SPECIAL

CRIME
INVESTIGATION
Definition of Terms
 Crime – act or omission punishable by
law.
 Criminal Investigation - is an art and
science which deals with the identity and
location of suspect and provides
evidence of his/her guilt, in a criminal
proceedings.
Definition of Terms
 Crime Scene – location at which an
offense was committed and potential
evidence may exist.
 Crime Scene Investigation – processes
on the recognition, search, collection,
handling, preservation & documentation
of physical evidence including the
identification & interview of witnesses &
arrest of suspect/s at the crime scene.
Definition of Terms
 Note Taking - investigator’s personal
record and will remain fully meaningful
even months after the event.
Definition of Terms
 Scene of Crime Operation (SOCO) – is a forensic
procedure in preserving the crime scene, gathering
information, documentation, collection and handling of
all physical evidence.

 Sketching - is an aid in recording investigative data and

provides supplemental information not covered with
photographs and notes.
Special Crime Investigation

It deals with the study of major crimes based on the

application of special investigative technique.

Criminal Investigation - is an art and science which

deals with the identity and location of suspect and
provides evidence of his/her guilt, in a criminal
proceedings.
Aims of Investigation (LIP)

 Identify the law violator/suspect;

 Locate, trace and apprehend the
suspect/perpetrator;
 Provide evidence of his guilt.
 Cardinal Points of Investigation
(5W and1H)
What – specific offense has been committed ?(nature of crime);
Where – crime was committed? (place, location/ venue);
When – crime was committed? (time and date);
Who - committed it? (person/s involved particularly the suspect);
Why – it was committed? (Reason or motive of committing the
crime);
How – it was committed? (Manner/method or modus operandi).
Qualities of a Good Investigator

 Knowledge of Laws
 Perseverance
 Charisma (face value)
 Compassionate
 Integrity
TOOLS OF INVESTIGATION or “3 I”s (Information,
Interview/interrogation, and Instrumentation or
Criminalistics)

1. INFORMATION (RCG) - It is the knowledge/data which an

investigator acquired from records and persons.
 Regular source is acquired from open sources, records,
files.
 Cultivated source are information furnished by
informants/informers.
 Grapevine source are information given by the underworld
characters such as prisoners or criminals.
2. INTERVIEW/INTERROGATION

 To obtain information from the person being

interviewed as to what was done, seen, felt, heard,
tasted, smell or known.
 This is the questioning of a person believed to
possess knowledge that is in official interest to the
investigator.
 Questioning maybe done in a simple approach
or in a forceful or rigid one.
3. Instrumentation

It is the utilization of the various fields of

criminalistics for purposes of examination
and identification of physical evidence.
Homicide Investigation
Is the official inquiry made by the police on the
facts and circumstances surrounding the death of
the person which is expected to be criminal or
unlawful.
(RPC) ART. 249-HOMICIDE

 There is a killing without the attendant of any

justifying circumstances.
 The killing was not attended by any of the
qualifying circumstances of murder; or by that of
parricide or infanticide.
 Reclusion Temporal (12 yrs. 1 day to 20 yrs)
Mistakes in Homicide Investigation

1.The cadaver has been moved

2.The cadaver is embalmed
3.The body is burned or cremated
Establishing the Cause of Death

1. Proximate cause of death

The initial injury that led to a sequence of events
which caused the death of the victim.

2. Immediate cause of death

The injury or disease that finally killed the individual.
Establishing the Cause of Death

Example of Immediate Cause of Death:

Man burned extensively in house fire, died two weeks

later due to Sepsis

• Proximate cause of death – burns

• Immediate cause of death – Sepsis
Manner of Death
Deals with the legal implications combined with
biological cause and mechanism of death:

1. Homicide
Someone else caused victim’s death
- Intentional (robber shoots clerk)
- Criminal negligence (drunk driver runs the
vehicle on red light and hits someone)
Manner of Death
2. Suicide
- Victim intentionally causes his/her own death

3. Accidental
- Individual falls victim to accident
Examples: Victim slipped and falls hard on the floor
Manner of Death
4. Natural Causes

- Usually includes some type of organ

failure due to old age or disease.
Autopsy
The purpose of autopsy is to observe and make a
permanent legal record of gross and minute peculiarities
of a recently discovered dead body.

Anatomic examination may be sufficient to

establish cause and manner of death if forensic
pathologist has access to other information.
Post-Mortem Changes

POSTMORTEM
- Refers to events or changes that occur after death

ANTEMORTEM
- Refers to events or changes that occur before
death
Post-Mortem Changes
When a person dies, there are series of changes the
body goes through that helps in determining:

• Approximate time of death.

• If body was moved after death.
• Understanding and recognizing these changes are
particularly useful for the crime scene investigator.
1. Algor Mortis (Body Cooling)

Standard rate applied to body cooling is 1 ½ degrees F

per hour. (17 degree C)

Example: A base temperature of 99.6 F antimortem and

a postmortem temperature of 95 F indicates a 3 hour
postmortem interval.
1. Algor Mortis “Body Cooling”
Drawbacks:
• During the first hour, little cooling occurs.
• After the first hour, the rate of cooling is dependent
upon:
1. Environmental conditions
2. Amount of clothing worn by victim
3. State of nutrition
4. Presence of wind
 1. Algor Mortis “Body Cooling”
Drawbacks:
5. Relative humidity.
6. If victim is in contact with water or other wet or
cold surfaces.
7. It is usually not known what victim’s body
temperature was at time of death (either died of
heat stroke or hypothermia).
2. Livor Mortis (discoloration of the Body)

Also called as hypostasis, is a purplish

discoloration of body and organ surfaces. It
resulted when blood settles to the lower parts of
the body and becomes visible in the skin ½ to 2
hours after death.
2. Livor Mortis

Blood settles to lower

extremities of body.
2. Livor Mortis
2. Livor Mortis
Areas of skin in contact with a
surface may prevent livor from
discoloring the skin at the
point of contact.
 2. Livor Mortis

Livor mortis can be

useful for determining if
the body was moved
after death by looking at
lividity patterns on the
skin.
3. Rigor Mortis (Stiffening of the Body)

Is a condition in which
muscles of the body
become hardened as a
result of chemical
changes within the muscle
fibers.
 3. Rigor Mortis
• Small muscles are affected first
• Detected in 2 - 4 hours
• Complete in 6 -12 hours
• Remains 12 -18 hours
• Begins to leave in 24 - 36 hours
• Gone in 40 - 60 hours
3. Rigor Mortis (continuation)
3. Rigor Mortis
Rigor mortis is a good indicator of whether or not a
person was moved after the onset of rigor mortis.
4. Desiccation
It occurs prominently on the mucous membranes
which during life are kept moist and no longer
protected from drying. The membranes may look
burned and the conjunctiva of the eye may actually
be black.
5. Decomposition
• Also called as Putrefaction. A sequence of
physiochemical events that begins with death and ends
with dissolution of non - skeletal parts of body. It begins
with greenish discoloration of the skin and mucous
membranes.
• Epidermis (skin) becomes detached from the membrane
and slips off the body.
4. Decomposition
4. Decomposition
Bacteria in the blood and body causes gas production,
resulting in distension or bloating of the body.
4. Decomposition

Autolysis refers to the action of digestive enzymes or

ferments that break down complex protein and
carbohydrates into simpler compounds.

During life, these digestive enzymes only act on food, but

after death, it will break down on the surrounding tissue.
6. Purge
As body begins to transform into a liquid state, the gases
force fluid from the body. This fluid ranges from dark red,
to dark brown, to black, and has a very unpleasant odor.
The gases will force the liquid from the body through the
mouth, nose, vagina, and anus. This liquid is referred to
as purge.
6. Purge
Untrained observers sometimes mistake it as an
indication of a beating or blunt trauma.
7. Mummification

Occurs when the body dries

out faster than decomposition
takes place. It usually
happened in hot dry
environments.
ART. 248-MURDER

 Killing with the attendant of any of

the following circumstances:
1. Treachery, taking advantage of
superior strength, with aid of armed
men, or employing means to weaken
the defense or of means or persons
to insure or afford impunity.
2. In consideration of a price,
reward or promise.
 3. By means of inundation, fire,
poison, explosion, shipwreck,
stranding of a vessel, derailment or
assault upon a railroad, fall of an
airship by means of motor vehicles,
or with the use of any other means
involving great waste and ruin;
4. On occasion of any of the
calamities enumerated in the
preceding par., or an earthquake,
eruption of a volcano, destructive
cyclone, epidemic or any other public
calamity
 5. With evident premeditation
6. With cruelty, by deliberately
and inhumanly augmenting the
suffering of the victim, or
outraging or scoffing at his
person or corpse.
 The killing is not parricide or
infanticide
ART. 247-DEATH OR PHYSICAL
INJURIES UNDER EXCEPTIONAL
CIRCUMSTANCES
 - applies to legally married person with respect
to his/her spouse, and to the parent of daughter
under 18 years of age living with him/her.
 - who surprise him/her in the act of
committing sexual intercourse with another
person.
 - killing or inflicting serious physical injury on
any or both of them. (destierro)
 - the killing must be the direct by-
product of the accused rage (People
vs. Abarca, 153 SCRA 735). Discovery,
escape, pursuit and killing must all form
part of one continuous act.
 - If other physical injury was inflicted---
exempt from punishment.
 - Justified burst of passion (People vs.
Gonzales 69 Phil 66).
 ART. 246-PARRICIDE

 - Killing of one's Father, Mother or

Child whether legitimate of illegitimate.
 - Any of his ascendants or
descendants or his spouse.
 - Illegitimate relationship is limited only
to the immediate ascendants or
descendants.
 - adopted father, mother or
son/daughter, father-in-law or son-in-
law are not included.
 - spouse must be legitimate
 - punishable by Rec. Perpetua to
death (R.A. 7659)
 - there is such thing as parricide
through reckless imprudence
Conduct of Autopsy/Post-mortem
Examination

 In all cases of suspicious death an

autopsy is very important in order to shade
light as to the real cause of death. It
should be performed at once even when
there is slightest possibility of having a
homicidal incident.
The Role of the Medico Legal
Officer
 Documentation of all wounds, bruises,
scratches, scars or other marks at the time of
the autopsy/post-mortem investigation or
medical examination
 Interpretation of findings based on medical
facts.
 Medical interpretations = re knowledge or
information that helps the investigator
understand how the crime was committed and
be able to solve the case under investigation.
Things that an investigator should
observe in the conduct of autopsy
 Investigator can observe the conduct of autopsy and if
necessary, ask questions pertinent to the case under
investigation.
 Medico-legal findings should be obtained and be considered
taking into consideration all the internal and external injuries
sustained by the victim.
 Comparison and evaluation of the wounds in relation to the
weapon use shall be made especially when weapon was
obtained.
The Role of the Medico-legal Officer in
Homicide Investigation
 Documentation of all the wounds, bruises, scratches,
scars or other marks at the time of the autopsy.
 Interpretation of findings based on medical facts
following certain inquiries such as but not limited to:
 What was the cause of death?
 Which wound was the fatal?
 How long did the victim live after the injury?
 What distance could the victim have walked or run?
 What position was the victim in at the time of the assault?
 From what direction was the force applied?
 Was there an evidence of struggle or a defense mark?
 Was there evidence of rape?
 Was there evidence of body being dragged or dumped?
 What was the type of weapon involved?
 What were the injuries shown (ante-mortem or post-mortem)?
 Where there any characteristics signs of certain
types of murders such as sex linked crime,
sadistic murder, murder by a known person or
unknown person to the victim?
 Was the victim under the influence of alcohol or
any type of drug?
 Were there any foreign materials recovered from
the body such as bits of glass, paint in a hit and
run case, spermatozoa (semen) in a rape case,
bullet or broken knife, blade?
 What was the estimate time of death?
 How long had the victim been dead?
 What was the location/position of the physical
evidence in relation to the body of the victim?
Necropsy Report
It is a document stating the
cause of death of the victim.
 A request should be made for the conduct of an
autopsy report whenever a suspicious death was
involved.
 A lawful order must be secured for exhumation
(removal of the body from its place of burial) for
medico-legal examination to disclose the presence of
previously unknown or improperly identified injuries,
or presence of poison or other noxious substance
which would indicate a criminal means caused death.
Things of importance in homicide
investigation
 Places (crime scene, point of entry/ies and exit or
egress, where the victim was seen immediately
preceding his death, place where the suspect claims he
was and prior to that, places where evidence can be
found/hidden and others).
 Time (report, arrival, discovery, wound was inflicted,
death, when the victim was last seen, etc)
 Persons (victim/s, suspect/s,witness/es,
person who reported the incident,
relatives, persons with whom the victim
found to be with before the incident occur
etc).
 Things (Physical Evidence, “corpus delicti”
--dead body, suspected weapon, relevant,
material, associative evidence, etc).
 Terms related to homicide
investigation
 Homicide = the killing of one human being by another.
 Parricide = killing of one’s ascendants, descendants, or
spouse.
 Infanticide = killing of an infant less than three days old.
 Patricide = killing one’s father.
 Matricide = killing one’s mother
 Fratricide = killing of one’s own brother
 Sororicide = killing of one’s own sister
 Suicide =taking one’s own life voluntarily
 Uxoricide = act of one who murders his wife
 Regicide = the killing or murder of a king
 Vaticide = the killing or murder of a prophet
 Euthanasia = mercy killing or the act or practice of
painlessly putting to death persons suffering from
incurable and distressing disease.
 Thank You

Good Bless

Have a nice day