Questioned Documents Examination of documents to determine authorship
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Questioned Documents Examination of documents to determine authorship 2009©Forensic Science Today
Cases That Included Ques Docs n William Marsh Rice Died in 1901 n Scheme to kill Rice n Inheritance ($4. 6 M) n Charles Jones worked as his valet conspired to kill him n Albert T. Patrick was a lawyer “friend” convicted of murder. n 2009©Forensic Science Today
Lindberg case n Lindberg Kidnapping The Lindberg’s baby was kidnapped from his bedroom n a homemade ladder n rungs of the ladder n Bruno Richard Hauptmann’s handwriting n 2009©Forensic Science Today
More Cases n Jon Benet Ramsey n n Ransom note Many issues in processing scene Body found in basement No one found guilty yet 2009©Forensic Science Today
Hofmann Case Mark Hoffman n Selling documents to the Mormon Elders n n n Historical documents The Salamander Letters n An account of Joseph Smith’s encounter n Joseph Smith, Leader of Mormon faith Bombs 2009©Forensic Science Today
The Woodchipper Murder Case 2009©Forensic Science Today
Definition n Any document, printed or hand written, whose authenticity or source is being questioned. 2009©Forensic Science Today
Questioned Document Examiner (QDE) n n A person who is qualified to determine the authenticity or source of a document. Qualification? ? ? ABFDE n Certification n Apprenticeship n Training n Proficiency test n 2009©Forensic Science Today
QDE photographing evidence 2009©Forensic Science Today
Types of Comparisons n Handwriting n Paper n Ink n Printer 2009©Forensic Science Today
Other Comparisons n n Typewriter Watermarks Metal design placed on a roller that make the paper thinner in the area of the watermark n Made by applying a “dandy roll” to the surface of the paper while it is drying. n 2009©Forensic Science Today
Erasures and Eradications 2009©Forensic Science Today
Handwriting Comparisons n n Individual handwriting characteristics are based upon variations of the mechanical, physical, and mental functions that are different in each of us. If a piece of evidence contains handwriting (particularly cursive), there are individual characteristics that can be analyzed by the Questioned Document Examiner (QDE). 2009©Forensic Science Today
What is Compared? n Angularity, (how pointy and sharp are the letters) n speed, pressure, n letter spacing, nconnecting strokes, 2009©Forensic Science Today
Line quality or slope n n n n Refers to the imaginary line upon which we write on a blank piece of paper. The slant of the writing with respect to that line (level, slanted uphill or downhill and the degree of slant) should be determined for a writer. How to find the slope? The amount of slope and any increase in slope can be measured by 1. making a horizontal line across an overhead sheet 2. placing the overhead over the questioned document 3. then drawing a line on the overhead under a line of the writing The angle between these two lines is a measure of how much the line runs up or down hill. 2009©Forensic Science Today
More Comparisons n n relative size and shapes of letters, Grammar and speling, n Background Immigrant n Education n Area of the country or world n n and smoothness 2009©Forensic Science Today
Comparisons Continued Margins, n spacing, n n Refers to the distances between letters, words, and lines of writing. The pattern of spacing between letters, words and sentences is one that is standard to each writer. crowding of words, and line alignment 2009©Forensic Science Today
Proportion n Proportion: Refers to the general size and consistency of letters in relation to one another. The height or proportion of letters in relation to each other and the relative size and proportion of the words or letters in a sentence should be examined. 2009©Forensic Science Today
Slant and Curves n Slant: Refers to which direction the handwriting leans and the degree of slant, with respect to a perfect vertical. n Curves: Refers to the degree of curvature in the letters. The sharpness of the tops and bottoms of letters. 2009©Forensic Science Today
Connecting Strokes n Connecting Strokes: Refers to the lines used to connect letters in cursive writing. n n -specific strokes used to connect the letter “o” to “t” in the word note? Every “o” connected to a “t” is not always identical but the way the motion to connect them is formed should be similar samples from the control. 2009©Forensic Science Today
Comparing Samples n All of the above must be taken into account n Is it consistent with a known standard? 2009©Forensic Science Today
Things That Affect Handwriting n n n n Wellness Age Sleep Medications Stress Writing surface or device Attempt to disguise 2009©Forensic Science Today
Forgery n n Freehand Tracing Removal/replacement Create from scratch 2009©Forensic Science Today
Paper n Different types n Bleaching n Inclusions n Watermarks n Change 2009©Forensic Science Today
Ink Comparison n n Filtered light Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) n Destructive technique 2009©Forensic Science Today
Typewritten n Same typewriter n Alignment n Ribbon and impressions 2009©Forensic Science Today
Common Questions for QDEs n Is the signature genuine? Was the document forged? Was the document written on the date listed? Who out of a group of people wrote this document? Another question, whether personality or state of mind can be inferred from a handwriting sample, relates to the field of graphology, not Questioned Document Examination. 2009©Forensic Science Today
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