Blood spatter analysis helps an investigator to know the events surrounding a crime and how it occurred. There are different things that blood spatter analysis will help an investigator to determine as listed and discussed below:
The distance of blood stain from target: The shape that blood takes when it travels is spherical but then changes its form when it hits a surface. After hitting a surface such as a wall, blood forms an ellipse with a tail that faces the direction the blood traveled. The first step that investigators take is using a complex mathematical formula to determine the angle of blood spatter (Buck, et al., 2011). The next step is to use blood drops to trace back the blood to the area of origin using a string and plotting out an elaborate web. The beginning of the intersection of strings shows the general location where an attack occurred.
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Speed by which blood left its source: The impact that blood spatter has on a surface determines the velocity by which blood oozed out of an individual. Blood spatter analysis involves photographing crime scenes and enlarging patterns of blood. If the splatter forms a large pattern on the surface it hits, it means that blood speed was high (James, Kish & Sutton, 2005). On the other hand, if the pattern formed is small, then blood speed was low.
The position of victim and assailant: Blood spatter analysis helps an investigator to determine the location of a victim’s head during a blow. Measuring the impact of blood and distance that it travels determines whether an assailant was close enough to a victim or far from the victim (James, Kish & Sutton, 2005). Blood spatter analysis also evaluates the angle that an attack occurred, such as the distance from the wall or the ground. An investigator, therefore, determines whether an attack was an act of self-defense or not.
References
Buck, U., Kneubuehl, B., Näther, S., Albertini, N., Schmidt, L., & Thali, M. (2011). 3D bloodstain pattern analysis: ballistic reconstruction of the trajectories of blood drops and determination of the centres of origin of the bloodstains. Forensic science international , 206 (1-3), 22-28.
James, S. H., Kish, P. E., & Sutton, T. P. (2005). Principles of bloodstain pattern analysis: theory and practice . CRC Press.