Re: Forensic Evidence
Connecticut has one of the best forensic guys in the country in Henry Lee. Recall he played a major role in the OJ case. Here's what Henry said in a CNN Burden of Proof interview:
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COSSACK: Police in New Haven, Connecticut are searching for the killer of a Yale University student. The body of senior Suzanne Jovin, slain last December, may be one of the few clues for forensic investigators.
All right, Ron, we know that this senior adviser, James Van de Velde has been named a suspect but there doesn't seem, at least at this point, to be much evidence. As a defense lawyer, what would you be looking at right now?
SULLIVAN: Well, I would try to get everything that the police have. His lawyers, apparently, have gone after each of the people -- or most of the people -- that police have talked with, interviewed those persons, anyone with any knowledge about either Ms. Jovin or Mr. Van de Velde and just to try to see what the police have.
As it appears, now, there doesn't seem to be any reasonable basis for the police to call him a suspect. There just doesn't appear to be the evidence there.
COSSACK: All right, let's find out if there's any basis or not. Joining us now is Dr. Henry Lee.
Dr. Lee, you had the opportunity, as part of the your job, to examine the body of Suzanne Jovin. What did the body tell you?
DR. HENRY LEE, COMMISSIONER, CONNECTICUT PUBLIC SAFETY DEPT.: Roger, that's a misleading information. I did not have the opportunity to look at the body.
COSSACK: Well, in terms of your examination -- I'm sorry, I misspoke -- in terms of your examination in this case, what were you -- what did you see and what did you do?
LEE: Well, this case -- the investigation is conducted by New Haven Police Department. Our department, Department of Public Safety, State Police, we just assist in the investigation with a limited scope. We examined few pieces of scientific evidence.
COSSACK: What were those pieces of scientific evidence, Doctor?
LEE: Those evidence encompassed clothing from the victim's body.
COSSACK: And when you examine the clothing from the victim's body, what exactly are you looking for?
LEE: Well, I cannot comment on this case, specifically. When we examine a piece of garment, usually we look in a bullet hole or knife holes or any damage, any abrasion mark, then we try to identify any trace evidence, so-called trace-transfer evidence, whether or not the suspect left some material such as hair, fiber, saliva, blood or semen material on to the garment.
COSSACK: Without telling us things that, obviously, you can't, and I know you won't, did you find any trace evidence, Doctor?
LEE: We found very limited amount of trace evidence.
COSSACK: All right, can you tell us what that trace evidence was?
LEE: Well, one of the items already become public information. We just found some hair fiber-like material.
COSSACK: And was that hair fiber?
LEE: Those are identified as hair, microscopically similar to animal hairs.
COSSACK: And were you able to -- were they animal hairs or were they human hairs, Doctor?
LEE: Those are animal hairs.
COSSACK: Were you able to find any human hairs, Doctor?
LEE: Well, there are some hairs. I cannot really comment on that at this point.
COSSACK: All right. And what other evidence were you able to find while you were doing your examinations?
LEE: As I indicate to you, this case -- we only involved a very limited amount of scientific analysis evidence. Generally, in a case, sometimes the police department contact me right away to conduct a crime scene examination with them. Other times, they submit the whole case to me, we can do a reconstruction -- a complete crime scene reconstruction to determine what had happened, how it happened, when it happened, where it happened, and sequence events. And sometimes they just submit the physical evidence to us.
So with this particular case, my role is pretty limited and only few piece of garment was examined. As a matter of fact, we spent a whole Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, New Year's Day and New Year's Eve finished the whole examination.
COSSACK: When you examine this material for the evidence, what kind of technical availabilities do you have? For example, do you use microscopes, do you use electron microscopes? What are you using to find this evidence?
LEE: Well, in the laboratory, our laboratory has 14 different sections from DNA, serology, immunology, to chemistry, to fingerprinting and voice analysis -- all variety of services.
With this particular case, we generally used microscopic examination first to document the patterns. After the pattern document, we start looking at trace evidence and, subsequently, each type of trace evidence we use chemical tests, immunological examinations, higher power magnification involving SEM -- we use SEM involving elemental composition analysis. We can use (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sometimes when we look at the GCGC (UNINTELLIGIBLE), try to study the composition.
Once we finish all the examination and we reassemble the whole case, try to make an analysis, the interpretation, what kind of result we have.
COSSACK: Doctor, can you tell us whether or not you found any DNA at the -- during your examination, that was present?
LEE: Well, I cannot, you know, really comment on the specific type of evidence. This particular case, we did not find any semen evidence.
COSSACK: All right, let's take a break. When we come back, one of the few suspects is this case is part of the Yale faculty. But does James Van de Velde deserve all this attention? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSSACK: James Van de Velde was identified as a suspect in the murder of Yale student Suzanne Jovin. He was Jovin's senior essay adviser and has denied involvement in the case and says he has cooperated fully with the investigation.
Dr. Lee, as you point out to me, I was incorrect in saying that you had seen the body in this case. And you didn't see the crime scene either, at least where the body was found, is that true?
LEE: That's true. This particular case, unfortunately, we wasn't able to examine the crime scene directly.
COSSACK: And, Dr. Lee, you say "unfortunately," and that's what I want to ask you. What possible evidence did you, perhaps, miss because you were unable to see the crime scene directly?
LEE: Well, not really something -- definite something evidence missed and you have a police department that did a super in investigation. Usually, a crime scene, with some experience, we look at a certain silent clue, not always say you found a big pool of blood or a bullet, sometimes a pattern, or a lacking of evidence which means to the investigator or forensic scientists may have some important clue.
Full report at Message 12231709
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Recall that Suzanna Andrews (author of the Vanity Fair article) told me that Suzanne was wearing the same clothes at the Best Buddies party as what she was found dead in: a maroon fleece coat, blue jeans, and low cut (soft) hiking boots. Suzanna also referred me to a picture taken at the party that was published in Vanity Fair. That same picture is reproduced here: wtnh.com
The Vanity Fair article also has a close-up shot of Suzanne which shows that the neck is more of a v-shape then round, and either it has a folded down collar or Suzanne was wearing a collared shirt that she folded over it. The collar appears to be green and it also appears there is a similar thin green line around the neck which would point towards it being one piece (with no visible t-shirt underneath), but the lack of visible zipper is puzzling. It also doesn't look at all bulky.
Here's a picture of a maroon fleece jacket. Note the collar that may be folded down, but also note the visible zipper and how bulky it looks: georgian.edu
For some strange reason I had always envisioned it as a sweater but the clear use of the word jacket makes me think it might have been a maroon fleece sweatshirt with pockets which, technically, would be a jacket.
- Jeff |
