Cases Descriptions

The defendant in the case was charged with aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Issues: Were proper criminal investigation procedures followed? Was the physical evidence examined according to accepted standards?

A female accused a male of felony sexual assault. Issues: Was the criminal investigation conducted according to proper police procedures? Were there any red flags of a possible false report by the female? Was the crime scene safeguarded and properly photographed?

A female reported that, as a child, she had been sexually assaulted by a male over a period of time 11 to 15 years in the past. Issues: Were there any deviations from standard police interview practices or proper criminal investigative procedures? Were there red flags of a false police report?

A male stabbed the victim to death. Issues: Was standard eyewitness identification protocol (photo arrays, line-ups, etc.) followed? Were proper police procedures used to conduct witness interviews?

A female told a detective that she met a man on the Internet and went to his apartment for a date, where he tied her up and held her hostage for approximately 20 hours while he forcibly sexually assaulted her. The detective interviewed the female and nine days later the male was arrested. Issues: Were the female’s accusations credible or were there indications this might be a false police report? Were standard police practices and procedures followed in this criminal investigation? Was the crime scene properly safeguarded, photographed, and processed?

A police officer claimed he accidently fired his firearm while falling, resulting in the death of the victim. Issues: Was excessive force used? Was the officer’s account of the incident accurate? (evaluated by conducting a reconstruction of the shooting)

A male filed a complaint against his brother-in-law for aggravated harassment. The brother-in-law was arrested and incarcerated for approximately six days. Once the District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case they declined to prosecute. Issues: Were there any deviations from proper criminal investigation procedures or red flags of a false police report?

Witness stated he was the victim of a robbery and also stated the perpetrator murdered his friend. Police subsequently made an arrest in this case based upon identification of mug shots. Issues: Were standard law enforcement investigation practices adhered to? Were there any deviations from proper eyewitness identification procedure?