STEM FORENSICSINVESTIGATION 1

Observation Skills

BIG QUESTION

How do forensic scientists use observational skills in their work and what are the limitations of these skills?

Part 1: Making Observations

FQ: What is the difference between observation and inference?

FQ: How does perception impact our ability to make observations?

Word Bank, Content

Part 2: Observations by Witnesses FQ: Can an eyewitness account of an

event be considered reliable? Innocence Project

FQ: What factors might influence observational skills? Bouncing Ball

Word Bank, Content

Part 3: Forensic Science

FQ: How do analytical skills improve the observation of an event? Murder or Suicide? The Case of Ronald

Opus

Murder or Suicide?

On March 23, 1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus on the ground outside his apartment and found a gunshot wound.

On further inspection, he noticed that he had several broken bones and a crushed skull.

He went to his apartment on the 11th floor and noticed a note that Ronald had left indicating he was depressed and no longer wanted to live.

Murder or Suicide?

When residents were questioned, they reported hearing a gunshot and the sound of breaking glass coming from the 9th floor of the building.

Upon inspection of the building, a safety net had been installed just below the 8th floor to protect the window washers.

Discuss your thoughts with a partner

Murder or Suicide

Dr. Mills summarized to his investigation team: Ordinarily when a person who sets out to

commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, it is still defined as committing suicide.

That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the safety net, leads to a feeling of a murder on our hands.

Discuss

Murder or Suicide

Upon inspecting the room on the 9th floor where the shotgun blast emanated, the investigator found an elderly man and his wife.

When the man was questioned, he said that they were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun. The man said that he had become so upset that he pulled the trigger but missed his wife and shot through the window. The woman said she heard a man scream from outside immediately after the shot.

Discuss with a partner

Murder or Suicide

Again Dr. Mills talked with his team to review the evidence When one intends to kill Subject “A” but

kills Subject “B” during the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of Subject “B”

Discuss

Murder or Suicide

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant that they thought the gun was unloaded. The old man said it was long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun but he never intended to pull the trigger. The wife stated that he had no intention to murder her.

When reviewing evidence with the team, it appeared the killing of Mr. Opus was an accident if the gun had been accidently loaded. But who loaded it and why?

Murder or Suicide

When questioning family members, it was reported that the old lady had cut off her son’s financial support and the son, knowing that his father used the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would eventually shoot his mother.

The investigator again met with his team and they determined that since the loader of the gun was aware of this (the son), he was guilty of the murder of Ronald Opus, even though he didn’t actually pull the trigger.

Murder

How were observational skills used? What observations were important to solving the case?

Did you make any inferences or did you use analytical skills to make decisions?

Did the investigative team make inferences or use deductive reasoning?

One last piece to the story…when the son was apprehended…

Murder or Suicide

Part 3: Forensic Science

FQ: How do analytical skills improve the observation of an event? Murder or Suicide? The Case of Ronald

Opus WhoDunnit

Word Bank, Content

Careers in Forensics

Paul Eckman Window notes

BIG QUESTION

How do forensic scientists use observational skills in their work and what are the limitations of these skills? I claim….I know this because….