Criminal justice 2024

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1 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues Rebekah Pettus Criminal Justice 362 Liberty University Professor Jonathan Pelletier 1/29/2024

2 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues Abstract This case has sparked widespread outrage. Joseph Sledge was convicted and sentenced to 37 years in jail even though he did not commit the murder. Two savage stabbings of white ladies in a period when everyone only saw colored and whites. Joseph Sledge was sentenced to 37 years in jail due to the prosecution's inexperience and inability to look past color, not the evidence or DNA discovered. The recovered hairs were not checked against Mr. Sledge's hair, nor were they found fingerprints compared. There was no proof against Joseph Sledge. The case was defective from the outset, but Joseph Sledge had little chance. This exploited instance raises several legal, ethical, and technical considerations. The prosecution had no intention of searching for further suspects. They were certain of Joseph Sledge's guilt and did everything they could to condemn him. Numerous other legal, technological, and ethical concerns arose because of this case. Law enforcement agencies must provide their staff with training on how to appropriately handle a crime scene to prevent the prosecution of innocent individuals for offenses they did not commit.

3 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues Joseph Sledge was a criminal, but hardly the sort who would savagely murder two white ladies. Joseph escaped prison the day before, so why would he attack two innocent ladies after he escaped the prison, and he didn't know them? Mr. Sledge has no history of violence and does not have a history of sex offender so why would he conduct these offenses? The only reasonable response to both questions is that he did not do it. Mr. Sledge was given a life term in jail for a crime he did not commit after being found guilty of second-degree murder. The prosecution was after him because they had no leads. They possessed evidence, but it wasn't used to condemn Joseph Sledge because the jury would have concluded otherwise. Mr. Sledge was acquitted after 37 years in jail. The evidence discovered at the crime site was eventually utilized to establish his innocence. Police failed to produce evidence, evidence mismanagement, and prisoner bribery to testify against Sledge. The principal evidence against Sledge was the testimony of two detainees who claimed that Sledge confessed to the killings. Mr. Sledge's case demonstrates prosecutorial misconduct, ethical and technical concerns, and racial conflict between the prosecution and the defendant. Evidence mismanagement In August 1978, Joseph Sledge was found guilty of killing Josephine and Aileen Davis at their North Carolina residence. The murder scene was splattered with blood. There were two bloodied footprints inside the house and one outside. The location also included latent prints and bloody palm prints. African American head and pubic hairs were detected on Aileen Davis’s

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4 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues tummy and buried in blood on her forehead. According to family relatives, the women were white and had no African American associates in their houses. As a result, the hairs discovered on Aileen Davis's body belonged to the culprit. This information was not used to convict Sledge. Before the trial, the prosecution knew that Joseph did not leave fingerprints, palm prints, or shoe prints. The evidence was later analyzed when the Center became engaged, but the physical evidence utilized in the trial was not found until August 2012. All evidence should have been photographed, drawn, labeled, and documented (Bertino & Bertino, 2016), so why was the only evidence used against Sledge misplaced? All evidence must be properly packed and labeled. All evidence must be accompanied by an evidence diary and chain of custody document. Hairs and fibers are obtained as control samples solely for exclusion purposes (Bertino & Bertino, 2016). This demonstrates that the "African American" hair recovered on the victim's body was tested exclusively against the victim, not Sledge. When the hair evidence was discovered in 2012, it was tested against Sledge, excluding him from the killings. In 2014, fingerprint and palm print analysis completed before trial was validated by fingerprint specialist Marty Ludas, who once again rejected Joseph as the source of the latent prints recovered at the crime site. Most significantly, two bloody palm prints discovered on the floor on each side of Aileen Davis's head were never given to the defense before trial (Admin, 2021). Prosecutorial Misconduct Before Sledge's conviction, the prosecution was aware that the latent prints, palm prints, and shoe prints belonged to someone else. It wasn't until the hairs were African American, and two detainees testified, that Sledge was convicted. The prosecution paid one convict a $3000 payment, allowing him to avoid punishment for narcotics use in jail. The second inmate was

5 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues promised a $2000 payment and early release from an unrelated murder sentence in exchange for his testimony. Bribery is against the law and is considered unethical by the prosecution. Plea bargaining involves abuse in return for a lighter punishment, which leads to perjury. The prosecution also neglected to provide exculpatory evidence. The major witness's testimony was not supported by any tangible evidence. The witness eventually recanted his evidence, claiming Sledge never confessed to the killings and never spoke with the witness at all. At the time of trial, the State omitted to divulge conflicting remarks made by one of the informants that called into question the veracity of his evidence against Joseph; the State claimed that the applicable legislation at the time of Joseph's trial did not compel that revelation. The State also refused Baker's sworn recantation, even though other evidence of Joseph's innocence made his recantation believable and his trial testimony unlikely (Admin, 2021). Since Sledge was not the killer, the hair examination in his case was not justified. Hair should have its DNA analyzed with the suspect to be used as evidence. The evidence, on the other hand, was generic. Furthermore, improper use was made of shoe imprints. The prosecution should have examined the impressions in this case to demonstrate that they were, in fact, Sledge's as they were class evidence. Collecting Evidence By plucking, shaking, and scraping surfaces, hair may be retrieved from any crime scene, suspects, or victims. Alternatively, it can be gathered by covering a surface with tape to make the hair stick to it. Vacuuming may be used on huge surfaces. According to Bertino & Bertino (2016), forensic investigators are required to search every aspect of a crime scene for hair, including cars, the victim's hands and fingernails, on or within the body (during autopsy), blood or other bodily fluids of the victim or suspect, weapons, tape, or ligatures, abandoned clothing or

6 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues masks, and explosive device mechanisms. To include or eliminate a suspect, hair is first inspected under a microscope. Because fingerprints limit the search to a single individual, they can only be used as individual evidence. While fingerprints are individual and cannot be shared by two people, blood and hair can be used to identify a certain group: class evidence. Three categories of hair exist: European, African, and Asian. Testing blood types inside the blood helps rule out other blood types. Blood is kept in an unbreakable, airtight container. Before any evidence is packed and labeled appropriately, it must first be photographed. By doing this, the incorrect individual is kept out of jail. Initially, they didn't go into the matter any farther than Sledge, their first suspect. Since they were subsequently elected as the District Attorney, they also had political motivations. The jailhouse informant was a crucial witness in the case; however, their statement was unsupported by any proof. Years later, though, they renounced their testimony. If they provided a fabricated testimony against Sledge, the prosecution would pay them money and drop their charges. Truthfulness is a requirement of professional ethics. However, in the Joseph Sledge case, the prosecution fabricates the truth by purchasing witnesses, therefore the statement is not followed. Furthermore, without a thorough investigation, Sledge was an apparent suspect in the crime. Evidence about fingerprints, serology, biological features such as hairs and fibers, and impression evidence class are examples of personal traits. According to Pierce (2011), class evidence is linked to a collection of sources, whereas individual proof is derived from a shared cause, hence enhancing its level of confidence. In fingerprint collection, surface matters most of the time. For example, it is difficult to find fingerprint evidence on rough or porous surfaces. The primary source of blood at a crime scene is contaminated objects like clothing. After letting the

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7 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues items air dry, the technicians bring them to the crime lab for analysis. The blood evidence in Sledge's case was not appropriately gathered. Conclusion Technical, ethical, and training difficulties were present in this instance. I believe that the law should take precedence over your personal beliefs on a certain race or ethnicity. You must be objective and capable of carrying out your duties in a timely and competent manner. Bribing someone to break the law is illegal, unethical, and morally repugnant. Evidence mishandling demonstrates a lack of training. There are ethical and technological problems with not testing the evidence or not presenting it. They should remove themselves from the case if they are unable to do these crucial tasks. Evidence mishandling will undoubtedly result in a mistrial. Ignorance of the evidence can lead to the conviction of an innocent person, as this case illustrates. Many people, especially members of minority groups, were wrongfully convicted back in the 20th century. The primary causes of erroneous convictions are the mishandling of evidence, bigotry toward African Americans in general, and the use of class evidence as pivotal exhibits during trials. The Joseph Sledge case serves as an excellent illustration of the flaws of the 1970s legal system. However, modern technological advancements like DNA testing have made it possible to reduce class evidence to individual proof, improving the accuracy of suspect convictions. Justice depends heavily on competent crime scene processing since it helps ensure that the correct people are imprisoned. It directs law enforcement to the appropriate culprit. God is the light and the truth; hence all truth will be made known. There is truth in everything, and he does not lie. Crime scenes typically show who committed the crime as well as how it was carried out.

8 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues For this reason, it's critical to take pictures of the crime scene and gather all evidence appropriately. Here are some suggestions for training, policies, and ethics. Keep in mind the seven S’s of crime scene investigation: search for evidence, secure and collect evidence, separate witnesses, scan, see, and sketch the scene. Monthly policy updates and skill training Until proven guilty, innocent Every piece of evidence needs to be accurately labeled, packed, photographed, and drawn. Documents about the chain of command and evidence log also need to be connected. Blood must be kept in sealed and unbreakable containers. Planting or misusing evidence will result in a jail sentence. The evidence log should include all relevant facts. The chain of possessions must be maintained. Race or ethnicity does not imply guilt. Since we are all his offspring and God does not perceive color, everyone deserves to be loved in the same manner. Since sin affects everyone, everyone needs to be treated equally. Not guilty unless proven innocent, innocent until proven guilty.

9 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues References Bertino, A. J., & Patricia Nolan Bertino. (2016). Forensic science: fundamentals & investigations . Cengage Learning. Joseph Sledge Exonerated after 37 Years - North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence . (2017, May 26). https://nccai.org/joseph-sledge/ Pierce, D. S. (2011). Mechanics of Impression Evidence. CRC Press. Platania, J., & Small, R. (2010). Instructions as a safeguard against prosecutorial misconduct.

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10 Sledge Case Technical and Legal Issues

Criminal justice 2024

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