Essentially, the case against Wayne Williams hinged on the expert testimony given at the trial. Without the testimony of the expert witnesses, this trial may have had a different verdict. Personally, I think that Larry Peterson did a fabulous job presenting this case. He put together an impressive presentation of the fiber evidence (Nickell, 2011). Therefore, I would have prepared in a similar fashion the expert witnesses for the trial. Forensics experts must be prepared before they testify. Additionally, expert witnesses must convince the judge or the jury that their testimony is truthful and that of sound science. It is critical that they are highly knowledgeable, organized, alert, composed, and ethical. Moreover, the expert when showing their knowledge must show that they are relevant, have command if the subject matter, and are knowledgeable about the state and jurisdictional laws relevant to the case and they must know how to demonstrate their evidence. …show more content…
In addition, they need to be alert, answer questions promptly and intelligently. The expert witness must not appear combative or annoyed at questions especially during cross-examination. Lastly, they must be ethical, display objectively, not advocacy (Wells, 2012). Staggeringly, I would make sure the expert witnesses, in this case, would have extraordinary presentations, drawing a roadmap directly to Wayne Williams. Unquestionably, I would have a presentation of the fiber evidence displaying each fiber and showing the fiber match that tied Wayne Williams to this case, leaving no room for speculation. Visibly, the easier the data is to understand for the jury, the better the chances for a conviction will be in the
On July 29, 2003 Detective Jason Leavitt was a part of a decoy operation with an undercover arrest team ; he was dressed on black jeans, a dirty short- sleeved flannel shirt on top of a dirty-t shirt, and a baseball cap to apart as a drunk homeless man . Detective Leavitt carried Twenty one-dollar bills in his breast pocket, to attract a thief. Leavitt was on the block of 200 Main St across from the Greyhound station. The Appellant Richard Miller approached Detective Leavitt on this very street to ask him for money. Detective Leavitt told Miller he was not going to give him an money, Leavitt testified that the appellant put his arm around him and asked him to go get a drink.
Tennessee Volunteers Southeastern Conference (SEC) Eastern Division (2014 record: 7-6) Head Coach: Butch Jones Offense: The fact the defense played well in 2014 was offset by the fact the offense just never seemed to be able to get things going. They only averages 28.9 PPG to go with 370.5 YPG of offense. The reasons for this lethargic display of offense would have to be turnovers (22), inexperience and a general lack of explosiveness on the part of the skilled players.
A review of the events involving the North Charleston, S. Carolina Whitlee Jones murder case as it applies to the Tennessee “stand your ground” statute brings several factors into question. As indicated in the article, South Carolina’s law as does Tennessee’s states that a person having reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm can use deadly force on the unlawful intruder. However, this does not apply to a lawful resident or a person who has a legal right to be in the dwelling, business, or auto (Knapp, 2014). As Jones indicates she removes herself from the danger on several occasions, yet she continues to return, placing herself once again in position to receive serious injury or death from her boyfriend who is legally occupying the
Yesterday, Sloan Jackson, age 18 was put on trial for stealing a shirt from Famous Fashions in Merchandise Mall. He supposedly ran out of the store with a lump (which was the same color as the stolen shirt) in his jacket to go to Record Mart because there was a big sale going on. He then was found sitting next to the yogurt stand and the shirt was found in a trash barrel near the yogurt stand. He then ran away from the security guard but he was in the end caught and brought back to the store to return the shirt. At the trial yesterday the jury came to a verdict of being guilty after talking in the jury room for about 10 minutes.
The reliability and admissibility of evidence becomes a foundation to this truth as any evidence presented cannot contain elements which can provide doubt towards the validity of the prosecution. This can be shown through guideline 14 of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions agreement to provide advice for the NSW police towards the legal limitations or consequences of evidence obtained during the course of an investigation (Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions n.d). Identification evidence in particular has a lower weight and strength for admission to a court due to the fallibility and circumstantial nature of witnesses. The admissibility of identification evidence was previously determined by judges based on its quality with case law such as R v. Christie providing principles for discretionary powers for admissibility and Alexander v. R providing methods satisfactory to the court for identification such as identification parades under common law. (R v. Christie 1914; Alexander v. R 1981).
Although Wayne Williams was convicted for killing 2 adults, the Atlanta Child Murders began in July of 1979 after the bodies of 2 children were found hidden under the bushes of at the side of an Atlanta road. (Biography.com Editors, 2015). For the next 22 months the city and FBI would find 29 victims suspected of being murdered by Wayne Williams a free-lance photographer and hopeful music producer with a criminal record of impersonating the police. (unknown, 2014). 14-year-old Edward Smith was found shot by a .22 caliber weapon and 13-year-old Alfred Evan was found murdered by asphyxiation these deaths sparked the beginnings of a string of child murders that would rock Atlanta to its core.
Wayne Williams was found guilty of the killing of two people. Even years after William’s still tries to persuade the idea of him being innocent. Just like fingerprints, hair analysis is following the same path. I think that DNA fingerprints will become bigger and more accurate of accusing killers, the use of hair analysis will decrease, but I do not think hair analysis should be taken away.
Finally, Wayne Williams took the stand and testified, which resulted in very unfavorable attention from the jury (The Atlanta, n.d.). His angry and combative demeanor on the witness stand left jury members with little sympathy (The Atlanta, n.d.). It only took the jury approximately ten hours to deliberate and reach a guilty verdict, however, if the fiber evidence was not presented I do not believe the deliberation would have been so quick and most likely would have resulted in a not guilty
The prosecutors in the Wayne Williams case presented evidence and witnesses in the case. None of the witnesses, in this case, witnessed Wayne Williams commit any murders. The witnesses were there to testify about what they noticed Wayne Williams do, that was not normal or unusual. The testimony which was the most damaging was Angelo Foster who was a former press secretary to the mayor. He gave information about a conversation that he had with the defendant’s father.
11 of the 12 murder victims that were examined during the trial had "hair and fiber matches" with Williams' surroundings that were so convincing that these victims could be definitively
The creation of Blood Spatter Analyst has changed the perspective all crime scenes which are intensely solved in a completely new direction. It is the examination of shapes, distribution patterns and location of the bloodstain in order to find the real image which was created in the crime scene. All bloodstains and bloodstain patterns are evaluated by the force they were originally created. ( http://www.bloodspatter.com/bloodstain-tutorial). There has been a vast change and growing environment for the bloodstain spatters as there work now is recognized and appreciated within the law enforcement and the court officials.
Richardson alleges they hid evidence of Zains Faked crime lab tests and false trial testimony four years before others uncovered the lie (Messina, Lawrence). This helps back up the information on Richardson’s case.
Introduction A 5-year old boy, whose parents are undergoing a divorce, reports that he was sexually molested by his father. His mother takes him to a psychologist who evaluates him using various techniques, including a clinical interview, Anatomically Correct Dolls, and a test she has created called “Detection of Childhood Abuse Test” (DCAT). The psychologist is called to testify in court about her findings. (1) What are the issues related to the validity of using Anatomically Correct Dolls for this purpose?
The Ethics of Fred Zain Fred Zain was a forensic lab technician that worked for both the states of West Virginia and Texas. A man who did a job he was severely under qualified for, for ten years, and who was thought to be a start asset in his line of work. Fred Zain had testified in countless cases, presenting himself well and appeared to know his trade so well that no one in the courtroom questioned the lab results obtained by Zain. It is very well known that his actions in court are viewed as unethical by today’s standards. In his time of employment, Fred Zain acquired a lengthy rap sheet of tampering and falsifying evidence, false convictions.
A positive aspect of this is that forensic scientists only need a small amount of a sample to get the results they need (“Forensic Science” 12). These samples can come from many other forms of identification other than fingerprints and bloodstains. A few moderate examples include strands of hair, tiny beads of sweat, and a saliva specimen (“Forensic Science” 12). Forensic Science Technicians stated that “crime scene investigators may use tweezers, black lights, and specialized kits to identify and collect evidence.” They also stated that examining autopsies prove to be beneficial in a crime investigation (“Forensic Science Technicians”