Forensic Science Reform Protecting the Innocent

Elsevier, 2017.  ISBN: 978-0-12-802719-6

Edited by Wendy J. Koen and C. Michael Bowers

  1. Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis, Max M. Houck
  2. Microscopic Hair Comparison, Max M. Houck
  3. Arson, John Lentini and Rachel Dioso-Villa
  4. Shaken Baby Syndrome, Waney Squier
  5. Bite Mark Evidence, C. Michael Bowers and Ray Krone
  6. Firearms Identification, Sarah L. Cooper
  7. DNA Evidence, Dan Krane and Simon Ford
  8. Presumptive and Confirmatory Blood Testing, Christopher Halkides and Kim Lott
  9. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Barie Goetz
  10. Crime Scene Reconstruction, Barie Goetz
  11. Fingerprints, Kathleen L. Bright-Birnbaum

 

Co-editor C. Michael Bowers is affiliated with the School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California.  Besides co-editing this collection, Wendy Koen contributed most of the case studies featured in each of the eleven chapters.  She is with Child Refuge, Inc.

 

Max M. Houck (Forensic and Intelligence Services, LLC) contributed two chapters.  James Otto Earhart was selected as the case study in the chapter on lead bullet analysis. The cases Colin Ross and James Driskell are featured in the chapter covering microscopic hair comparison.

 

John Lentini covered various problems in arson investigations.  Rachel Dioso-Villa (affiliated with Griffith University in Australia) highlighted some of these shortcomings in the Cameron Todd Willingham case in Corsicana, Texas.  John Lentini is the president and principal investigator of Scientific Fire Analysis, LLC.  He is the author of Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation, Second Edition, 2013, CRC Press.  He and John DeHaan investigated the Lime Street fire.

 

Waney Squier (affiliated with Oxford University John Radcliffe Hospital) treated shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, and Ken Marsh is the case study.  C. Michael Bowers elucidates problems in bite mark analysis.  Wendy Koen and Ray Krone use his case to examine some of these issues.

 

Sarah L. Cooper focused on recent trends in firearms identification.  Anthony Hinton is used as the case study.  Sarah Cooper is affiliated with Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom.

 

Simon Ford is the senior research and development scientist and Dan Krane is the chief executive officer and senior analyst of Forensic Bioinformatics, Inc.  Dr. Krane (affiliated with Wright State University in Dayton, OH) has spoken about low template DNA analysis in the Sean Hoey case and about DNA contamination in the Jaidyn Leskie case.  These two authors used the Amanda Knox/Raffaele Sollecito case in Italy to examine issues such as DNA mixtures and discovery of DNA evidence, among other concerns.

 

Kimberly Lott (Lott Law, PLLC) and Christopher Halkides (affiliated with The University of North Carolina, Wilmington) reexamined the Lindy and Michael Chamberlain case from Australia and the Gregory Taylor case from NC as cautionary tales of problems in the identification of blood.

 

Barie Goetz examined issues in bloodstain pattern analysis and discussed crime scene reconstruction.  David Camm and Glenn Ford, respectively, are the case studies in these two chapters.  Barie Goetz is affiliated with the Sangre de Cristo Forensic Services in Parker, PA and the Pennsylvania State University in Sharon, PA.

 

 

Fingerprints and fingerprint experts are treated by Kathleen L. Bright-Birnbaum.  The case of Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield is highlighted.