Page 167 - CFDI Guide

Certified Forensic Death Investigator (CFDI) Program
Dean A. Beers, CLI, CCDI, CFDI-Expert and Karen S. Beers, BSW, CCDI, CFDI-SME
Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC
Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council (CDITC) Accredited

This summary will include the review and analysis sources, and related conclusions from them.
Conclusions as to the CFDI’s findings are important, as well as any findings of discrepancies in the

official investigations and findings. Particular attention should be paid to those issues which better
inform the defense team – both in favor and against the defendant.

Additional information may include research and comparable to the incident, such as manners

specific to the defense strategy – such as self-defense, mitigating circumstances, scenarios
showing no intent, scenarios demonstrating plausibility of any statements of the defendant, etc.

One such potentially helpful area in criminal defense is commonly found in developing self-

defense (which has intent of actions, but not intent of malice). Other areas include any toxicology
of the victim and/or defendant demonstrating state of mind, action and reaction times,
contributing to behavior, etc. Using the Manner of Event related to a ‘Cause of Event’ may also be

criteria used in SBI cases. These derived from the Manner of Death and Cause of Death, and are

applied to the legal definition based on the medical definitions of Accident, Homicide, and
Undetermined. These are also predicated on the beginning of the underlying actions or event – did

an event start with no intent and conclude with an intentional act? What was the series of events
leading to the intentional act?
• Accident – determined if the actions were deliberate, including as a consequence of the acts

by other persons or other misadventure, including an unexpected or unplanned event or

series of events.
• Intent – is determined if the actions were not deliberate (explicit or implicit), including reckless

behavior, even if the resulting death or SBI was not deliberate. This includes legal intent –
malice intent (premeditated intent), specific intent (intentional act and intentional outcome),

and general intent (intentional act, not intentional outcome).
• Undetermined – is when there is no preponderance of information, facts, and evidence of one

manner more compelling or conclusive than another as to being deliberate and/or with
deliberation. Think ‘Reasonable Doubt’. It is likely known what happened; however, it is

undetermined as to intent.

It is important to describe the involved persons, there actions, their injuries or lack thereof. A

person may have injuries to their face, but not their hands – describe these. The findings of
injuries, or not, may be a determining factor as to the person’s role and manner – intent or not; it

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