Challenge #4 - The Forensics Challenge

Take a drawing from the file folder.  Mark the locations of all of Jose Diaz' injuries. On the back side, list what forensic tools you would use to solve this crime.  See Mrs. Williams for the "rest of the story".

Jose's injuries:

Jose's death certificate and autopsy give the cause of death as a contusion of the brain and a subdural hemorrhage due to a basal fracture of the skull. 

Here is a list of all his injuries:

Brain contusion

Subdural hemorrhage

Basal skull fracture

Facial cuts and swelling

Bleeding from inside his left ear

Stabbed twice

Finger on his left hand was broken

Contusions on the backs of both hands

Swelling of both hands consistent with delivering blows with fists

Abrasion of the knuckles of the little and ring finger on the left hand and the second finger of the right hand

Contusion over the left side of the lower lip and also the upper lip

Contusion over the prominence of both cheeks

Abrasions over the outer angle and right angle of the mouth

Left ear markedly contused

Extensive ecchymosis of the scalp over the left side of the head (this combined with the “crushing effect on the left ear” indicated a weapon other than fists; in regard to this specific injury, the doctor later testified, "If this decedent had fallen to the ground...the head could have hit a protruding rock or something else other than a smooth surface." )

The brain was contused and there was a profuse subdural hemorrhage

The base of the skull was fractured with the fracture line running along the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone on the left side

0.12% alcohol level

As a result of these injuries and primarily because of the profuse hemorrhage and skull fracture, Jose Diaz died about 4:00 a.m. on August 2nd.

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