Page 31 - Patterns of Murder Blood Spatter

1. Identify how each fact may support the case laboratory procedures used to process the evidence
presented by the prosecution. and should also be aware of the ways the evidence
can be mishandled and the precautions taken
2. Identify how each fact may support the case against evidence contamination and faulty methods,
presented by thedefense. as these are likely to come up in court.

3. Identify critical weaknesses in the reliability of The remainder of students should split,
each fact. approximately evenly, into the prosecution and
defense teams. The student filling the role of the
Review the brainstorming results as a class accused should work with the defense. Each side
and instruct students to connect various facts should assign their members as either lawyers
and evidence to make logical assumptions about or witnesses called. The lawyers are responsible
the case. for building their case, developing the questions
to ask their witnesses, and for identifying key
witnesses called by the other side to exploit during
STUDENT ROLES cross examination. Each side should also identify
Allow students to select, or assign, various roles critical weaknesses in their own case and prepare
relative to the characters. counter-arguments for these weaknesses. As there
are always surprises during trial, each side should
Additional students may serve as the court, filling prepare strategies to deal with the unexpected.
the roles of judge, bailiff, and clerk. The judge
must research court proceedings and make The prosecution must provide a reasonable series
determinations of law, therefore the instructor of events that are consistent with the facts of
may wish to take this role themselves. The bailiff is the case, a motive for the events that occurred,
responsible for swearing in witnesses and keeping and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the
order in the court. The Clerk is responsible for accused is guilty. The defense may present
recording the trial proceedings. You may wish to their own accounting of the facts or undermine
omit these roles or have these students work with the prosecution’s case by showing that the
the prosecution or defense during the planning prosecution’s witnesses are unreliable, that the
stages. With large classes, students may also play prosecution’s version of the events make no sense
the role of jury. Jurors must attend to the trial or is inconsistent, or by introducing reasonable
proceedings and also review the evidence and doubt into the prosecution’s case.
written documents prepared by the defense and
prosecution to come to a conclusion about the Unlike a real trial, witnesses may help the lawyers
case. They must then either meet outside of class build their case; their primary duty, however,
and come to a unanimous decision, or each write a should be to become intimately familiar with their
short paper justifying their own decision. testimony. Expert witnesses are especially useful
when dealing with forensic evidence, and each side
At least one student should act as an expect witness may wish to call their own or use the other side’s
(the forensic scientist who processed analyzed expert. The students playing the role of expert
the evidence presented); if multiple laboratory witness must become very familiar with that field
modules were utilized, several students should fill and be able to field questions about the accuracy
this role. This student must be very familiar with the and limitations of the techniques.

THE MYSTERY OF LYLE AND LOUISE 31