Analysis of Evidence

Once evidence has been collected from a crime scene by the scenes of crime officers it will be transported to a forensic laboratory or police station in order to be examined and analysed. The analysis of each of the different types of evidence is carried out to attempt to retrieve information regarding the crime that has been carried out. The analysis of evidence can help the investigators to gain leads regarding a crime and also build a case against a suspect. Depending on what the evidence is depends on the way it will be analysed, for example blood evidence would need to be sent to a forensics lab in order to have tests carried out to gain information regarding the crime. Whereas investigators would examine evidence such as witness statements and surveillance information, like with lab-analysed evidence, this would be done to attempt to gain information regarding the crime that has occurred.

In relation to the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman there were a large number of pieces of evidence sent to be analysed at a forensics lab, there were also pieces of evidence which did not need to be analysed in this way and were therefore only examined by the investigators involved in the case.

The first example of a piece of biological evidence from this case that would have been examined at a forensics lab was the blood samples collected from the scene of the murders.

The way in which this blood evidence in the majority of cases would have been analysed would be firstly using a presumptive test called the Kastle Meyer Reagent Test, this test provides an indication regarding whether the sample that has been collected is definitely blood. To carry out this test, the sample would firstly be transferred onto a piece of filter paper, and then to the sample ethanol, Kastle Meyer and hydrogen peroxide would be added. A positive indication of blood would occur if the sample turned a bright pink colour, this would be due to the chemicals reacting with the haemoglobin in the blood. If a positive result were observed, the sample would then be sent for further testing in the form of DNA testing. This would provide a DNA profile regarding the person whose blood it is, this profile can then be compared to known profiles of indication, in order to attempt to find a match.

An example of a piece of physical evidence collected at the scene of the murders of Nicole and Ron, which would have been analysed at a forensics lab is the gloves, one of which was collected at the crime scene and another which was collected at Simpson’s house. Firstly the material making up these gloves would have been microscopically examined in order to attempt to identify the type of material the gloves were made of, after examination the gloves were found to have been made from leather. Secondly measurements of the gloves would have been taken in order to identify the size of the gloves, this would have allowed the investigators to identify if the gloves would have fit the suspect, in this case OJ Simpson. As the gloves were blood soaked this also would have been examined using DNA testing a DNA profile would have been obtained regarding the person whose blood it is, this profile was then compared to the DNA profiles of Nicole and Ron, it was found to be a match.

As mentioned above, some types of evidence do not need to be analysed in a laboratory and are instead handled by the investigators or other professionals involved in a case. Examples of evidence within the case of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman that was examined in this way would be witness statements that were obtained from a number of different people.

The witness statements obtained in this case included that of Alan Park, Simpson’s limo driver. This statement was obtained and examined by investigators as Park was able to provide testament that whilst waiting outside Simpson’s residence to take him to the airport, he observed an individual matching Simpson’s description sneaking into the house, shortly after the time the murders would have occurred. This would have been able to provide the investigators with testament proving that Simpson was out of his house and without an alibi for the time the murders occurred.