
VICTIM Nancy TItterton a 34 year old novelist from NYC.
SUSPECT John Fiorenza Employed at Kruggers upholstery shop.
Map of the apartment where victim was found
Similar rope to the one she was found with
SUMMARY On April 10th, 1936 Nancy Titterton was found dead in the bathtub of her apartment in Beekmans Place NYC. Titterton was strangled to death by her own pajamas and raped. Not much was left behind at the scene. The only evidence left at the crime scene was a foot long piece of cord and a strand of horse hair. Two men John Fiorenza and Theodore Krugger found the body of Nancy Titterton while delivering a couch they had repaired to the apartment. These two men became suspects.The detectives discovered John Fiorenza was late to work on April 9th and was at the Titterton apartment the same day. They also discovered that Nancy had meet the killer (Fiorenza) a few days before her murder and he had become obsessed with her. Fiorenza had a background of criminal activity and previous arrests and was found guilty of murdering Nancy Titterton.
By Sydni Smaller & Maddy Allen HOW HORSE HAIR? The murder mystery was solved from a single piece of hair being found on her bed. The hair was identified as horse hair. This single piece of horse hair was tracked back a rope that was used to restrain Titterton. This hair was tracked down to a upholstery shop in New York City.
Sample of horse hair
FINDING THE BODY -
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Suspect being arrested and prepared for execution
THE OUTCOME -
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The piece of cord was found to be from Hanover Cordage Company in York, Pennsylvania. It was sold to Theodore Kruger’s upholstery shop in NYC The horsehair led detectives to John Fiorenza, who worked at Krugger’s shop Fiorenza and Kruger were the ones to discover her dead body
Fiorenza had a background of criminal history including 4 prior arrests for theft he was also diagnosed as delsinual by a prison psychiatrist He confssed but claimed that he went insane He was found guilty and executed on January 22nd, 1937 Courtroom immediately after trial
The Beating and Sexual assault of Modine Wise Authors: Ben Harres Isaac Hoover
The Victim:
Modine wise was a 83 year old women living in Charlotte North Carolina after she was found she was hospitalized for 3 months then put in a nursing home where she died, June 1990
Young Modine wise (right)
The Suspect:
Timothy after being pardoned
Timothy Bridges was a 23 year old man who lived with his parents in Charlotte North Carolina.
Example of hair under microscope
The Crime: Modine wise was an 83 year old woman, she was found naked and beaten by her granddaughter in her home on may 15 1989 supposedly by a boy with blonde or brown hair. 10 Months later Timothy Bridges was falsely identified as the culprit. His hair was similar to two hairs found at the scene of the crime it wasn't until 25 years later he was finally released.
The Trial Prosecution: Three men with previous criminal backgrounds claimed that Timothy Bridges confessed to the assault and rape of Modine Wise in order to collect the reward money from the police. During the trial prosecutors used these testimonies along with the hair similar to Timothy’s found at the crime scene. Defense: There was a bloody palm print found at the crime scene the defense thought would have belonged to the perpetrator. The print was proven not to belong to Timothy Bridges. Verdict: Timothy was found guilty of breaking and entering, assault, and rape of Modine Wise.
Hair Evidences Role: At the time hair evidence reliability was overstated and the prosecution made it seem more full proof and conclusive than it actually was. The prosecutors hair expert claimed that the hair found at the crime scene and Timothy’s hair were extremely similar.
Judge with mallet
Hair being collected.
Proving his Innocence:
Timothy Bridges after being freed from prison
After 25 years of being in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, the Innocents Project helped him fight for his freedom. With DNA technology scientists were able to conclude that Timothy was innocent. He then sued the state for $9.5 million.
The Killer of Three Teenage Girls Found
Lisk sisters (12 and 15) were abducted from their lawn. Richard Evonitz. 38, lived in Virginia and was accused of killing 3 teenage girls and abducting 4
WHAT HAPPENED?
Kara Robinson had escaped from Evorintz apartment after being abducted
Kayleigh Hills
On September 9, 1996, Sofia Silva age 16 went outside to do some homework on her front steps.Then she disappeared without a trace There was no sign of a struggle. Five weeks later she was found dead in a pond. Eight months later the Lisk sisters ages 12 and 15 went missing. FIve days later their bodies were found in a river 40 miles away. Authorities looked for suspects for 5 years chasing over 12,000 tips. It wasn’t until 15 years later that Evontiz would strike again… An abduction he would regret. In the morning June 23,2002 Kara Robinson was watering her neighbors plants when a strange man came up to her took out a gun and forced her into the back of his car. She was handcuffed, bound, and raped repeatedly. After 18 hours Evonitz fell asleep then Kira planned her escape. She slipped out of the handcuffs and ran. She made sure to take a mental picture of everything around her to tell the police exactly where she was held.
Richard Evonitz WHO WAS RICHARD EVONITZ? Richard Evonitz Was a Navy Veteran, a husband., and a serial killer. His family said there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was an average person. His own sister had been in his apartment where he was keeping the girls and heard nothing. Evonitz killed himself when police were surrounding his house. After his death, his wife stood by him and said “He was my husband, he is still my husband, and I love him dearly," (Hope Evonitz, wife of Richard Evonitz on the death of her husband)
Hair and fiber evidence used in court against Richard Evonitz
EVIDENCE USED: When collecting evidence for the case one of the first places looked was Evoniz’s car. In the car there was fingerprints in the trunk. They also looked at the fibers found on the body of the girls. They all matched the fibers of the furry handcuffs Evoniz had in his apartment. There was also hair. The hair found on the bodies of the girls had DNA. This matched the head hair of Richard Evonitz. After 15 years the murders of three teenage girls had been solved! An example of what the hair would of looked like under the microscope with DNA
There were fingerprints found in the trunk of Evonitz;s car that were smaller than his.
Kayleigh Hills
The Death of The Buckskin Girl The Crime https://www.9news.com.au/national/dna-test-reveal s-nsw-man-is-adopted/6ad89ab0-c161-4233-845f016ecc25e5b4 Photo of Marcia King before her death
Marcia King was a 21 year old woman from Arkansas who left home in 1980. Her family never reported her missing because she was an adult. They never knew that a woman matching her description was killed in Ohio. She was beaten and had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, but also had cuts on her liver. However the blood spots in her eyes suggest she was also strangled. She was then dumped in a roadside ditch, and her body was discovered 11 hours after her death.
File:Buckskin_Girl_side.jpg Buckskin girl corpse
https://kebbasaaslife.wo rdpress.com/2018/04/12 /jane-doe-no-more-2/ Grave site of Marcia King before she was identified
The Evidence The Buckskin girl went unidentified for over almost 40 years, but with new DNA evidence they were able to identify Marcia. This was done with blood that was left in evidence since 1981, allowing them to create a DNA profile and match it to Marcia King. While hair evidence wasn’t important in identifying Marcia, investigators are hoping that hair evidence collected at the scene can lead to identifying a suspect. According to Melody Vallieu of Miami-Valley Today, new technology that allows you to create nuclear DNA profiles from rootless hair samples could advance the investigation. Technology like this wasn’t available in 1981, so hair samples collected from the scene without roots were irrelevant. However now that they know the victim, hair samples could provide suspects for the crime.
https://www.newscientist.co m/article/2105025-your-distin ctive-hairprint-can-identify-yo u-even-when-dna-fails/ Blood sample from a crime scene
https://www.newscientist.com/article/21050 25-your-distinctive-hairprint-can-identify-yo u-even-when-dna-fails/ Hair sample taken from crime scene
https://www.fairb orndailyherald.co m/news/26468/bu ckskin-girl-identifi ed Sheriff Dave Duchak announcing to investigators that the Buckskin Girl has been identified
The Case of Richard Beranek By Lacie Sears
BACKGROUND The victim lived in Dane county. She was feeling like she had been being stalked. Previously before the crime she had got weird phone calls and felt followed.
THE CRIME This crime happened on March 2,1987 in the state of Wisconsin.The victim was twenty eight she was sexually assault and threatened. The man came out of her closet. He then threatened the victim who identified as K.D with a pair of plier. This poor woman was raped, slapped and many more horrific actions were performed on her.
Where the crime was located
K.D.’s DESCRIPTION When talking to the police she described the rapist as an white man who was clean shaven. K.D said he was about five feet and eight to ten inches.
Suspect sketch
RICHARD BERANEK The suspect sketch was identified as Richard Beranek. She also picked him in a live line up this was in June 1989.
CONNECTED TO THE CRIME A hair connected Richard to the crime scene this hair was found in K.Ds Washing machine. This hair was on her underwear also.
THE HAIR The forensics hair detective Michael Malone said the head hair found on the underwear was “microscopically the same” as Richard Beranek hair. Sketch and mugshot
THE JURY & THE EVIDENCE Richard Beranek had witnesses saying he wasn’t even in Wisconsin. His sister and her husband said Richard was staying with them at the time of the crime. Richard Beranek’s sister put down his name on a food stamp slip basically to say he was not only staying with her but living. Even though he had witnesses the jury still proclaimed him guilty. The hair was “absolutely identical”.
The hair of Richard Beranek
THE CONVICTION Finally on February 8, 1990 Richard Beranek was sentenced to 243 years in jail.
Image of Richard in court
The Case of The Buckskin Girl The Crime: On April 22, 1981 Marcia King was murdered on the side of a highway in Troy, Ohio. She had been strangled to death, though her autopsy also showed she had suffered blunt trauma to the head and neck and her liver had been lasserated. There was no evidence of sexual assault. Her killer and their reason for the murder is still unknown. Marcia King was the first ever case to identify a previously unidentified body through forensic genealogy. The cold case is now being re-examined after 37 thanks to the well-preserved evidence from 1981.
Victim: Marcia King was a woman from Arkansas and was 21 years old when she was murdered. Though she was murdered in 1981 it took 37 years for her body to be identified. Her appearance at death came with many contradictions. Her well-kept teeth implied she came from a financially stable home, but she was hitchhiking alone on the side of a highway. Her shoes were also missing, which was strange considering her other clothes were in fine condition. In fact her distinctive buckskin coat was what earned her the name ‘Buckskin Girl’.
Hair Evidence: Her killer is still unknown, but the discovery of new technology means Nuclear DNA can now be extracted from hair sampled without a root, which will hopefully help solve the case. The detectives have sent in hair evidence to be tested in this way, and they hope it will reveal her killer, or at least someone who can give them more information.
Suspect information: Dr. No, also known as the Ohio Prostitute Killer or the I-71 Killer, is a serial killer based in Ohio. Online I found many websites pointing to him as the killer of King, but none are particularly reputable. Apparently King was the first victim of Dr. No, but again I would take this with a grain of salt as I could not find any official channels to corroborate this.
Case outcome: Her case remains unresolved, though, as already stated, authorities hope Nuclear DNA evidence will get them closer to catching King’s killer. Now that King has been identified, a grave has been set up for her.
Sources: https://www.miamivalleytoday.com, https://www.cincinnati.com , https://www.wdtn.com , https://abcnews.go.com, https://www.cbsnews.com , https://www.daytondailynews.com