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Lecture 2: DNA analysis
Lecture 3: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Lecture 4: Fingerprints

Forensic Biology
Dr. B. L. Lim
Associate Professor
School of Biological Sciences
bllim@hku.hk
Tel: 22990826
Contents
1. Introduction to bloodstain pattern analysis
2. Discussion on various bloodstain patterns
3. Determination of impact site by stringing method
4. Case sharing and discussion
References
1. Tom Bevel and Ross M. Gardner, Bloodstain pattern
analysis with an introduction to crime scene reconstruction
CRC Press, 1997.
2. The website of J. Sklemo Forensic Consulting Inc. can be
viewed at : http://bloodspatter.com/bloodstain-resources.
3. The website of Hemospat can be viewed at:
http://hemospat.com/index.php.
4. Dr. Henry Cheung, former Government Lab Scientific
Officer.

The book and the two websites are used as references to
prepare for this lecture.


What is BPA ()?
Interpretation of patterns, shapes and sizes of
bloodstains in order to reconstruct the event of
incident or crime.



Note: The terminology of the International Association of
bloodstain Pattern Analysis (IABPA) is used.
http://hemospat.com/terminology/index.php



Blood
Blood contains wbc, rbc and platelets
suspended in plasma (55%).
Composed of water (91%), proteins (8%) and
other materials.
An adult has a blood volume of 5 to 6 L.
Presumptive test: KM test
Confirmatory test: a) Takayama crystal test
b) ABAcard HemaTrace Kit

Impact on different surfaces
Drip blood
Wooden floor
Smooth surface
Source: J. Slemko Consulting
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Source: science.howstuffworks.com
Bloodstain patterns
Contact/transfer bloodstains
Swipe pattern
Source: J. Slemko Consulting
Drip Pattern Swipe Pattern
Source: hemospat.com
Wipe and Skeletonized Patterns
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Arterial Spurting (or Gushing) Pattern
Arterial Spurting Pattern
()

Source: J. Slemko Consulting
Transfer/Contact Patterns
(Of Fingers)
(Of Screwdriver)
Knife blade
Footwear
Pattern transfer
Cast-off Pattern
()
Impact spatters ()
The blood pattern is created when a blood
source receives a blow or force resulting in the
random dispersion of smaller drops of blood.
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Impact spatters ()
1)Low velocity impact spatter (LVIS)()
- size of major stains: >4mm
2)Medium velocity impact spatter (MVIS)(
)
- size of major stains: 1 to 4mm
3)High velocity impact spatter (HVIS)()
- size of major stains: 1 mm or < 1 mm
Low Velocity Impact (LVIS) Medium Velocity Impact (MVIS)
High Velocity Impact Spatter (HVIS)
<5 feet per sec
5-25 fps
>100 fps
Low velocity impact spatter
Exampleblood in blood

Wall
Wound
Source: J. Slemko Consulting
Medium velocity impact spatter
Example:
1. Fisting
2. hit by rod
3. fighting
Source: Henry Cheung
MVIS
Source: J. Slemko Consulting
High velocity impact spatter
Example
Shooting
Mist like
pattern
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Blood patterns resulted from gun shot
High velocity impact spatter
Among fine particles and larger droplets,
aerosol or atomized particles are produced.
These atomized particles or droplets cannot
travel more than 4 ft. in distance


Source: fig. 4.12 of Bloodstain pattern analysis with an introduction to crime scene
reconstruction by Tom Bevel and Ross M. Gardner 1997 CRC Press
Impact spatter
How blood drops travel and strike at target
Source: J. Slemko Consulting
Source: Henry Cheung
Formation of Secondary stains
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Source: Bloodstain pattern analysis with an introduction to crime scene reconstruction by
Tom Bevel and Ross M. Gardner 1997 CRC Press
Source: HemoSpat
Other pattern
Measuring impact site ()
Stringing Method
Measuring impact site
Stringing Method
1) Select several representative stains
2) Measure impact angle for each bloodstain
3) Use a string to trace the path of the blood
droplet traveling from the impact site to the
striking surface
4) All strings should converge (intercept??) at
the impact site

Blood Drops
Impact Angles
(Jackson & Jackson)
Measuring impact angle
Sin = width/length
Width
Length
Note: usually smaller than the actual angle
Blood drop travel in this direction

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2.3 cm
3.3 cm
1.3 cm
Trace the path of traveling blood
droplet
By placing a line through the long axis of the
selected bloodstain
Direction
of
traveling
Point of Origin
(Jackson & Jachson)
A
C
B
Impact site





All strings (brown, red and green) intercept at the impact site
protractor

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Source: hemospat.com
Summary
Case sharing and discussion
Case 1: A silence murder case
Case 2: Searching for missing culprit using
paternity analysis
Case 3: A wounding case in a shopping mall.
Case 4: Police killer


Case 1: A silence murder case
Case Scenario
A murder case was solved by latent DNA evidence
and bloodstain pattern analysis. The details are as
follows:
1. A victim was chopped and died at the scene
2. A bloodstained knife was seized by police and
submitted to forensic laboratory
3. Blood on the blade of the knife and latent DNA on
the gauze wrapping the handle were collected and
typed
Case Scenario
4. The results of DNA typing indicated that the blood
could have come from the victim and the latent DNA
came from an unknown male
5. This indicated that the knife was likely to be used to
chop the victim, and an unknown male had touched
the handle of the knife
6. Half year later, there was a fight among a group of
triad member. Blood found at the scene was
submitted to forensic laboratory
7. DNA results indicated that the DNA types of the
blood matched those of the latent DNA on the gauze.
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Case Scenario/Trial
8. The control blood sample was collected from the
wounded person. Results indicated that his DNA types
matched those of the latent DNA on the gauze.
9. During the trial, he claimed that he had been at the
scene but had not participated into the attack. He had
held the knife and blood had splashed on it.
10.However, the opinion drawn from bloodstain pattern
analysis indicated that the knife was likely to be used to
chop someone and this persons DNA matched that on
the blade.
11.He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Case 2: Searching for missing culprit by
parentage analysis
A bloodstain found at scene
but the control sample from
the suspect was not
available .
Searching for missing
culprit using paternity
analysis () for
crime investigation.
Alleged
mother
Alleged
father
Blood
Case 3: A wounding case in a shopping
mall
Case Scenario
Three young men attacked another man in a shopping
mall.
They left the scene and took a taxi.
They were arrested by police at a police road block.
Bloodstains were found on a T-shirt from one of the
men (The picture refers). The T-shirt was submitted to
forensic lab for examination.
Results of DNA test indicated that the blood could
have come from the victim.
Case Scenario
1. During the trial, the defense lawyer insisted that his
client had a contact with a wounded person in the
mall and the blood was then transferred to one of
his clients clothing. Therefore, his clients did not
attack the victim.
2. The court was adjourned. Police asked forensic lab
to further analyze bloodstain pattern on the exhibit.

.
.
..
Front
Back
A wounding case in a shopping mall
Identify serial killer by matching with DNA left at crime scenes
Tsui Po-ko (17 May 1970 17 March 2006) was a police
constable who was implicated in a number of crimes,
including bank robbery and murders. He died when he and
another police constable shot each other in a gun battle in a
Tsim Sha Tsui underpass.
Tsui was found responsible for murdering constable Leung Shing-yan and
stealing his revolver in March 2001. Answering a noise complaint in Tsuen
Wan, on March 14, 2001, Leung was shot five times at close range. His
revolver, and one extra clip of six bullets were missing. The noise complaint
was apparently bogus, and was made from an untraceable mobile phone.
Some 3,000 people, of which 2,000 police officers, were interviewed by the
police, yet the perpetrator escaped detection. Later, forensic tests (PCR-STR,
Polymerase Chain Reaction-Short Tandem Repeats) found that the DNA on a mask left
at the crime scene matched Tsui's.
Case 4: Police killer