Projects

Project 1: Brown Goldman Case (PORTFOLIO)

Purpose

Criminal case files are prepared by investigators and serve to provide records regarding instances of criminal conduct, charges filed, evidence collected, and other details as to the facts of the events surrounding the crime.

The purpose of this project is to help you conduct an investigation of a known criminal case and prepare a case file with all the details of the crime committed as well as any information regarding verdicts, convictions, and sentencing.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

• Describe the process of criminal investigation.
• Compare and contrast different types of evidence and its role in criminal investigative processes.
• Analyze the major investigative techniques used in criminal investigation.
• Investigate the role of deception by police investigators during interrogations and various tools used to uncover deception.

• .

  
  

• Describe the process of arresting a suspect.
• Explain the importance of an investigator’s testimony in court proceedings, following the completion of an investigation.
• Analyze ethical standards and challenges faced by investigators.
• Apply investigative tools and resources to the criminal investigation process.
• Use the ITT Tech Virtual Library to assess various criminal investigative procedures and skills.

Required Source Information and Tools

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SmartDraw

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Interview of O.J.  Simpson By Vanatter and Lange

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/OJSstmnt.html

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Synopsis of evidence used in the O.J.  Simpson case

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/Evidence.html

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Synopsis of the entire O.J.  Simpson Case

http://lawandordnance.com/The-OJ-Simpson-Trial-Final-Report.html

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List of evidence used in the O.J.  Simpson Case

http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/nns25.htm

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Timeline of O.J.  Simpson Murder

http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/nns053.htm

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Overview of the Case

http://www.wagnerandson.com/oj/OJ.htm

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Oral interview of O.J.  Simpson by Vannatter and Lange
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/OJSstmnt.html

Project Logistics

Click
here for more on this paper.

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Begin your project with a
review
of
the Brown-Goldman murder case in

Los Angeles
,

California

.

Get familiar with the case at hand. Read and reread the case and
obtain
full understanding. Read the tasks below
to get a clear idea of what is expected out of
your
project
. Take notes while reading.

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Create a timeline of the case. Begin with when the crime took place, when it got reported, and include all major events that led up to the court case, the trial, and the verdict.

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Prepare a case evaluation. Include the following four marginal headings:

o   

Facts of Case

o   

Prosecution Evidence

o   

Defense Evidence

o   

Conclusion (Conclusion of the trial)

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Review
the
investigative techniques used in the crime
. List all the evidence that was found at the
crime scene and other implicating evidence that was recorded and used in trial. Include pictures in your report.

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Analyze the
criminal investigation
of the case. Point out the loopholes and things that could have been done better.
Determine areas that the investigators missed
.

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View some of the debriefing videos and oral interviews available online. Develop your own set of questions for debriefing O.J.  Simpson.

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Reconstruct the crime scene in SmartDraw using various pictures of the crime scene available online.

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Construct your own theory of crime, keeping in mind the evidence gathered and recorded statements of all witnesses and suspect.

Deliverables

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You will submit your completed case file of the crime and SmartDraw drawing for grading.
This assignment is for homework. You are required to complete it outside of class. Your answers to the tasks must be typed in a 10- to 11-page Word document, using </spa