Murder Research Articles

Violence and Gender: A Critical Analysis of Print Media Reportings of Noor Mukadam’s Case

This study aims to analyze headlines of print media articles of Noor Mukadam's murder case to understand how it reflected the state of misogyny and patriarchy in Pakistan. The three-dimensional model introduced by Norman Fairclough is used as an analytical framework. The findings of the study have shown the role of print media in portraying a society gasping under the heavy pall of patriarchy and toxic masculinity linked with Noor Mukadam's murder case. Print media chose such titles to provoke thought and discussion to challenge societal norms. The titles suggested a harsh reality where young women were not given the opportunities, respect, or safety they deserved. Print media tried to evoke emotional responses and engage readers. Studies investigating how topics or events are presented are crucial for understanding how media shapes perception by defining issues attributing causes making moral judgments and proposing solutions.

PROOF OF THE CRIME OF MURDER REGARDLESS OF THE USE OF FORENSIC AUTOPSY EVIDENCE (Kendari District Court Study)

In essence, evidence in criminal cases is an effort to provide evidence through tools that can prove a case and its allegations, one of which is forensic autopsy evidence which is used as evidence. In fact, forensic autopsy evidence is very important in criminal homicide cases because it can confirm a person's death carried out by a forensic autopsy expert and speed up the court process. The aim is to prove the KUHAP evidentiary system through forensic evidence, and determine the value of forensic evidence in murder, and use it as expert testimony, this is also used as a basis for the judge's decision against the defendant. The research carried out is empirical legal research using an empirical approach from secondary data by managing primary, secondary and tertiary legal materials. Based on the research results, first we have to know that every country definitely has laws or regulations that apply in each country. As in murder cases, if witness statements are not always correct, judges really need forensic autopsy evidence as expert testimony, and it is rare to find witnesses who directly witnessed the crime of murder, and this becomes an obstacle for judges. Then in murder cases, many families do not want to have a forensic autopsy done. The meaning of a forensic autopsy is to find the true case and look for the causes that caused the person's death. Then, for clues and truth, a forensic autopsy must be carried out to achieve justice.

The Symbol of Illuminati in Murder Case as Seen in Dan Brown Angels and Demons

The Symbol of Illuminati in Murder Case as Seen in Dan Brown Angels and Demons

Improved individual identification in DNA mixtures of unrelated or related contributors through massively parallel sequencing

DNA mixtures are a common sample type in forensic genetics, and we typically assume that contributors to the mixture are unrelated when calculating the likelihood ratio (LR). However, scenarios involving mixtures with related contributors, such as in family murder or incest cases, can also be encountered. Compared to the mixtures with unrelated contributors, the kinship within the mixture would bring additional challenges for the inference of the number of contributors (NOC) and the construction of probabilistic genotyping models. To evaluate the influence of potential kinship on the individual identification of the person of interest (POI), we conducted simulations of two-person (2 P) and three-person (3 P) DNA mixtures containing unrelated or related contributors (parent-child, full-sibling, and uncle-nephew) at different mixing ratios (for 2 P: 1:1, 4:1, 9:1, and 19:1; for 3 P: 1:1:1, 2:1:1, 5:4:1, and 10:5:1), and performed massively parallel sequencing (MPS) using MGIEasy Signature Identification Library Prep Kit on MGI platform. In addition, in silico simulations of mixtures with unrelated and related contributors were also performed. In this study, we evaluated 1): the MPS performance; 2) the influence of multiple genetic markers on determining the presence of related contributors and inferring the NOC within the mixture; 3) the probability distribution of MAC (maximum allele count) and TAC (total allele count) based on in silico mixture profiles; 4) trends in LR values with and without considering kinship in mixtures with related and unrelated contributors; 5) trends in LR values with length- and sequence-based STR genotypes. Results indicated that multiple numbers and types of genetic markers positively influenced kinship and NOC inference in a mixture. The LR values of POI were strongly dependent on the mixing ratio. Non- and correct-kinship hypotheses essentially did not affect the individual identification of the major POI; the correct kinship hypothesis yielded more conservative LR values; the incorrect kinship hypothesis did not necessarily lead to the failure of POI individual identification. However, it is noteworthy that these considerations could lead to uncertain outcomes in the identification of minor contributors. Compared to length-based STR genotyping, using sequence-based STR genotype increases the individual identification power of the POI, concurrently improving the accuracy of mixing ratio inference using EuroForMix. In conclusion, the MGIEasy Signature Identification Library Prep kit demonstrated robust individual identification power, which is a viable MPS panel for forensic DNA mixture interpretations, whether involving unrelated or related contributors.

The force of questioning and pragmatic strategies in courtroom interrogation: A conversation analysis

This is a conversation analysis study on courtroom communication. This study aims to investigate how the forces of question (information seeking and confirmation seeking) were achieved and the pragmatic strategies, particularly repetition, and reformulation, used by the prosecutor during a cross-examination of the defendant in an Indonesian murder case; a courtroom trial of a cyanide poisoning case considered weak due to a lack of sufficient evidence against the defendant. The data was obtained from the Kompas TV YouTube Channel and was transcribed using Jefferson’s (2004) technique of transcription. This study employed a descriptive qualitative method to discover the force of questions and pragmatic strategies. The data was analyzed by adapting Gibbons’ (2003) and Archer's (2005) classification of question form and question force. The results demonstrate both information-seeking and confirmation-seeking questions were used by the prosecutor. Gibbons’ (2003) repetition and reformulation strategies were used to further investigate the pragmatic strategies. The finding shows pragmatic strategies, particularly repetition, and reformulation, were also evidenced in the lines of questioning. The patterns of the findings indicate that the prosecutor attempted to portray the defendant’s unreliability and untrustworthiness in court. These findings also implicate that the existence of the strict rules of courtroom communication and power imbalance in court allows the prosecutor to influence the defendant’s response.

Legal Certainty of Non-Prime Offender Provisions in Justice Collaborator Criteria

The judge's determination that the defendant was not the main perpetrator in the verdict of premeditated murder case number 798/Pid.B/2022/Pn.Jkt.Sel, involves the role of a justice collaborator, which requires the perpetrator to not be the main offender. Normatively, the absence of a clear definition leads to legal uncertainty. Therefore, establishing the criteria for not being the main perpetrator can be achieved through theoretical interpretation of the participation offenses related to Defendant Eliezer. Analysis of existing types of participation offenses indicates that those involved in the act (medeplegen) are not considered the main perpetrators, whereas individuals who encourage, instigate, and intend for the action to occur are deemed the main perpetrators. Consequently, based on his role, position, and authority in committing the crime, Defendant Eliezer is categorized as not the main perpetrator. The criteria for this determination focus on the individual with the greatest role and responsibility. The purpose of this research is to explore the legal certainty surrounding the determination of the main perpetrator as a criterion for becoming a justice collaborator, which lacks normative clarification. This research employs a normative juridical method with a conceptual approach, along with legislative and case study analysis. The findings indicate that the legal certainty in determining the non-main perpetrator, as a criterion for a collaborating witness in revealing premeditated murder cases involving Defendant Eliezer, lacks dogmatic legal certainty. The Criminal Code does not explicitly define the classification of non-main perpetrators within the doctrine of participation, but Articles 55-56 of the Criminal Code address the punishment for individuals involved in crimes committed collectively.

Public Response to the Jessica Kumalawongso Murder Case Against the Films Ice Cold Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso: A Sociological Analysis of Law

Public Response to the Jessica Kumalawongso Murder Case Against the Films Ice Cold Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso: A Sociological Analysis of Law

Stigmatization of Muslim in Karim Miské’s Arab Jazz: an Orientalism Study

Although Islam is the second largest religion in France, it is still a minority compared to the overall population. As in other Western countries, Muslims who are in the minority find it difficult to adapt to their surroundings. Apart from the significant cultural differences, mistreatment by the local population, such as isolation and neglect, is also a contributing factor. Muslims have long been the subject of ridicule and victims of the bad stigma of Western society, various slanders are directed at Muslim minorities there with the assumption that Muslim minorities in the West are very easy to be used as scapegoats for all the actions they have committed. Of the many previous studies that discuss how Muslim minorities struggle to survive in an environment that often discriminates against them because of differences in culture and appearance, researchers rarely or almost do not find research that discusses how Muslim minorities survive being scapegoated by Westerners in murder cases in the area where they live there. The researchers here want to focus on how Muslims face various discriminations, especially being scapegoated by Westerners in Karim Miské's Arab Jazz. By using a qualitative approach, the researchers collected and analyze the data using Said’s orientalism theory as the main theory, Goffman’s stigma theory and Bhabha’s mimicry as the supporting theory to classify the stigma and explain the resistance towards the Muslim stigmatization.

Analisis Pelanggaran Hak Pada Manusia Dalam Kasus Pembunuhan Laskar FPI Di Km.50

This murder case involving Laskar members is an incident that has a significant impact on the rights of every human being. This violation of human rights resulted in the deaths of six members. Law enforcement in this case has attracted various controversies, especially regarding the use of force which was allegedly excessive or disproportionate. Every individual, including members of this organization, has the right to be protected from physical violence or threats of death. One of the principles of the rights that every human being has is that it is necessary to carry out an independent and transparent investigation into every alleged violation of human rights, this includes cases of murder of irregulars. The implementation of the rights of every human being can also include various aspects of accountability for the officers involved in this case, namely that they must be responsible for their actions in accordance with applicable regulations, and also a judicial process that is carried out as fairly as possible.

Dead but Not Buried

Abstract On April 12, 1919, Paris police arrested Henri Désiré Landru, a man who had spent the last four years of war luring women into engagements and confiscating their assets. Many of them were never seen again. Landru, charged with their murders, became an international media sensation—the inspiration for popular crime stories, including books, articles, films, television and radio programs, and theatrical performances, from his execution in 1922 to 2020. This article examines these stories for the revealing ways they bring together conceptions of war and violent crime. It considers a 1926 nonfiction account of Landru by the South African journalist and military veteran William Bolitho, the film Monsieur Verdoux (1947) written by Charlie Chaplin, Claude Chabrol's film Landru (1963), and a 2006 graphic novel by Christophe Chabouté. These narratives suggest, and this article argues, that stories about Landru—and the multiple murders he committed for profit—have served, at various times and in various places, as vehicles for critiquing warfare and the societies that embrace it.

Review: Aplikasi Histopatologi Untuk Praktik Forensik

Forensics plays an important role in investigating crimes because it can reveal everything related to a murder case, including the time and cause of the murder. Histopathology is the study of damage to body tissues and organs which can be used to help investigate crimes. The aim of this literature review is to study the role of histopathology applications for forensic practice. The method used is searching journals and books using Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, NCBI, and PubMed with the keywords histopathology, forensics, diagnosis, death, microscopy, disease, staining, and autopsy. The histology approach helps the pathologist make a clear determination on the cause of death. The aim of histopathology is to perfect the macroscopic diagnosis and act as an additional examination in forensic case management. One of the histopathology methods in the forensic field is the paraffin method with hematoxylin eosin staining and special stains, immunohistochemistry, and MITS. The parameters observed with this method are measurements of pulmonary fat embolism; determining the age of myocardial infarction; assessment of liver steatosis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis; determination of the age of thrombus or thromboembolism; and diagnosis of shock with various diseases. The prospect of forensic histopathology is to complement molecular diagnostic methods, so that the combination of molecular and histology methods can play a maximum role in the field of forensic pathology. The conclusion of this literature review is that histopathology can be used to confirm the diagnosis in forensic cases and has good future prospects if combined with other methods such as molecular.

Spatial Analysis Leveraging Geographic Information System and Kernel Density Estimation for Crime Prediction

This study explored the potential of spatial analysis techniques to predict crime hotspots and coldspots within the province of Antique, Philippines. The unique blend of geographical features (coastal and mountainous regions) and socio-economic characteristics in Antique presented a compelling opportunity for the research. Crime data from 2018 to 2023, encompassing direct assaults, homicides, murders, and parricides, was acquired from the Police Regional Office 6. Using Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) software and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) algorithms, the researchers analyzed these crime records. The findings highlighted a positive trend – a decrease in direct assaults over the study period. However, homicide data presented a more concerning picture, with specific locations consistently reporting higher rates. While murder cases showed a decline, parricide incidents remained relatively low, with occasional fluctuations. In conclusion, this data-driven approach, utilizing advanced crime analysis tools, offers valuable insights for policymakers in Antique. By investing in such technology and adopting data-driven strategies, policymakers can work towards creating a safer and more secure future for their communities.

Superhomicide offenders: Nosology, empirical features, and linkages to sexual and multiple murder typologies.

The nosology for criminals who murder multiple victims is at once well-established and controversial, perhaps because theorists have largely segregated such offenders from the broader criminal population. The current study introduces the superhomicide offender, an individual convicted of at least five murders, to locate multiple homicide offenders within the criminological and epidemiological science pertaining to the most pathological offenders, and statistically place them with other conceptualizations of severe offenders at the 95th percentile of the offending distribution. Relative to other capital murderers, superhomicide offenders have lengthier criminal history, greater conviction history, and coextensive psychopathology characterized by psychopathy, sexual sadism, homicidal ideation, cluster A and B personality disorders, and major depressive disorder. Superhomicide offenders are profoundly psychopathic with 20 of the 39 offenders reaching the clinical threshold of 30 or more on the PCL-R, and 19 of the 39 are sexually sadistic. Regarding extant typologies of sexual and multiple homicide offenders, 15 are serial murderers, 17 are sexual homicide offenders, 17 are mass murderers, and 17 are spree murderers. Twenty-four of the 39 superhomicide offenders (61.5%) met criteria for multiple typologies, suggesting the new prototype can help unify the study of those who perpetrate multicide and embed them within criminological and epidemiological models that specify pathological antisocial outcomes.

MURDER INVESTIGATION IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE APPLICATION

This study presents a systematic review of studies related to murder and criminal investigation, policing, and implications for forensic science application in Nigeria. A literature search was done in the English language, using primary and secondary keywords; such as murder investigation, forensic science, policing, criminal investigation, standard operating procedures guiding murder investigation, and application of forensic science in Nigeria. Four academic databases selected for the study were: SAGE Online, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria earmarked for the study, 16 selected online published materials published between 2012 and 2022 met the predetermined criteria. These articles are either surveys, reviews, case studies, expert opinion materials, or theoretical articles. Central to the findings of these articles is that the application of forensic science in murder investigations in Nigeria is still suboptimal, accounting for lots of cold and unresolved murder cases across the country. In addition, there are other issues such as inadequate legislation governing forensic science application in Nigeria, lack of forensic skills and poor capacity development of Nigerian police, and non-adherence to forensic validated procedures during murder investigations. Gaps identified from these studies suggest a need for research focusing on the importance of suspect forensic profiling, a criminal investigative tool that can aid in narrowing down the suspect pool which has become a perennial problem in Nigeria's justice system as evidenced by the rising number of murder suspects across the country’s penitentiaries. This would make murder investigation more effective and efficient for criminal justice experts.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0788/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Improving Layman Understanding of Forensic Evidence: Can the Language of Autopsy Reports and Personal Examination Reports be Made more Lay-friendly?

In murder and attempted murder cases, the information provided by the autopsy report or personal examination report and the evidence given in court by forensic pathologists is often essential for the legal outcome. These reports written by forensic pathologists contain very specialised language; however, when used in connection with legal cases, the target audience also comprises non-experts in medicine such as the police, lawyers, judges, jury members and lay judges. Therefore, the reports must be comprehensible to this lay audience. This study investigates the language of 15 written autopsy reports and personal examination reports used in court with the aim of identifying potentially incomprehensible linguistic features or features which make the reports unnecessarily complex to laymen. Results show that many linguistic elements both at word, sentence and text level can be changed to more lay-friendly options without loss of precision. We discuss best practice recommendations as well as potential barriers to implementing these recommendations in practice.

Anatomy of a Song

Anatomy of a Song

Prosecutorial Language, Moral Disengagement, and Sentencing Outcomes in Real Capital Murder Cases

AbstractLanguage reflecting moral disengagement has been shown to influence juries in mock juror studies; however, little to no research has examined this in actual murder cases. Prosecutors play an influential role in capital murder cases during both the guilt phase and sentencing phase of the trial. If a defendant is found guilty, jurors must then decide the appropriate sentence, which can be difficult when the penalties include death versus life without parole. Self-report and mock trial studies suggest that jurors may engage in moral disengagement methods (e.g., moral justification, dehumanizing language) that allow them to distance themselves from the decision. Capital murder trial transcripts were analyzed to investigate the influence of moral disengagement variables on sentencing (“death” versus “life without the possibility of parole”). Results indicate that arguments for future dangerousness were positively correlated with death penalty verdicts, although other types of moral disengagement language strategies were not. An additional linguistic strategy was included, which investigated language that might garner empathy for the victim. This was also positively correlated with a death penalty verdict. This analysis of capital murder trial transcripts reveals differences in influential moral displacement strategies than mock juror studies suggest.

Fear, Dependency and Complicity in Late Eighteenth-Century Grenada, 1784–1796

ABSTRACT This article uses an unusual case of murder in the British, formally French, colony of Grenada in 1784 as a useful window to explore the themes of fear and dependency among planters, and complicity among enslaved and free Africans in a Caribbean slave colony at the end of the eighteenth century. The story of Korey, the enslaved nightwatchman, reprieved from the death penalty because of his worth to the plantocracy, highlights a process in the developing colony that saw large numbers of Africans in the colony employed outside of the planting regime throughout the 1780s and 1790s. By the end of the Fedon rebellion in 1795, armed Africans, some free some still enslaved, dominated the free spaces of the colony. The timing and unique circumstances of the rebellion and crucially the build up to it saw through a process in the colony that directly led to the formation of the West Indian Regiments. Grenada’s essential role in this process has been recognized but by marking the specific developments across the 1780s and 90s, we can see with more definition the interplay between planters and their fears, the military, the government, and Africans in this moment of genesis.

The Role of Motive Evidence in Premeditated Murder Cases

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of proving motive in cases of premeditated murder, as well as to determine the significance of proving motive in such cases. This research falls under the category of normative legal research, employing a statutory approach, conceptual approach, and case approach. The findings of this study reveal that proving motive in premeditated murder serves three main functions. Firstly, it helps establish the involvement of individuals in criminal activities. Secondly, it assists in determining the elements of criminal liability. Lastly, it plays a crucial role in determining the severity of punishment. Consequently, proving motive holds a fundamental position in establishing criminal acts, particularly in cases of premeditated murder. The position of motive in premeditated murder necessitates the presentation of various arguments, as outlined in this thesis. One key argument is the essentiality and necessity of motive in proving the core offense of "intentionally" as stipulated in Article 340 of the premeditated murder statute.

Corpus-assisted CDA of George Floyd’s Murder Reports on CNN and Aljazeera

In 2020, one news that shook the world was the murder of an Afro-American named George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. This study focuses on the media coverage of George Floyd’s murder case by two news outlets, CNN and Aljazeera. We used a Corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Analysis (CACDA) technique to compare how each news outlet portrayed the social actors involved in the incident and to identify if any social actors were excluded from the reporting, eventually revealing which side each media was inclined to. The analysis was based on Theo Van Leeuwen’s theory and utilized the Antconc application. The data used in this study consists of ten news articles, five from CNN and Aljazeera, published between May and July 2020. A literature study was conducted to collect the data. The Antconc corpus-processing application was then used to process the large amount of data collected, enabling quick, extensive, and comprehensive analysis. We uploaded all ten articles to the Antconc application and used the frequency feature to identify the five most used words in the ten news articles. The top five words were further analyzed using van Leeuwen’s critical discourse analysis, excluding irrelevant particles. The result shows that CNN aligned with the police and Aljazeera aligned with Floyd. By the ideological stances of CNN and Aljazeera, readers can become more aware of potential biases in news articles concerning George Floyd’s murder.