Forensic Evidence in Court

by Lissitzyn, Christine Beck

• ISBN13: 9781594603709
• ISBN10: 1594603707
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-01
• Publisher: Carolina Academic Press

Summary

The text will cover the use of forensic evidence at trial through expert testimony as well as court challenges to many types of forensic evidence. The case study is the 1973 murder of Penney Serra in New Haven, Connecticut, which remained a cold case until 1997, when Ed Grant was identified based on a fingerprint match and subsequently convicted. The text examines forensic evidence in the Grant trial, including fingerprint, DNA, blood spatter and eyewitness identification. It also examines trial strategy, handwriting testimony, polygraph, and exonerations based on newly-discovered DNA.

Author Biography

Christine Beck Lissitzyn is a professor of paralegal studies at the University of Hartford.

Table of Contents

The Case Study: State v. Grant	p. 3
What Is Forensic Evidence?	p. 23
From Collecting Forensic Evidence to the Trial	p. 43
The Rules of Evidence	p. 67
The General Acceptance Rule and the Daubert Case	p. 87
The Scientific Method and Forensic Evidence	p. 107
Fingerprints	p. 133
DNA	p. 167
Eyewitness Identifications	p. 201
Blood Spatter Analysis	p. 225
Handwriting Analysis	p. 247
Polygraph Testimony	p. 283
DNA and Its Role in Exonerations	p. 315
Closing Statements, Jury Instructions, Verdict and Appeal	p. 339
The Judge, the Jury, and Forensic Evidence	p. 369
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