DNA Analysis: Far From an Open-and-Shut Case
By Vaughan Bell,
Guardian [UK]
| 10. 13. 2012
Forensic evidence is widely considered to be the result of purely objective lab tests, but there's growing proof that psychological bias plays a part
German police had been quietly tracking a serial killer for years but in 2007 the case exploded into headline news after the slaying of a young police officer in the city of Heilbronn. DNA evidence identified the suspect as the same individual who had been present at numerous murders, burglaries and break-ins but this latest development seemed to be a worrying escalation in violence. No one had ever seen the suspect's face but genetic analysis clearly identified her as a woman – an unusual characteristic for a serial killer, but only one of several extraordinary aspects to this progressively troubling crime spree. There was no apparent pattern to the crimes; she apparently struck widely and indiscriminately, even across the border in France and Austria. The only consistent information was the occasional sighting of a man near the scene, leading to
speculation that the killer was transsexual. The media nicknamed the killer the Phantom of Heilbronn and the increasingly desperate police offered €300,000 for her capture.
The bounty was never collected. This was not because the serial killer evaded justice, but...
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