Methods used to determine time of death
There are various methods that can be used to determine the time of death. An example is measuring the body temperature called algor mortis (Guharaj, 2003). A healthy person’s temperature is usually 37.5 degree. However, when a person dies, they lose 1.5 degrees every hour until it reaches the temperature of the environment they are on the ground. In looking at the case study, the victim’s temperature was 32.6 degrees. As an examiner, I would add 1.5 degrees to 32.6 to come up with the 37.5 degrees (Guharaj, 2003). The results shows that the victim’s normal temperature was three and a half hours before the body was found. So take seven o’clock the time the temperature was taken minus three and a half hours. The results shows that the victim could have died at three thirty a.m.
What evidence assisted you with the time of death?
One of the evidence that helped me with the time of death is the body temperature taken at the scene. According to the calculations with normal temperature, it enabled me to know the time of the death of the victim (Bucholtz, 2014). The other evidence has to do with the cloudiness in the eyes of the victim. According to research, it shows that when a victim has a thin cloudy film under the eyes, it means that they had died three hours before the body was discovered (Saferstein, 2004).
Do you believe Ms. Moore’s account that the victim was alive at eleven p.m
I do believe that Ms. Moore was right that the victim was alive at eleven o’clock. This fact is based on the results found about his time of death. The results indicate that the moment of death was three thirty a.m signifying that he was alive at eleven p.m.
Was the body moved after death?
I do not believe that the victim’s body was moved after his death. Based on the injuries from the victim it is clear that the victim fell down the stairs, and there is no way that the body was moved. The question that comes to mind is whether the victim was pushed or was it an accidental death?
Do you think that the victim’s death was an accident or murder?
There is a possibility that the victim accidentally fell down the stairs. However, based on the unlocked door in his house it can indicate that the victim was murdered. Therefore, it is important for Ms. Moore to be thoroughly questioned particularly on their relationship. According to her, they had dinner and watched a movie together on the previous night. Hence, there had to be a relationship between them for her to be comfortable going to his house. The conclusion I could come up with is that there is a possibility that they had an argument, which caused Ms. Moore to push him down the stairs. However, she might have done it accidentally or intentionally. Therefore, it is important for her to be thoroughly questioned and more investigations to be conducted (Saferstein, 2004).
Reference
Bucholtz, A. L. (2014). Death Investigation: An Introduction to Forensic Pathology for the Nonscientist. Elsevier Inc.
Guharaj, P. V. (2003). Cooling of the body (algor mortis). Longman Orient.
Saferstein, R. (2004). Criminalistics An Introduction to Forensic Science (8th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
