Critical Steps in Homicide Investigations: Preserving Evidence, Assessing the Scene, and Identifying Suspects

Crime scenes usually contain different types of useful information that can be used in identifying how a crime took place and who to hold responsible for the crimes. As a detective to a homicide crime scene, everything that exists in the scene is important for investigation and collection of evidence that is admissible in a court of law. Some important actions that a homicide detective must take include detaining or identifying the suspects and witnesses, assessing the scene of the crime, protecting the crime scene, and taking necessary notes for further detailed evaluation.

For structured academic support on topics like criminal investigations, visit My Homework Helpline, where students receive expert guidance tailored to their coursework, helping them research, write, and succeed with confidence.

Detaining the Suspect/ witness

            As detailed in the provided case, the deceased roommate was present in the room, shirt covered in blood, and a knife was on the floor. Thus, the first action that the detective must take is detain the roommate as the suspect to the murder Geberth (2005). Given that the incident has just occurred and he was still present, he can be considered as the chief suspect to the murder but the conclusion cannot be made that he is the perpetrator because the knife is on the floor and there are many possibilities that could explain the case. For instance, the roommate may have gotten in the room just in time when the deceased was stabbing himself or was being stabbed by a third party and tried to rescue. It may also be that the roommate got in just in time when the murder had taken place and tried to rescue the deceased and alert the police. Therefore, the roommate has to be detained as a suspect or witness to the crime for further investigation and analysis. If he is not detained, some awful consequences would be the detective’s deliberate action of letting go of a man who could potentially be the key to solving the murder case by confessing to the murder or providing information that may lead to apprehension of the perpetrator.

Assessing the Crime Scene

            As indicated in the preceding section, a crime scene normally contains fresh details that have not been corrupted. Therefore, among the important actions that the detective must take is assessing the crime scene. This is done by photographic or documenting the scene for more detailed analysis, collecting the trace materials particularly from probable points of entry. The crime scene is also assessed by collecting low level DNA evidence through swabbing areas of likely contact and collecting any items that may have biological items (GFJC, 2013). The importance of crime scene assessment is to ensure that the original pieces of evidence that may be available are collected and documented appropriately.  With detailed assessment, it is possible that information that may have gone unnoticed is identified and used where relevant. Among the dangers of not assessing the crime scene immediately after the murder is that evidence is usually corrupted or tampered with in different ways. It becomes hard to differentiate between what is fake from what is real and reliable if a crime scene is not assessed immediately after the incident.

Protecting the Crime Scene

            The crime scene is an area of interest to both the homicide detective and other interested areas. In the provided case, it is important to protect the crime scene. This is because people have different motives and there may be those that are interested in destroying the evidence to hinder smooth investigations. Though a crime scene typically includes other areas where evidence can be gathered pertinent to the investigation, the important scene is the one where the crime took place and not where the events leading to the crime started. As such, the homicide detective must begin by working with other officers to secure the immediate area and establish relevant boundaries for the scene. Thus, the primary crime scene and related locations to the scene are protected and secured because failure to do this may lead to alteration, contamination, or destruction of physical evidence. Contaminators of a crime scene are varied and may include curious onlookers, friends and relatives of the victim, suspects, associates, or other members of police agencies.

Taking Notes

            The fourth important action for the homicide detective to do is taking notes from the crime scene. This is important because there may be too many details that cannot be remembered or solely recorded through photographing or videos. Important notes based on the reaction and state of the roommate, the condition of the body on the floor, the first officers and others who arrived at the crime scene, among other details must be documented through personal notes taken for future reference and analysis. Other than containing an overview of the things seen at the crime scene, the notes may also contain an overview of things heard and the chronology of events in the area (Gehl, n.d.). Failure to take appropriate notes may mean that important minor details are ignored and unnoticed, yet they may have been helpful to cracking the case.

Conclusion

            The four most important actions that must be taken include detaining the suspect or witness, assessing the crime scene, protecting the scene, and taking notes. These actions are important because for further investigation into the murder, the reason for the murder, and how the series of events took place, witnesses and perpetrators are needed and any available evidence must be protected for authenticity and admissibility in courts.

References

Geberth, V. (2005). First Officer’s Duties at the Homicide Scene | Office of Justice Programs. Www.ojp.gov. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/first-officers-duties-homicide-scene#:~:text=The%20article%20concludes%20with%20a

Gehl, R. (n.d.). Chapter 8: Crime Scene Management – Introduction to Criminal Investigation: Processes, Practices and Thinking. Bccampus.ca. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/criminalinvestigation/chapter/chapter-8-crime-scene-management/

GFJC. (2013). Crime Scene Investigation: How It’s Done. Www.forensicsciencesimplified.org. https://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/csi/how.html