Analysis of the physical Forensic Evidence in the Zodiac Killer Case
Forensic evidence plays an imperative role in the resolution of cases today. It is a big part of the criminal justice system, and it commits resources towards criminal investigations and forensic analysis of evidence. In most of the crime scenes today, criminal investigators and forensic analysts look for physical evidence. Forensic physical evidence entails objects found on the crime scene, such as fingerprints, tool marks. Stains, footprints among others. Once they are identified, they are carefully collected, trace elements, blood spatters, semen, and impressive evidence, for preservation and analysis in the forensic laboratories (LaPorte, 2017). With the increase in the sophistication of technology, the collection and analysis of this physical evidence are less technical than decades ago. This paper seeks to discuss and analyze the physical forensic evidence from the Zodiac killer Cases and the limitation of the evidence.
Zodiac killer case
The zodiac killer case continues to fascinate many people five decades later. The zodiac killer who committed murders in different locations in North Carolina in 1968 and early 1970s was out on a killing spree. However, his identity remains unknown to date. He is known to have murdered five people between 1968 and 1969; however, through his letter, the Zodiac killer claimed to have committed 37 murders (Sarteschi, 2016). These cases have remained unsolved in the San Francisco Police department and, at some point, were deemed inactive; however, in other places, the case has been reopened and remained opened with the hope of justice one day. The department of justice is left with some inconclusive evidence and his letter with cryptograms that have since not been deciphered to date. Several theories and speculations are being put forth to attempt and decode the cryptogram.
Evidence from the case
Despite how well the Zodiac killer cleaned after himself, there were tiny pieces of evidence collected. Firstly blood, there were bloodstains from one of his victims’ pants and stains in gloves. Secondly, there was gun powder from his murder of the cab driver. Thirdly, there was an impression of evidence from what was believed to be his shoe print from the crime scene from one of his murders. Lastly, letters that he had constantly mailed to the police station in the form of cryptographs written in a coded language, whereby some gave not been deciphered to date. These pieces of evidence have numerous series of gaps that have left the case unsolved for over five decades. It remains a mystery with so many puzzles and little left to but used to solve it. The evidence from the scene had since gotten destroyed or contaminated due to poor handling practices. (Sarteschi, 2016)
Limitations of the evidence
Given that the investigation of these crimes from the Zodiac killer case took place way back when the criminal justice was not as advanced as today, several gaps led to the failure to end the case despite the physical evidence present from the case. Herein are the main reasons why the investigations did not yield much from the little evidence collected.
Technology
Given that the case took place over five decades ago, the criminal justice system does not experience so much technological evolution as it of the case today. Unlike today, the forensic analysis department is well equipped with advanced equipment that can analyze evidence closely to the accurate value. That has helped with the resolution of cases reducing the backlogs of cases. Furthermore, more sophisticated equipment is used to collect the samples and ensure that the crime scene is exhaustedly searched for evidence while minimizing the chances of distortion. Technological advancements such as the Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems have taken fingerprints analysis to a notch higher (Martin, 2020).
Additionally, the increased protocol advancements in criminal justice have led to an increase in biometric scanning, whereby biometric data is stored and makes cross-referencing easy. Following the unsolved murder from Riverside City college following the murders of Robert and Linda, there was an of pants that contained what was believed to the Zodiac stains that had resulted from the attack. However, the evidence was not appropriately collected or analyzed due to inadequacies in technology. Thus, they could not be used in the criminal investigations of the murders tied to the zodiac killer (Graysmith, 2020).
Cross-contamination of the evidence
The main essence of the proper preservation of the physical evidence is to secure the chain of custody applicable to any form of crime. Therefore, physical evidence is a significant part o criminal investigation when collected and analyzed appropriately but avoid cross-contamination. Physical evidence can only be admissible in court if the chain of custody is possible to prove; thus, any person that handles the evidence must sign against it (Chophi, 2019). Additionally, there was ballistic evidence; however, forensic ballistic could not identify the firearm, ammunition, bullets, and cartridge used. There were not many past resources to conduct the ballistics to match the bullets or even the fragments.
There have been speculations that it was possible to obtain a sample from the saliva from his envelope of letters he had mailed to the police; however, it was difficult to obtain a clean genetic sample. During that era, five decades ago, the collection of samples was much looser with no defined protocol as there is not much to deal with forensic analysis. Additionally, a lot of people had handled the evidence by adding their genetic materials to them. For essence, there were bloody gloves with the stain that were believed to be his possible last victims’ blood and could probably contain traces of the killer’s DNA; however, over the year, it had been muddled that made it to muddles even to be presentable for use (Chophi, 2019). Due to these gaps in analyzing the physical evidence collected from the crime scenes, five decades later, zodiac killings remain unsolved. To date, law enforcement officers still revied tips and lead about the crimes. Additionally, in some cases, there still open murder investigations that await the case resolution and the hope of the arrest of the killer and a measure of justice to his victims. His murders have left law enforcement stunned to date as the killing remains a mystery as more copycats emerge that deem to portray him and his personality.
Conclusion
Physical forensic evidence plays an essential role in the criminal justice system today. They come in handy to prove or disapprove facts. They are imperative in reconstructing the crime scenes, helping in the differentiation and identification of victims or even the suspects. Following the questioned sample collection, they help investigators conduct the analysis and determine the evidence’s integrity. In essence, there is numerous evidence; however, the evidence’s correction and handling manner lead to cross-contamination. Additionally, the lack of efficient technology from back then made it impossible to analyze the evidence and ascertain the killer that has never been brought to justice to date. One of the many cold cases here is the insufficiency of evidence has left it hanging, and the victims have never found closure.
References
Chophi, R., Sharma, S., Sharma, S., & Singh, R. (2019). Forensic entomotoxicology: Current concepts, trends, and challenges. Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 67, 28-36.
Graysmith, R. (2020). Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation’s Most Elusive Serial Killer. Berkley.
LaPorte, G. E. R. A. L. D. (2017). Wrongful convictions and DNA exonerations: Understanding the role of forensic science. NIJ Journal, 279, 250705.
Martin, E., Schwarting, D. E., & Chase, R. J. (2020). Serial Killer Connections Through Cold Cases.
Sarteschi, C. M. (2016). Serial Murder. In Mass and Serial Murder in America (pp. 45-67). Springer, Cham.
