Forensics

Serial Killer Research Project

Your “big” project

• You will each choose the name of a person or persons (from the list provided) involved in a criminal case involving forensic science.

• There are 3 parts of the project: the outline, the research paper, and the presentation.

The Cases• Mary Jo Kopechne (Ted)• Sunny vonBulow (Claus

von Bulow)• Vincent Foster• David Koresh (Branch

Davidians, Waco, Texas)

• Ruxton case• Sam Sheppard

(Marilyn)• Tom Capano• McMartin Preschool

case• Colette McDonald

(Jefferey McDonald)

• Nanny case (Louise Woodward-Boston)

• Zodiac Killer• Green River Killer (Gary

Leon Ridgway)• I-5 Killer (Randall

“Randy” Woodfield)• The Texas Cadet

Murder Case• Martha Elizabeth

Moxley• Tawana Brawley• Lindberg Baby

Kidnapping

The Cases• Mary Jo Kopechne (Ted)

• Political Secretary, left a party with Ted Kennedy, car went off a bridge, Kennedy escaped, Mary Jo did not, Kennedy did not report until the next day...

• Sunny vonBulow (Claus von Bulow)• Very wealthy woman, husband convicted of attempted murder via insulin

overdose, decision overturned, she lived in vegetative state for a long time

• Vincent Foster• Worked in the White House during Clinton’s first term, “committed suicide”,

FBI got involved, suicide or government cover-up??

• David Koresh (Branch Davidians, Waco, Texas)• Leader of a religious sect/cult, accused of child abuse and statutory rape,

huge stand-off with authorities in Waco, TX, did not end well...

• Ruxton case• Jealous husband kills wife (and the housekeeper too) then does some very

interesting things to the bodies to keep from being discovered and caught...

• Sam Sheppard (Marilyn)• Dr convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, decision overturned in an

appeal, was he guilty??

The Cases• Tom Capano

• Wealthy lawyer, murders his lover, dumps her body in the Atlantic Ocean...

• McMartin Preschool case• Family run daycare, family accused of sexual abuse, 6 years of criminal

court, all were acquitted...

• Colette MacDonald (Jefferey MacDonald)• Army officer, medical dr, murders his pregnant wife and 2 young daughters,

was he guilty?

• Nanny case (Louise Woodward-Boston)• 19 yr old nanny, accused of murdering an 8 month old boy in her care, did

she do it?

• Zodiac Killer• Northern CA, claims 37 murders, identity still unknown, investigation

continued from 1969 to 2004 and was re-opened in 2007

• Green River Killer (Gary Leon Ridgway)• Believed to have murdered at least 48 women, most were murdered

between 1982-1984, dumped their bodies in Washington along the Green River, how was he finally caught and when?

The Cases• I-5 Killer (Randall “Randy” Woodfield)

• Killed and sexually assaulted women along Interstate 5 between Washington and Oregon, convicted of 3 murders, suspected of at least 18 murders

• The Texas Cadet Murder Case• Jealous US Navy woman murders other woman because she believes she

was “involved” with her boyfriend...

• Martha Elizabeth Moxley• 15 yr old girl, murdered after attending a Halloween party, was the killer a

relative of the powerful Kennedy family?...did he get away with it??

• Tawana Brawley• 15 yr old African-American girl, accuses 6 white men (some of whom were

police officers) of raping her, was it all a hoax or a giant cover-up??

• Son of Sam• Killed 6 people and wounded 7 others in NYC, claimed the neighbor’s dog

was possessed by demons and made him do it...

• Richard Trenton Chase• Killed 6 people in less than a month and became known as the vampire

killer...why?

The Cases• Lindberg Baby Kidnapping

• 20 month old Lindberg baby was kidnapped, body found over 2 months later, what happened??

• Jeffrey Dahmer• Killed at least 17 boys and men, involved in sodomy, sexual assault,

dismemberment and cannibalism

• The BTK Killer (Dennis Rader)• Killed at least 10 people, BTK...Bind, Torture, Kill

• Ted Bundy• Confessed to 30 murders, real amount is unknown, often faked injuries to

lure women into helping him, committed both rape and necrophilia

• The “Acid Bath Killer” (John Haigh)• Convicted of killing 6 people, admits to killing 9, dissolved the bodies in

sulfuric acid, forged paperwork and became wealthy...why?

The InformationPart I Background Knowledge • In this section, you should provide all the relevant background information including

date, time, people involved as well as anything else that you feel is important to include.

Part II The Case

• In this section, you should explain the case itself including all the details (especially the motive) concerning the “incident” at the time it occurred. Also include the final disposition of the case at the time it occurred.

• You should use visuals during this portion of your presentation. A poster representing the scene is just one example. Power Point presentations or video segments might be helpful but use Power Point as guide and try to keep the amount of text to a minimum.

Part III Current Information

• Use this section to discuss any new or ongoing investigations that might impact or change our current understanding of the case. It is in this section that you can express any personal ideas or thoughts regarding the case.

The Outline (an example)

I. Background Knowledge IntroA. People

i. Victimii. Suspectsiii. Law Enforcement Agents

B. Datei. Crime happenedii. Suspect arrestediii. Court datesiv. Crime solved

C. Timei. Of deathii. Body foundiii. Alibi …and so on and so

forth

The Research Paper

• After your outline has been approved, use it to create a 3-4 page research paper.

• Your paper should be double spaced, font size 12. (Pick a font that is appropriate for a formal research paper.)

• You will need to include a sources cited page including all of the references that you used. You need to use at least 5 references (books, websites, etc).– Use the library or stores like Barnes & Noble

to help locate actual books/texts that relate to your case.

The Presentation• The power point for your presentation should be mostly

pictures…FEW words.– Pictures of:

• The Suspect(s)• The Victim(s)• The Crime Scene• The House(s) or building(s) involved• Evidence• Etc

• The pictures should help guide your “story” that you will tell us.– For example…when the picture of the victim is on the screen…you

tell us all about the victim• You must know the case very well.• You will be graded on:

– Knowledge of Case Information– Visual Aid(s)– 7+ minutes– Delivery of Report

Confused, Bewildered, Befuddled????

• I will show you an outline, research paper and presentation to help clarify any questions you might have.

When’s it due? What’s it worth?

Timeline for your project

– October 4, 2012 (Friday)• Outlines due

– October 7, 2012 (Monday)• Teacher gives back outlines

(with feedback)– November 4, 2012 (Monday)

• Research paper due– November 6, 2012

(Wednesday)• Power Point presentations: for 1- 2 days

Grading system – 200 points possible

I. Content (50%)• Outline & Research Paper

– Background Information– Case Details– Current Information– Personal Opinion/Interpretation

 II. Presentation (50%)• Knowledge of Case Information• Visual Aid(s)• 7+ minutes (it will be timed)• Delivery Report (eye contact,

speed of delivery, “smoothness” of delivery and knowledge of information)