Blood+Spatter+2

=Blood Spatter Analysis =

The studying of blood patterns and analyzing the blood left over at a crime scene can reveal a lot to investigators, including what happened and how many people who were there. They can figure out the angle which the blow came from, how much force was involved, and the velocity of the blood by using Physics and Math. Biology is also used because it explains how blood will behave in certain situations and investigators can work backwards to figure out what happened. Blood spatter analysis provides investigators with solid evidence to aid them in their investigation. 


 * Contents ||
 * # Overview
 * 1) Education, skill requirements and salary
 * 2) Instruments
 * 3) Aiding in investigations
 * 4) The Bajada Case
 * 5) Video (Blood Spatter 101)
 * 6) Bibliography ||

Education, Skill Requirements and Salary
Bloodstain pattern analysts are required to have strong backgrounds in scientific studies. A bachelor's degree in one of the natural sciences is usually required. Blood splatter analysts can deal with many areas such as physics, mathematics, biology and chemistry. After their bachelor degree they are required to undergo special training. Standardized training in basic for blood spatter analysts has been developed by the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts. Salaries range from $30,000 annually to $83,000 per year. The average salary for a forensic scientist is $55,000. 

Instruments and Procedure
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cutting away stained surface provides an accurate result. Photographing the stains is very important because it provides an accurate measurement, because the photos are taken in every angle blood spatter analysts are able to get an accurate analysis. Drying and pack stained objects to take the evidence back to lab safely and secured. Tools used include high-quality cameras (pictures and videos), sketching materials, cutting instruments and evidence packaging. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sampling bloodstaing for DNA profiling

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Analysts will soak up blood or swab up sample of dired blood to determine whether it is human blood and then take it to the lab for DNA profiling. This step is critical when multiple victims are involved.

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tools used to determine are of convergence and area of origin
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Elastic strings and protractor
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mathematical equations (tangent trigonometric function)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Computer software programs such as BackTrack™ or Hemospat
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Limiting angle method, exclude angles from analysis

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Aiding in Investigations
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Blood spatter analysis provides investigators with answers to questions such as what caused the wounds, how many victims and/or perpetrators were present, and what movements were made after the blood was spilt. Often it is used to either dispute or prove witness statements. The size, shape, distribution, location, and over-all appearance of the blood stains help answer basic crime scene questions (who, what, when, etc.). Blood has to obey the laws of physics so investigators can use these laws to help figure out what caused the stains. Different patterns can mean different things as well. Blood left after making contact with a solid object or surface leaves a different stain than blood that has dripped off an object. The colour of the blood stain can also help investigators estimate when the crime took place since blood changes colour as it dries. At first it is red, then changes to a red-brown and then finally into brown. Though it does not provide a solid time line it can give investigators some idea about when the crime took place.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bajada Case
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bajada case, which took place in Malta, was a case where blood splatter analysis was used to help catch the murderer. Police responded to a call late one night on a road late at night. Mr. Angelo Bajada was standing outside of his car with a wound in his left arm and his wife was dead in the passenger seat after being shot in the right temple. It is important to note that cars in Malta are right-handed and drive on the left side of the road. Bajada told the police that they were returning home from dinner when a pedestrian gestured for them to pull over who then pulled out a gun and demanded for money. When they did not comply the assailant shot the wife and Mr. Bajada. Mr. Bajada was then taken to the hospital since he was suffering from blood loss, as the bullet had gone through his arm and into his chest. As the police continued their investigation they began to discover that Bajada's story did not make sense. He claimed his wife had been shot from the outside of the car but the wound was in her right temple and there was a cartridge case hidden in the folds of her dress. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The dashboard of the car was covered in blood and the lab attempted to fine out if it was from Mr. Bajada. They were unable to find the markers to determine that it was his. However once examined by blood spatter specialist, they were able to use directional characteristics and reconstruct what had occurred using cords. They discovered there were two points of origin, one from centre, near the left, and the other from high up on the right side, near the driver. This information allowed for the police to come to the conclusion that Mrs. Bajada had been shot inside the car by her husband and then Mr. Bajada had shot himself in the arm in an attempt to make his story fit. The police then arrested Mr. Bajada for the murder of his wife.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Blood Spatter 101
media type="youtube" key="zjfdpenl1Rc" width="560" height="315"

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Bibliography
http://criminologycareers.about.com/od/Career_Profiles/a/Career-Profile-Bloodstain-Pattern-Analyst.htm http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/SimplifiedGuideBloodstainPatterns.pdf http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodstain_pattern_analysis http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/SimplifiedGuideBloodstainPatterns.pdf http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-19/news/ct-met-mya-lyons-charges-20110118_1_mya-ericka-barnes-richard-lyons-bellow <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tilstone, William J., Kathleen A. Savage, and Leigh A. Clark. //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Forensic Science: An Encyclopedia of History, Methods, and Techniques //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Print. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gaensslen, R. E. //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Blood, Bugs, and Plants //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. New York: Facts On File, 2009. Print. = =