Impression Evidence Used to Add Weight to other Forms of Evidence (Essay Sample)

Criminalistics
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Forensic evidence by definition refers to evidence that has been obtained through scientific methods. Such scientific methods include blood test, DNA test and ballistics. This evidence goes a long way in establishing the innocence or guiltiness of potential suspects. In the recent past, forensic evidence has gained popularity in courtrooms where lip prints, fingerprints and analysis of DNA have gained centre stage.
In my view I do not believe that lip prints, bite marks and palm prints alone are sufficient to sustain and uphold a conviction. It is important to combine impression evidence with physical evidence or any other form of evidence. This is because in as far as palm, lip and bite marks are concerned there has not been any peer-reviewed studies.
For instance Ray Krone famously known as snaggletooth killer was convicted for killing Kim Ancona, a cocktail waitress in Phoenix in 1991. His conviction was solely based on a bite mark identified on Kim Ancona’s breast and a testimony from the dental expert of State, Dr. Raymond Rawson. Later a DNA analysis was conducted and Krone exonerated and released in 2002 from Arizona State Prison. The DNA revealed that the killer was a different man who was already incarcerated.
Lavelle L. Davis was in 1997 convicted of killing Patrick Ferguson in 1993 in Illinois. The conviction was arrived at after the forensic examiner who examined a lip print collected from the crim