Chapter 1 - Introduction

Concerning the criminal court of the United States of America, people are innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof lies with the prosecutor - meaning they must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. Using evidence, they must answer three criteria to convict a person of a crime.

Motivation - a reason to commit the crime

Means - a way to commit the crime

Opportunity - a time to commit the crime

Evidence is the lifeblood of a case - evidence cannot be biased nor can it lie. The problem throughout all of history is finding the evidence.

In 1910, Edmond Locard came up with the 'exchange theory' that a criminal will always leave a trace of his presence behind at the scene of a crime, and will always carry away some trace of the crime with him. These are called `objective traces' or evidence, as opposed to `subjective traces' which are eyewitness testimonies and suspect statements. The exchange theory is considered the foundation of forensic science - which changed criminal law forever. Mr. Locard called his theory



Trace Evidence



Can you solve the crime first? It's written so you can. Remember: motivation, means, and opportunity. Pay attention to every detail!



Written for Brenna-bunny



Thanks to the works Handwriting Analysis, Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Eight Minute Mysteries, Collecting Evidence, Famous Murders, Crime Scene, Forensic Case Book and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

In addition, I thank the creators of CSI, NCIS, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Law and Order SVU, Numbers, and MacGyver. MacGyver mostly cause I wanted to confirm my love for old 80s television.

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