This examination consists of:

1. A police report detailing an altercation involving Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, including statements made by both parties;

2. An evidence inventory, which includes a list of evidence items collected by the police, as well as an indication as to what laboratory analyses were run;

3. A series of exhibits that include the items themselves, as well as any laboratory results obtained from the items.

You will use these items to answer the following questions:

Questions:

1. (5) Draw a sketch of the scene based on the details provided in the police report. Start with the blank scene sketch at the end of this assignment sheet as the starting point for your sketch.

2. Identifying the hypotheses (scenarios) based on the stories of the two principals

Use the following conflicts, identified during the midterm, as the starting point for the remainder of the questions in the exam:

a. (5) What opposing hypotheses arise as a result of the conflict? Articulate them.

Grading Rubric : You will receive a maximum of 2 points each for providing the conflicting stories, and a maximum of 3 points each for identifying and articulating the opposing hypotheses that arise from each conflicting story.

3. (10) What physical evidence exists to differentiate between the opposing hypotheses that you proposed? For each piece of evidence that could differentiate between the hypotheses, indicate what result would favour which hypothesis.

Grading Rubric: You will receive a maximum of 5 points for the list of evidence items that would assist in differentiating between hypotheses, and a maximum of 5 points for the results that you would expect that would differentiate between them.

4. Analyze those pieces of physical evidence that will differentiate between the two hypotheses.

a. (10) For each item that you examine, what results do you obtain? Use the conclusions that we covered in class specific to the item being examined (for example, the conclusions reached by fingerprint examiners, those reached by DNA analysts, etc.)

Grading Rubric: You will get a maximum of 5 points for the conclusions that you reach, and a maximum of 5 points for adherence of those conclusions to the standards for each evidence item type that we discussed in class.

b. (5) Who or what is included as a potential source of each item of evidence that you examine?

Grading Rubric: You will get a maximum of 5 points for correctly identifying the source of the evidence examined.

c. (5) Who or what is excluded as a potential source of each item of evidence that you examine?

Grading Rubric: You will get a maximum of 5 points for correctly excluding individuals or items as the source of the evidence examined.

d. (10) How many other potential sources exist based on your exam of the evidence (is it an individualization, or class evidence)?

Grading Rubric: You will get a maximum of 5 points for correctly identifying whether the result is individual or class evidence, and a maximum of 5 points for indicating who or what other individuals or items (if any) could be the source of the evidence.

e. (5) Study Item 7 the bloodstain pattern from the ground. How would this pattern be classified? What characteristics of the evidence do you use to infer the classification? What possible actions would have produced this pattern?

Grading Rubric: You will get a maximum of 2 points for correctly identifying the classification, a maximum of 2 points for identifying the characteristics used to infer the classification, and a maximum of 1 points for identifying the actions or event that could have caused this pattern.

5. Now, go back to your original outline of the stories and hypotheses.

a. (10)Which hypotheses are excluded as a result of your examination?

Grading Rubric: You will receive a maximum of 5 points for indicating which hypothesis is excluded by each piece of evidence that you examine, and 5 points for indicating why this evidence refutes that hypothesis.

b. (10) Whose story is supported by each item of evidence that you examine? Why?

Grading Rubric: You will receive a maximum of 5 points for indicating whose story is supported by each piece of evidence that you examine, and 5 points for indicating why this evidence supports that individual’s story.

6. (10) Prepare a short synopsis of your evidence examination relating which part of each story is supported by the evidence, and which is refuted by the evidence?

Important Notes:

1. Your analysis may entail an examination of the item(s) itself (for example, the torn pieces of paper) for examinations that you can (and have learned in class how to) perform, or an interpretation of the examination results (ink analysis, DNA results).

2. Note that the questions above DO NOT entail an examination of every item of evidence; rather, you are being asked to determine the important questions, and which items of evidence will help answer those questions. You can waste prodigious numbers of hours analyzing everything. That said, you will need to examine many of the items to arrive at a fair assessment of what happened.

3. It would be helpful to you to print out the photos of the evidence. This will likely facilitate your exam; in fact, it may be the only way to adequately examine some of the items.

4. It is difficult in an electronic-based test to annotate photos with your observations/analyses that lead to your conclusions. While it is not required, you may either attach your annotations to your answers electronically (if you are adept at Word, for example, you can import the evidence photos into a Word document and annotate them); or you may drop off any printed copies of the photos with your hand-written annotations at my office.

5. Do not ask me how long this should be (you know by now that I despise that question). Your answers should be thorough, not cryptic. Your answers should be long enough to answer the questions, and not one word longer. But if they don’t answer MY questions, they are not long enough.

Study Hall

Garden