Tales From the ‘Tails’ of Bloodstains
by Douglas Ankney
Protrusions that deviate from the boundaries of otherwise elliptical bloodstains—known as “tails”—may provide additional relevant crime-scene evidence, according to James Bird, scientist and co-author of a study appearing in the journal Physics of Fluids.
A group of scientists from Boston University and University of Utah demonstrated that tail length can generate information regarding “the size, impact speed, and impact angle” of the droplet that formed the stain. By measuring several stains in a bloodstain pattern, “the trajectories of the drops can be backtracked to their presumed origin.”
Previous studies focused primarily on large blood drops falling vertically on either flat or inclined surfaces where gravity may either obscure or reshape tails. But this new study “involved a series of high-speed experiments with human blood droplets with diameters of less than a millimeter impacting horizontal surfaces at various angles.”
Bird said, “[k]nowing the origin of blood stains at a crime scene can help detectives determine whether a victim was standing or sitting, or help corroborate or question a witness’s testimony.”
Source: forensicmag.com
As a digital subscriber to Criminal Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Geofence Warrants: The Mass Location Surveillance and Privacy Threat Created by Google May Be Eliminated by Its Creator, by Anthony Accurso
- Minnesota Supreme Court Announces Odor of Marijuana Alone Emanating From Vehicle Insufficient for Probable Cause to Search Under Automobile Exception, by Anthony Accurso
- Michigan Supreme Court: Defendant’s Statements Involuntary and Inadmissible, by Douglas Ankney
- Tales From the ‘Tails’ of Bloodstains, by Douglas Ankney
- New Jersey Supreme Court Excludes CSLI Testimony Based on Agent’s ‘Rule Of Thumb’ Method for Determining Defendant’s Location, by Anthony Accurso
- New Night-Vision Capable Drone Marketed to Police, by Anthony Accurso
- Missouri Supreme Court Orders Dismissal of Pending Charges Where Trial Court Failed to Bring Prisoner to Trial Within 180-Day Limitations Period Provided for in ‘Interstate Agreement on Detainers’, by Douglas Ankney
- Third Circuit: Defendant Not on Rental Agreement Had Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Car Because He Had Dominion and Control of Car Where Renter Gave Keys to Him, He Was in Possession of Them Upon Arrest, and Car Parked Nearby, by Anthony Accurso
- NYPD Has Spent Millions of Dollars on Social Media Analysis Tools, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New York Court of Appeals: Forensic Findings Establishing Possible Alternative Cause of Injuries in Sex-Crime Prosecution Admissible Under ‘Interest of Justice’ Exception to Rape Shield Law, by David Reutter
- The Diminishment of Miranda Is Leading to False Confessions and Conviction of Innocents, by David Reutter
- FBI Works to Expand Court Authority for Its Offensive Cyber Operations, by Anthony Accurso
- Fifth Circuit Announces Revocation Judgments for Violation of Supervised Release Vacated Because Underlying Sentence Vacated, by Anthony Accurso
- Third Circuit: Defense Counsel Ineffective Under Strickland Where Counsel Sat Silent After Judge Threatened to Charge Witness With Perjury Unless Testimony Changed, by Douglas Ankney
- Study Raises Alarms About Inaccuracies and Bias in Gun Forensics Reporting, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Ninth Circuit Announces District Courts Must Either Orally Pronounce All Discretionary ‘Standard’ Conditions of Supervised Release in the Presence of Defendant or Provide Conditions in Writing Prior to Sentencing, by Douglas Ankney
- The Problem with Some Non-Carceral Punishments, by Carlo Difundo
- Researchers Find Fiber Evidence Lasts Longer Underwater Than Previously Thought, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Who Let the Dogs Out? Robotic Dogs Are the Newest (and Scariest) Surveillance Tech in U.S. Police Departments, by Jo Ellen Nott
- After Ohio Becomes 24th State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana, What Next?, by Jordan Arizmendi
- DHS Allows CBP and ICE Officers to Create Fake Social Media Profiles to Track Subjects of Interest and Conduct Investigations, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Fourth Circuit: Walking Past Unoccupied Home With Bulging Pocket and Attempting to Evade Neighborhood Tipster Insufficient for Reasonable Suspicion to Seize and Search, by Anthony Accurso
- Harris County, Texas, Settles Civil Rights Case for $1.5 Million Brought by Innocent Man Shot in His Home Five Times by Trigger-Happy Deputy, by Jo Ellen Nott
- DEA’s Domestic Surveillance Mission Creep: Beyond Drugs, Beyond Protests, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New Mexico Supreme Court Announces Marquez’s Holding That ‘Crime of Shooting at or From Motor Vehicle Cannot Be Predicate Felony Supporting Charge of Felony Murder’ Is New Substantive Rule and Applies Retroactively, by Douglas Ankney
- The Potential Privacy Threat of Generative AI, by Michael Thompson
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Testimonial References to Post-Arrest Silence Cannot Be Used Against Defendant at Trial, Pre-Arrest Harmless Error Analysis Does Not Apply, by Anthony Accurso
- Evidence Shows When Researchers Work Alongside Cops in the Field, De-escalation Training Is Implemented and Effective, by Douglas Ankney
- Data Mining: Law Enforcement Pays Cash for Your Private Data and Saves on the Hassle of Complying With the Fourth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit Announces Due Process Right to ‘Prompt’ Post-Seizure Hearing While Government Deciding Whether to Initiate Forfeiture Proceedings and Holds Wayne County’s Vehicle Forfeiture Program Violates Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- Idaho Supreme Court Announces Adoption of ‘Primary Purpose’ Standard for Reviewing Police Decision to Impound Vehicles and Conduct Inventory Search to Prevent Pretextual Searches in Violation of Fourth Amendment, by Anthony Accurso
- Steady Improvement in Techniques for the Analysis of Degraded DNA, by Douglas Ankney
- Indiana Supreme Court Announces Civil Forfeiture Triggers Right to Jury Trial, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Finds Public Defenders’ Heavy Workloads Prevent Effective Representation, Amendments to 50-Year-Old Guidelines Recommended, by Douglas Ankney
- Kentucky Supreme Court: Trial Court Abused Discretion by ‘Rehabilitating’ Juror Who Indicated Could Not Be Impartial and Failing to Strike Juror, by David Reutter
- Identification Via DNA, Fingerprints, and 3D Scanning of Footwear, by Douglas Ankney
- Vendors Late to Recognize the Serious Threat of Cell-Site Simulators, by Michael Thompson
- Car Culture Dramatically Increases Number of Cop Confrontations, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Douglas Ankney:
- Seventh Circuit Announces Safety Valve Relief Under § 3553(f) Is Narrower Than Guidelines Firearms Enhancement Under § 2D1.1(b)(1), District Court Erred by Conflating Them, May 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit: Maryland’s First-Degree Assault Statute Is Indivisible so Conviction Is Not an ACCA Predicate for Sentencing Enhancement Purposes, May 15, 2024
- Tenth Circuit: Plea Not Knowing and Voluntary Where Plea Counsel Materially Misrepresented Defendant’s Right to Impartial Jury Selected Through Racially Nondiscriminatory Means, May 15, 2024
- California Supreme Court: Jury’s Finding of Intent to Kill for Gang Enhancement, Standing Alone, Insufficient to Find Prisoner Failed to State a Prima Facie Case in § 1172.6 Petition for Resentencing on First-Degree Murder Conviction, May 15, 2024
- Non-Toxic Fluorescent Spray Reveals Fingerprints in Seconds, May 15, 2024
- New York Court of Appeals: SORA Designation Violates Defendant’s Due Process Rights Where Crime Involved No Sexual Contact or Motivation and Defendant Was Not a Sex Offender and Posed No Risk of Sexual Threat, May 15, 2024
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Defendants Under Age 21 Ineligible for LWOP Sentences, May 15, 2024
- New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Extension of Eyewitness Identification Safeguards of Henderson to Pretrial Preparation Sessions and Provides Framework for Showing Photos During Pretrial Phase, May 15, 2024
- Sixth Circuit Announces Untimely Notice of Appeal That Provides Reason for Tardiness May Be Construed as Motion to Reopen, May 15, 2024
- $175,000 Awarded to Former California Detainee Whose Suit Prompted DOJ Investigation and Settlement Requiring Structural Changes at Jail, April 26, 2024
More from these topics:
- New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Extension of Eyewitness Identification Safeguards of Henderson to Pretrial Preparation Sessions and Provides Framework for Showing Photos During Pretrial Phase, May 15, 2024. witness misidentification, Eyewitness Testimony, Lineups.
- Report Finds Bad Forensic Evidence Leads to More Wrongful Convictions and Establishes Forensic Errors Typology, May 15, 2024. junk science, Wrongful Conviction.
- Non-Toxic Fluorescent Spray Reveals Fingerprints in Seconds, May 15, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, junk science, Fingerprint Evidence, Latent Fingerprint Evidence.
- The Police Have a Dark Money Slush Fund, May 15, 2024. Contractor Misconduct, Police Misconduct, Commentary/Reviews, Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Electronic Monitoring: An Alternative to Incarceration or a Troubling Extension of Punishment?, April 15, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, Statistics/Trends, Electronic Monitoring, Electronic Surveillance, Bail/Pretrial Release, Conditions of.
- What Happens When Prosecutors Offer Opposing Versions of the Truth?, April 15, 2024. Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Commentary/Reviews, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Outrageous Government Misconduct, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of.
- Parole and Probation Accused of Driving Prison Growth, April 1, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, Statistics/Trends, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Conditions of.
- Maryland Compensates Exonerated Prisoner Over $340,000, April 1, 2024. Wrongful Conviction, Eyewitness Testimony, Fabrication of Evidence, Recantation.
- Watchlisted: You’re Probably Already on a Government Extremism List, March 15, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance.
- New York Court of Appeals Reverses Conviction Because Testifying Criminalist Not Shown to Have Requisite Involvement in DNA Testing Process and Provides Guidance to Avoid Future Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause Violations, March 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Eyewitness Testimony, Crime Lab Reports.