Members of the Investigation Team

Members of The Investigation Team

In order to achieve a positive outcome of a criminal investigation the various members that comprise the team must cooperate with one another by ensuring that all relevant information is documented and recorded accurately which results in a secure audit trail that can be followed and referred to in the various stages of the investigation. 

The members of the criminal investigation team, in relation to Aileen Wuornos, were as follows; the Police, Detective/s, Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO), Medical Examiner, Forensic Scientists, Forensic Pathologist, Forensic Anthropologist, Forensic Entomologist, Ballistics Expert and the Justice System.

It is vital that all departments co-operate with one another and carry out their work to the highest standard so that no evidence can be called into question that has been accumulated by the various members of the investigative team.

In order for the secure audit trail to be compiled the various members of the criminal investigation had to sign for and document evidence, whether it be forensic or witness testimonies etc, they handled. The audit trail must also include accurate information relating to what evidence was handled, when the evidence was handled, were any results/findings identified, who it was handled by, at what time it was handled and for what duration it was handled. 

It is the role of the police to deal appropriately with the crime that has occurred which would follow a specific order; call for assistance if any victim requires it, detain any suspects/witnesses, cordon off the scene, call for scene of crimes officers (SOCO’s), detectives if required, as in a case of suspected murder, and any other consultants required.  It is vital that all of the documentation, such as eyewitness testimonies are recorded accurately as they will by relayed to other members of the investigation team and can be referred to and used as evidence in court as they form part of the audit trail.

The scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s) process the crime scene in order to gather any evidence that may lead to the arrest of a suspect. An entry log is also established that details the time the authorised personnel have entered and exited the crime scene and on what day.  Any evidence/exhibits must be photographed, packaged, labelled/tagged which shows what the evidence is suspected of being-time and date it was found-the location at which it was found- and signed for using the SOCO’s unique identification number.  It is essential that this stage is carried out correctly as it would make any evidence/exhibit inadmissible in a court of law if this is not done.  The scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s) would liaise with the police, consultants and the coroner and may be called by the prosecution to provide expert witness testimony.

In the case of Aileen Wuornos in relation to the murder of Peter Siems, his crashed Pontiac Sunbird vehicle was discovered by the police containing bloody fingerprints and even though Mr Siem’s had been reported missing three weeks earlier no checks regarding these fingerprints were conducted.  While in relation to the murder of Charles ‘Dick’ Humphreys, a beer can that was located under the passenger seat of the victims car was discovered but no forensic analysis of this evidence took place.  This overlooked evidence could have revealed the fingerprints of Aileen Wuornos whose criminal record would have revealed her identity and may have led to an arrest earlier which may have prevented three more murders.

Consultants that include the private forensic scientist companies, ballistics experts, serologists and fingerprint experts, toxicologists and computer analysts are responsible for analysing the evidence/exhibits gathered from the scene of the crime and drawing conclusions from their analysis.  They follow strict procedures when handling the evidence/exhibits to ensure no tampering of the evidence/exhibits has taken place or destruction of the evidence/exhibits occurs through signing for the evidence/exhibits itself when they receive it, examining the evidence/exhibit while wearing the relevant PPE to avoid contamination, recording their findings accurately and returning the evidence/exhibits to the property store resealed correctly as part of the chain of custody which forms part of the secure audit trail.

The coroner is responsible for examining the body of the victim in order to establish if the person died from natural causes, suspicious circumstances or was murdered.  As with any evidence/exhibits gathered from the scene of the crime the coroner will sign for the body prior to examining it through the autopsy and recording their findings accurately following which they will store the body in the morgue.  The body is kept in the morgue for further examination, if requested, or until claimed by a family member.  The evidence recovered from the body of the victim, such as; details regarding the injuries the victim had sustained, what the murder weapon is and can a match be made from their findings is all recorded accurately in their report which is then handed to the detectives.  The coroner liaises with the scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s) and the detectives and may be called by the prosecution to provide expert witness testimony.

The detectives have to liaise with the various members of the investigation team that includes; police, scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s), forensic scientists, consultants, coroner and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).  Through this they will establish how to proceed with the investigation by following further lines of enquiry as a result of their various findings.  It is the detective’s role to collate all the evidence in order to establish a possible motive for the crime, a suspect/s and conduct interviews with any victim/witnesses/suspects.  As a result of their investigation and the evidence from the other members of the investigation team a suspect can be charged following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and ultimately brought to trial with the aim of gaining a positive outcome.  The code of practice that the detective must adhere to is the (PACE) Act 1984 which ensures that when the case goes to court the Criminal Justice System (CJS) can show the detectives carried out their job correctly.

In the case of Aileen Wuornos the detectives will have had to liaise with different county sheriff departments, deputy’s, scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s), forensic scientists, consultants, medical examiners, the district attorney and lawyers.  The code of practice that they would have followed would have been dependant on that states legislation.   Due to the lack of liaison between the different county sheriff department’s the  connection between the similarities of the cases occurring in a relatively small area in the Seminole Indian Reservation located in the Ocala National Forest was not made which may have had a direct impact on the eventual number of victims.

 The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appoints a solicitor or barrister depending on the severity of a case with a barrister usually appearing in High Court cases such as; murder.  For the defence a solicitor would represent the accused in a Magistrates Court but a barrister would be briefed on the case prior to a High Court hearing.  The prosecution barrister would liaise with the detectives, police and defence counsel.  They may call for expert witness testimony from scene of crimes officer/s (SOCO’s), forensic scientists, consultants and the coroner.  They also have a duty to provide the defence counsel with any evidence that they hold regarding the case.  The case for the prosecution must be able to show a secure audit trail of all the evidence/exhibits, forensic scientific findings, autopsy results, witness statements, defendant’s statement so that no piece of evidence can be called into question that may result in the case failing to achieve a positive outcome.

In the case of Aileen Wuornos the American Justice System is based around the application of various criminal investigative processes. These are governed by the ‘U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, state constitutions, the U.S. Code, State Codes, court decisions, federal rules of criminal procedure, and department and agency rules and regulations.  The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, for example, govern the procedure in all criminal proceedings in courts of the United States.’ Wuornos’s trial was held in Florida and was presided over by Judge Uriel ‘Bunky’ Blount Jnr.  Her defence attorneys were William Miller, Tricia Jenkins and Billy Nolas and the prosecution attorney was John Tanner.