IDENTIFICATION OF A KILLER BY A DEFINITIVE SNEAKER PATTERN AND HIS BEATING INSTRUMENTS BY THEIR DISTINCTIVE PATTERNS

A 39-year-old male service station attendant was found murdered on the floor of a gasoline service area by a passing motorist who had stoppe d fur gas. The victim had been brutally beaten all over his entire bod y. After carefully examining the body and scene and taking selective p hotographs, special procedures were implemented in an attempt to prese rve and transport the body without disturbing any items of evidence. I n addition, specific evidentiary items were noted and collected for pr ocessing. The victim was meticulously examined externally at autopsy u sing a special protocol to locate clues that might assist in identifyi ng a suspect or instrument of injury or death. Patterned impressions a nd subsequent DNA analysis proved successful in identifying the perpet rator of the crime and the instruments used in inflicting the beating. It is the purpose of this paper to show how a meticulous examination of the body for the presence of patterned injuries and critical studie s of these patterns and impressions led to the identification of a kil ler and the instruments he used in a brutal beating.