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Patrick Pierce

BOSSIER PARISH - The Second Circuit Court of Appeal has affirmed the conviction and sentence of a Bossier City man convicted of Attempted Second Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Second Degree Murder.

Patrick Pierce, 46, was convicted by a Bossier Parish jury in December 2015.

The Bossier Parish Sheriffs Office should be commended for their efforts in this case. Every department, from patrol to crime scene investigation to detectives, did an outstanding job. They responded quickly, located the defendant, and obtained a confession in a difficult case. We were able to successfully prosecute this case thanks to their actions, said District Attorney Schuyler Marvin.

Pierce entered into a scheme with Cassie Sims to kill her husband in April 2014. Sims previously pled guilty for her involvement in the murder plot. The scheme was thwarted when the intended victim disarmed Pierce causing him to flee the residence. Sims promised Pierce sex in exchange for killing her husband. The husbands life was saved due to Pierces inability to work the safety. A three Judge panel with the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport, noting that the evidence was overwhelming, denied all of the assertions made by Pierce in his appeal and affirmed the conviction and sentence imposed by Judge Michael Nerren.

We are pleased with the decision by the court of appeal. said District Attorney Marvin. Doug Stinson did an outstanding job prosecuting this case and Mike Lawrence did exceptional work defending the appeal. added First Assistant District Attorney Lane Pittard.

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Bossier man conviction upheld - KTAL

Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Wade wants deputies with as much forensics training as they can get.

Thats because crime scene investigation technology improves quickly and requires plenty of training training the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office routinely must pay for its deputies to acquire, Wade said.

If we can get someone with that training just out of college or at least hire them with already a basis in forensics, thats something that would be very desirable, Wade said.

Jacksonville State University might soon offer the expanded forensics training Wade desires.

The JSU board of trustees last month gave the department of criminal justice approval to create a bachelors degree in forensic investigation. The proposed degree, if it receives state approval, would offer training in a field thats grown in popularity and need in the past 15 years as technology has improved, some JSU officials, sheriffs and police chiefs say.

Dean Buttram, undergraduate director and associate professor in the department of criminal justice, said the department has until mid-March to submit its application for the proposed degree to the state for approval. If the degree is approved, the university would start offering it in the fall.

Buttram said his department has for years offered a concentration in forensic investigation, which mainly includes training in field work processing crime scenes. Buttram said the forensic investigation degree is different from a forensic science degree, which focuses more on work in a lab and requires more education in biology and chemistry.

Buttram said the growth in popularity of forensics the last 15 years prompted JSUs desire to create the degree. Buttram noted that over the last decade, 65 percent to 75 percent of the students in the department of criminal justice have picked a concentration in forensics for their degrees.

Buttram said criminal forensics investigation television shows like CSI and NCIS have made the field more popular.

People have grown up watching those shows, Buttram said.

Buttram added that the advent of new technologies, such as DNA collection in the 1990s, pushed more demand and interest in forensics.

It has become a specialized area and thats a reason why were to a point where we feel forensics needs to be a standalone degree, Buttram said.

Buttram noted that because of the improvement in forensic technology and growth in demand for crime scene collection skills, students with the new degree would be more desirable hires for police departments and sheriffs offices.

Wade said forensics skills, such as collecting fingerprints, are desirable to help solve many cases.

Its not just for big cases like murder more times than not, we see a lot of thefts and burglaries solved with DNA evidence, Wade said.

Tommie Reese, president of the Alabama Association of Police Chiefs and chief of the Demopolis Police Department, said his department has had to pay for officers to obtain forensics training, so any new hire who comes in with a forensics degree would help.

Any kind of training from Jacksonville State would definitely be a plus for any candidate, Reese said.

Wally Olson, president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association and sheriff of Dale County, said technology has reached the point where more deputies need specialized forensics training to collect evidence.

From recovery of cell phone data to fingerprint analysis and blood splatter patterning, theres a lot more than what there used to be, Olson said. If we had more people with knowledge and certification to do a lot of that stuff in-house, it would definitely make a difference in our profession.

Anniston police Chief Shane Denham said hed prefer to hire officers already trained in forensics. Denham cautioned, though, that every department is different and many in the state dont hire civilian forensic investigators, meaning applicants would have to pass police officer physicals to get a job.

Its a consideration people need to consider when they go into forensics to consider if youre physically unable to do a test, Denham said.

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JSU working to create bachelor's degree in forensic investigation - Anniston Star

LEBANON, Mo. Things got heated between the prosecution and an expert witness on day seven of the murder trial for Susan Liz Van Note, who is accused of murdering her father and his fiance at Lake of the Ozarks in 2010.

The witness, John Wilson, a 31-year veteran of the Kansas City, Mo. regional crime lab, testified in the afternoon. He says when it comes to crime scene investigation, scientists tend to be more meticulous than patrol officers: they more thoroughly document and collect trace evidence, he argued.

Wilson has significant experience behind his claim: he has instructed classes in crime scene investigation for local police agencies.

The point of contention between Wilson and Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Zoellner was Wilsons claimbased on bullet paths through the victims bodiesthat the attacker was significantly taller than Liz Van Note.

In November of 2010, the defense requested Wilson investigate the scene of the Oct. 2, 2010 attack. He reviewed police photos and reports, and also examined physical evidence such as a robe and a rug from the Sunrise Beach lakefront home where William Van Note and Sharon Dickson were shot and stabbed.

Wilson says he took anatomical data across a large population and measured the defendant. Then he gathered information about the wounds from the autopsysuch as wound channel and travel path. Using trigonometric calculations, Wilson created a diagram and then approached defense attorney Tom Bath, to demonstrate that the shooter would most likely not be the same height as Liz Van Note.

During the cross-examination which dragged into the evening hours, Zoellner hammered Wilsons testimony. But the witness was unrelenting. The two men talked over one another multiple times, and the judge issued out at least two warnings about it, as the court reporter struggled to keep track of who said what.

"I know you do not like my interpretation of the events," Zoellner told Wilson at one point. Wilson replied, It is not that I dislike your interpretation, but that your interpretation does not fit the physical facts of the blood evidence.

In looking at police photos, Wilson also said he noticed a blood stain on Sharon Dicksons left calf that was of a pattern inconsistent with Dicksons wound and bleeding patterns, and was not consistent with any likely bleeding from William Van Note as he rendered aid to Dickson. He concluded police processing the crime scene failed to collect a swab from that blood stain, for evidence.

He also said a spindle from the houses staircase that officers photographed at the scene was never submitted for lab analysis. The spindle showed at least two prints one of which was lifted with tape, and the other which was fainter but, according to Wilson, potentially better. The print that was lifted was insufficient for comparison with other prints, according to a print lab technician who also testified in the trial. Wilson says if the spindle had been submitted to the labrather than the print simply being lifted off it with tapethen the prints on it might have been usable, because of techniques available to lab technicians.

The court recessed in the evening, with Judge Hayden stating he expected closing arguments would take place the next day.

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Fireworks Between Prosecution, Expert Witness Over Shooting Details In Van Note Trial - Lake Expo

Lebanon High School students celebrated their win in Missouris Constitution Project at Thursdays Lebanon Rotary Club luncheon in Lebanons Wallace building.

Last November, Lebanon beat 12 other schools to become 2016 Constitution Project state champion in its first year of competition. On Thursday students shared the story of how their efforts brought them a state championship and other honors.

The Constitution Project is a competition that calls for high school students to investigate a mock crime scene and report about the crime. The event culminates in a mock trial mentored by local crime scene investigation, journalism and trial advocacy professionals.

Lebanon High School Principal Kevin Lowery expressed pride in the students accomplishment and those who helped them.

I am so proud of these students. They worked so hard, Lowery said.

Rotary members heard from members of each team- journalism, crime scene investigation and trial advocacy.

Adina McCall, a member of the press team, explained that its members were responsible for taking pictures and interviewing the CSI team members about the case. She said students were proud of their efforts.

For the complete article, see Tuesday's print edition of The Daily Record, or view thee-Editiononline.

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LHS Constitution team celebrates win - Lebanon Daily Record

PEOPLE can discover how forensic science techniques can give an insight into history when a museum reopens later this month.

Ripon Museum is launching its new 2017 programme, which features a new series of hands-on workshops, new displays, half term activities and an arts project involving 50 volunteers.

On Saturday, February 25, Tim Thompson, professor of forensic anthropology at Teesside University will show how techniques normally associated with crime scene investigations can be used in finding out about historic lifestyles.

On Saturday, February 18, Rebecca Gowland, senior bioarchaeology lecturer at Durham University will reveal how skeletal remains from Fewston in North Yorkshire told a story about hardships of life in the past.

The workshops are aimed at over-16s and run from 2pm until 3.30pm. They cost 5 and booking is advised.

Over half term the Workhouse Museum will be holding Apples and Arsenic family activity days from 11am until 3pm Monday, February 20 until Friday, February 24. People can have a go at mixing up cures, baking bread and even have a go at making smelling salts. There is also the chance to look at the new Urchins, Sprogs and Guttersnipes exhibition, telling the story of children in the workhouse.

All three Ripon Museums: The Workhouse Museum, Prison and Police Museum and Courthouse Museum open their doors for 2017 on Saturday, February, 18.

For more info about the museums, opening times, and events visit; http://www.riponmuseums.co.uk

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How crime scene investigation techniques give clues to history ... - North Yorkshire Advertiser