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What Is The Golden Hour in A Murder Investigation?

The document provides information about key aspects of criminal investigations: 1. The "Golden Hour" refers to the critical early period of a criminal investigation when timely action like interviewing witnesses and securing evidence can make or break the case. 2. Establishing the victim's personality and final moments is crucial to piecing together a murder investigation. 3. It is important to cordon off and secure crime scenes to preserve evidence and prevent contamination that could diminish the evidence's value in apprehending the criminal.

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Batara J Carpo Atoy
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2K views

What Is The Golden Hour in A Murder Investigation?

The document provides information about key aspects of criminal investigations: 1. The "Golden Hour" refers to the critical early period of a criminal investigation when timely action like interviewing witnesses and securing evidence can make or break the case. 2. Establishing the victim's personality and final moments is crucial to piecing together a murder investigation. 3. It is important to cordon off and secure crime scenes to preserve evidence and prevent contamination that could diminish the evidence's value in apprehending the criminal.

Uploaded by

Batara J Carpo Atoy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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3 Fold Aims Of Criminal Investigation

1. To identify the guilty party


2. To locate the guilty party
3. To provide evidence of his guilt

What is the Golden Hour in a murder investigation?


The 'Golden Hour' is a critical period in any criminal investigation – and it essentially
essentially relates to time being of the essence.
Effective early action by police officers helps to securing and preserve material that would
otherwise be lost.
For example, interviewing witnesses early while the offence is still fresh in their mind would
be considered a good use of the golden hour window.
Tracking down CCTV footage before it could be deleted along with cordoning off scenes for
forensic analysis would be another effective use of the time.
The early stages of an investigation are deemed so pivotal that they can sometimes make or
break an attempt to bring a killer to justice.

Why is it so important to police work?

For cops the victimology - the personality and psych of the victim - along with piecing
together the final moments of an incident form the basic crux of a murder investigation.

When time strays for too long and resources are allocated to fresher and more pressing issues,
the investigation gets shelved.

Almost a quarter of murders in the UK remain unsolved, proving the value of the 'Golden
Hour'.

Dying declaration
In the law of evidence, a dying declaration is testimony that would normally be barred
as hearsay but may in common law nonetheless be admitted as evidence in criminal law trials
because it constituted the last words of a dying person. The rationale, accurate or not, is that
someone who is dying or believes death to be imminent would have less incentive to
fabricate testimony, and as such, the hearsay statement carries with it some reliability.

a dying declaration is admissible if the proponent of the statement can establish all of the
following:

 The declarant’s statement is being offered in a criminal prosecution for homicide, or


in a civil action. Some states also permit the admission of dying declarations in other
types of case.[citation needed]
 The declarant is unavailable – this can be established using FRE 804(a)(1)-(5).
 The declarant's statement was made while under the genuine belief that his or her
death was imminent. The declarant does not have to actually die.
 The declarant's statement relates to the cause or circumstances of what he or she
believed to be his or her impending death.
Other general rules of admissibility also apply, such as the requirement that the declaration
must be based on the declarant's actual knowledge.
Why is it important to cordon-off and secure the scene with a police line?
- It is important to cordon off and secure the crime scene in order to preserve the
integrity of scene, to prevent the destruction or diminished value of potential
evidence that may lead to the apprehension of the criminal responsible for the
crime
- the need to prevent contamination of the scene and any evidence in the scene.
The scene can be contaminated by people (including all those who "officially"
attend the scene, as well as the curious public, press and media who have an
interest in what's going on inside the cordon). And contamination can also occur
because of changes to weather conditions, so it is important too to protect the
scene from weather conditions which might damage the scene after the crime has
occurred.
- The purpose of a police cordon is to provide a highly visible barrier to serve as a
deterent for any person without authorised access to the scene of crime. It helps
protect the scene against potential damage and contamination.

motive

n. in criminal investigation the probable reason a person committed a crime such as jealousy, 
greed, revenge, or part of atheft. While evidence of a motive may be admissible at trial, proof 
of motive is not necessary to prove a crime.
In criminal law, motive is distinct from intent. Criminal intent refers to the mental state of mi
nd possessed by a defendant incommitting a crime. With few exceptions the prosecution in a 
criminal case must prove that the defendant intended to committhe illegal act. The prosecutio
n need not prove the defendant's motive. Nevertheless, prosecutors and defense attorneysalike 
may make an issue of motive in connection with the case.

Criminal intent means the intent to do something wrong or forbidden by law. Intentrefers


to the state of mind accompanying an act especially a forbidden act. It is the outline of the
mental pattern which is necessary to do the crime

Intent

A determination to perform  a particular act or to act in a particular manner for a specifi
c reason; an aim or design; aresolution to use a certain means  to  reach an end.
Intent is a mental attitude with which an individual acts, and therefore it cannot ordinarily be 
directly proved but must beinferred from surrounding facts and circumstances. Intent refers o
nly to the state of mind with which the act is done oromitted. It differs from motive, which is 
what prompts a person to act or to fail to act. For example, suppose Billy calls Amynames an
d Amy throws a snowball at him. Amy's intent is to hit Billy with a snowball. Her motive ma
y be to stop Billy's taunts.

Booking

In criminal law, booking refers to the process by which the police department registers
and enters charges against a person believed to have violated the law. The process of
booking typically includes; recording of the inmate’s personal information and
description, photograph (also known as mug shot), fingerprinting, and a Department of
Justice records check. Additionally, personal property and money is taken from the
inmate. Inmates may also be asked a series of medical questions to evaluate their
physical and mental health. The jailer conducting the booking may provide the inmate
with a list of facility rules and items available to the inmate. After the booking process
has been completed, the booking staff will inform the arrestee what he or she has been
charged with and the amount of bail required to be released. This amount may be listed
as either cash only or bondable. Any holds may also be disclosed. The arrestee will have
an opportunity to make a collect phone call to try to make bail. Procedures vary by
local area.

Chain of Custody Definition. In a legal context, the chain of custody definition involves the


order that a piece of evidence must be handled while investigating a case. It is a
chronological paper trail that documents who collected, handled, analyzed, or otherwise
controlled pieces of evidence during an investigation.
Evidence needs to follow a chain of custody, or the processes for documenting, collecting,
and protecting evidence. It has to be documented when it is found on scene.
Documentation steps include photography, note taking, and sketching. It also has to be
collected in a manner that protects it from contamination.

Crime Scene Search Patterns

All the knowledge on crime scenes and search methods;


The Zone Pattern 
In this type of search method the person in charge (CSJ) splits the crime scene into
peices/sectors and a team member is given a peice of the crime scene each. The team then
swap and re cover the areas to ensure no evidence has been missed. 

The Grid Method


This search method is similar to the parallel but is done from different bearings on a 90
degree angle. For example if the search was from the left to right (West to East) it would then
be done from the bottom to top (South to North). 

Parallel Search Pattern


This search pattern is quite straight forward. the members of the team form a line and walk all
at the same speed from one end of the crime scene to the other. 

The Outward Spiral 


The investigators at the crime scene start at the centre of the scene and work there way
outward in a spiral to the edge.

The Inward Spiral


This is the opposite to the outward spiral the investigators start at the edge of the scene and
walk to the centre in a spiral.  

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