Published: November 20, 2008
'America's Most Wanted' Murder Case to Be Investigated By UK Forensic Scientist
Researcher from University of Leicester and Northamptonshire Police to probe shocking doorstep shooting
A murder case on America's Most Wanted list is to be tackled by a forensic scientist at the University of Leicester and Northamptonshire Police.
Brass shell casings from a doorstep shooting in American suburbia that shocked the community are to be brought by a US detective for investigation.
Photo: University of Leicester |
The detective is hoping that a revolutionary new forensic technique - described by Time Magazine as one of the top 50 inventions of 2008 - will provide a vital breakthrough in the murder investigation.
The technique was developed by Dr John Bond, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester Forensic Research Centre and Scientific Support Manager at Northamptonshire Police.
Dr Bond has developed a method that enables scientists to 'visualise fingerprints' even after the print itself has been removed. He and colleagues conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance - after firing - a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
Photo: University of Leicester |
Dr Bond recently worked with another US police force to find latent prints on bullets fired almost a decade ago.
Now he is hosting a visit by Detective Tony Roten from the Crimes Against Persons Section, North Richland Hills Police, Texas. Detective Roten will bring casings from the Marianne Wilkinson murder case - currently cited on the America's Most Wanted website.
Detective Roten will be in the UK from November 20 - 23.
The Marianne Wilkinson case revolves around the killing of the 68-year-old woman as she answered the door at 7.30pm on December 9, 2007. Police are investigating whether it was a case of mistaken identity - and whether another woman in a nearby house was the intended target. More details of the case are on the America's Most Wanted Website.
Detective Roten said: "Our team of detectives has been working diligently to identify the killer of Marianne Wilkinson in December of 2007 in North Richland Hills, Texas. This case is very complex and it appears that Mrs. Wilkinson was not the intended victim in this homicide. I am very optimistic that Dr. Bond will be able to use his technique to find fingerprints on the shell casings of the murder weapon recovered during the investigation. This procedure could help us identify the person who loaded the murder weapon."
Dr Bond added: "We are very pleased to be given the opportunity to assist North Richland Hills Police, Texas with this investigation. I am confident that if any fingerprint deposit has corroded the metal shell casing then our new technique will find it. We have, quite literally, been overwhelmed with the interest shown in this technique since the visit earlier in the year from Det. Chris King of Kingsland Police, Georgia. I know that the partial fingerprint we found for Chris has aided his investigation. The interest in this work is a real boost for the research team we have now in the Chemistry Department at the University of Leicester investigating fingerprint corrosion of metals".
Dr Bond's technique can be used not only to identify fingerprints on bullets but has potential for use on bombs. The new techniques can pick up fingerprints on metal even after they have been wiped off. Dr Bond has been approached by military personnel in Afghanistan to discuss potential use of the technique to find prints on roadside bombs. It would mean recovered fragments of bombs could be tested for prints put on it while it was manufactured.
NewsBlaze thanks the University of Leicester and Northamptonshire Police for providing this information.
Read other stories on Dr Bond's breakthrough.
Marianne Wilkinson case on America's Most Wanted Website.
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