NCJ Number
191962
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 28 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 200-202,204
Date Published
October 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the use of bitemarks to convict a suspect of murder.
Abstract
In a murder trial in Hartford, Connecticut, the judge refused to accept as evidence bitemarks on the victim's breast in part because the medical examiner could not determine when the marks were made. Subsequent research and testing proved that molds of the suspect's teeth matched the bitemarks and the molds were admitted as evidence. One of the first steps to determine whether the suspect's teeth matched the bitemark was to take a photograph of the plaster models of his teeth. The match of the bitemark to the suspect's teeth depended on patented Lucis image-processing software. It enhances image detail without adding or deleting data, reveals image detail that could not be seen in any other way, and reveals detail in the bright and dark regions of an image at the same time. Because the bitemark was similar in color to strangulation marks on the victim's neck, an expert witness testified that they had been inflicted at the same time. The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison. Figures