Crime Scene Investigation Case Study: From the Crime Scene to the Courtroom

Key Chapter Title List

1. Preface
2. Digital Resources
3. Introduction: From Crime Scene to Prosecutor's Desk
4. Burglary and Kidnapping
5. Criminal Sexual Misconduct, Kidnapping, and Human Trafficking
6. Fatal Traffic Incident: Accident or Intentional
7. Serial Arsonist?
8. Case Sample: Key Questions and Activities
9. Case File: Intimidation of an Elderly Woman
10. Case File: Kidnapping and Rape Case
11. Case File: Hit-and-Run Case
12. Case File: Arson Case

Document Introduction

This report collection is a unique teaching and practical guide collaboratively completed by a team of graduate students in criminal justice, aiming to fill the gap in standardized training materials in the field of criminal investigation dossier construction. The core value of the report lies in its "by students, for students" philosophy. Through a series of in-depth studies simulating real cases, it systematically demonstrates how an investigator transforms scattered on-scene information, witness statements, and physical evidence into a logically rigorous, court-questioning-resistant complete case dossier. It is not only a textbook but also a set of actionable methodology, emphasizing the foundational role of investigative documentation in judicial justice—as stated in the preface, "the job isn't finished until the paperwork is done." Poor-quality reports can negate all the hard work of an investigation.

The report structure revolves around different types of criminal offenses, with each chapter focusing on a core crime category. The opening chapters establish the methodological foundation for the entire book, clarifying the core objectives of an investigation: discovering the truth, determining if a crime occurred, identifying responsible parties, excluding innocent suspects, and compiling the best information for prosecution. It details the key elements of building a dossier, including distinguishing fact from opinion, establishing elements of a crime, creating a timeline, writing objective narrative reports, and introduces a basic list of constituent documents for a case file, such as Incident/Crime Reports, Supplemental Reports, Witness Statements, Search Warrants, Chain of Custody forms, etc.

Subsequent chapters put theory into practice through specific case studies. The "Burglary and Kidnapping" chapter uses a case where a juvenile gang's burglary targeting the elderly escalates into unlawful confinement, clearly differentiating the legal elements between robbery and burglary, and demonstrates the entire process from scene assessment, community canvassing, suspect profiling, obtaining search warrants, to interrogation and evidence collection. The "Criminal Sexual Misconduct, Kidnapping, and Human Trafficking" chapter deals with a complex sexual assault and kidnapping case, involving typological evidence analysis, DNA evidence application, and cold case linkage, ultimately revealing a potential human trafficking network behind it, highlighting the necessity of inter-agency collaboration and federal agency involvement. The "Fatal Traffic Incident" chapter focuses on a hit-and-run fatality with no witnesses, showing how to ultimately identify and confirm a suspect through trace evidence at the scene, forensic examination, public tips (e.g., Crime Stoppers), and persistent tracking of financial and repair records.

Finally, the "Serial Arsonist?" chapter revolves around a series of school library arsons and subsequent residential arsons, guiding investigators to use logical reasoning, scene pattern analysis (e.g., point of origin, use of accelerants), and suspect profiling methods to link seemingly independent cases, exploring their underlying motives and patterns. Running throughout the book is adherence to Locard's exchange principle, strict control over the integrity of the chain of custody, and a clear awareness that investigative reports will be scrutinized by multiple parties including police, prosecutors, judges, juries, and even the media. These case studies together form a complete closed loop from crime scene response to court presentation, providing future criminal investigation practitioners with a rare, practice-based competency framework.