Blood Spatter & Analysis
by: Tatiana Zelenaia
How is blood useful/important in Forensics?:
Blood is the most common and possibly most important piece of evidence when investigating a crime. Nothing better has been found to replace blood analysis in forensics. Blood can link scientists to the person themselves, the location of the crime and everyone involved in the crime; suspect or victim.
The OJ Simpson Case:
This case involved a lot of blood from multiple people, including bloody shoes, gloves, a knife, etc.
List of evidence:
-crime scene blood
-bloody shoe prints
-crime scene hairs and fibers
-bloody gloves
-bloody socks
-bloody bronco
Significance:
This is a lot of blood evidence to look through so you can imagine that blood is what won the case and proved Simpson to be guilty.
Sam Sheppard Case:
On July 4th, 1954, Marilyn Sheppard, wife of prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Samuel Sheppard, was found bludgeoned to death in the Bay Village, Ohio home that the couple shared. Although Dr. Sheppard claimed to be asleep downstairs when he awoke to his wife’s cries and tried to stop the intruder from killing her, he was convicted of second-degree murder. His conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966 and he was granted a new trial and was not found guilty.
Fun Facts:
- The very first case involving modern study of blood stains was in 1895.
- There is a difference between blood spatter patterns, blood drip stains, and blood transfer patterns.
- The surface where the blood lands can have a tremendous impact on the interpretation of the blood spatter.
- A human must lose approximately 40% of his or her total blood volume before they are at risk for death from blood loss.