Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
The problem with mitochondrial DNA is that it is inherited only from the maternal side of the family. The hair could have belonged to Anthony, to the victim, to Anthony's brother, or to any of the female ancestors in the maternal side of the family. Because the state could not establish that the victim was the source of this hair, the fact that it could establish that the hair was from a cadaver was not enough to prove that Anthony committed a murder. This is no surprise. The forensics community commonly recognizes that, "in general, the significance of an mtDNA sequence match is dependent on the case in question, and the type of mtDNA involved. In only a restricted set of circumstances can mtDNA matching be considered definitive evidence of identification" (Holland & Parsons, 1999).
The other evidence that the defense questioned was whether scientific tests could determine that decomposition of a human body had occurred in Anthony's trunk. Dr. Arpad Vass, a forensics expert with significant experience in decomposition, was able to determine that the smell coming from Anthony's trunk had the same compounds as those found in the early stages of decomposition of a human...
Vass himself acknowledged some of the weaknesses of these investigative techniques (Vass, 2001). His cadaver-sniffing machines may be more practical to use when trying to find bodies than for providing evidence that a body has been in a certain location.
This analysis certainly does not mean that the decomposition science or mtDNA tests are junk science, as they were derided by defense counsel and in the press. They can play a critical role in investigation, and could be pivotal to a prosecution, depending on the state's theory of the crime. However, in a crime like this one, where so little is known about what occurred to the body and the accused perpetrator was a close relative to the victim, they were insufficient to provide evidence beyond a reasonable doubt
References
Holland, M.M., & Parsons, T.J. (1999). Mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis- validation and use for forensic casework. Forensic Sci Rev (11), 22-50.
Vass, A. (2001). Beyond the grave: understanding human decomposition. Microbiology Today,
(28), 190-192.
Casey Anthony Digital forensics can be a useful tool when applied in the correct manner. The recent case of Casey Anthony and her murder trial demonstrated the role that digital forensics may play in the setting of justice. The purpose of this essay is to describe the role that the digital evidence played within the not-guilty verdict of Casey Anthony nearly over two years ago. This essay will address the problems
Casey Anthony Trial The murder trial Florida vs. Casey Marie Anthony turned into a national sensation because of the alleged attempt by 25-year-old Casey Anthony to cover up the murder of her own 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony (Alvarez, 2011). On July 5, 2011, after nearly six weeks of courtroom testimony and just 11 hours of deliberation, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty. The prosecution's failure to convince the jury of
People of the State of California v. Conrad Robert Murray The involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was in the news seemingly every day for months. Even though the trial has concluded and the world knows that Dr. Murray was found guilty, it is important to look at the court proceedings and how the evidence led the jury to that verdict. Dr. Murray administered a powerful drug
The pro-life sections were deeply disappointed as they had considered Casey as an ideal opportunity for the Court to overturn Roe. Legal Reaction to the Case The legal fraternity realized that the U.S. Supreme Court was loathe to re-visit its previous decisions or to endanger stability. Some of the justices had decided that even if the Roe holding had been wrong, they would rather amend parts of it instead of overturning
Media in the Courtroom High profile court cases, especially murder trials and celebrity cases are more likely to attract the national media than ordinary cases that usually of no interest beyond the local level. These are also the kinds of cases when the issue of TV cameras in the courtroom is most significant, and when judges have to give serious thought to handing down gag orders that block all public discussion
I have had friends that I've known since I was in grade school. Our initial interaction occurred because of our attraction toward one another. We had so many things in common, such as the same favorite television shows and the same favorite sports. Our proximity to one another also aided in the development of this attraction toward one another. We all lived on the same block and therefore had