Citation

Baier W, Warnett JM, Payne M, Williams MA. J. Forensic Sci. 2018; 63(4): 1298-1302.

Affiliation

WMG, The University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, U.K.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13700

PMID

29193075

Abstract

This case report presents one of the first reported uses of a 3D printed exhibit in an English homicide trial, in which two defendants were accused of beating their victim to death. The investigation of this crime included a micro-CT scan of the victim's skull, which assisted the pathologist to determine the circumstances of the assault, in particular regarding the number of assault weapons and perpetrators. The scan showed two distinct injury shapes, suggesting the use of either two weapons or a single weapon with geometrically distinct surfaces. It subsequently served as the basis for a 3D print, which was shown in court in one of the first examples that 3D printed physical models have been introduced as evidence in a criminal trial in the United Kingdom. This paper presents the decision-making process of whether to use 3D printed evidence or not.

© 2017 The Authors Journal of Forensic Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

3D printing; additive manufacturing; court presentation; demonstrative evidence; forensic imaging; forensic science; microcomputed tomography; tool mark analysis