There’s no question that there have been incredible innovations in the ways in which scientists and law enforcement gather and present evidence for trial. Expert testimony has become an almost indispensable aspect of legal proceedings. We should consider that, perhaps, we are blurring the line between circumstantial and scientific evidence. Is this a new phenomenon? Hardly. Spectral evidence has featured prominently in criminal proceedings since the days of comparing the weights of ducks and witches. From the validation of literal specters visiting people in the night, to three-buttoned double breasted suits; there are many examples of expert opinions casting long shadows in the court room. In this episode we’ll examine the history of behavioral profiling and take a look at the kind of testimony that originally convicted the West Memphis Three. Join us this week as we examine the evolution of spectral evidence over time, and what happens when we try stories instead of the accused.
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Guest Storyteller: Joshua Zeman
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Check out the new series THE KILLING SEASON on A&E
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills – Trailer
Sources:
The Perils of Profiling for the Media – American Psychological Association
Dangerous Minds: Criminal Profiling Made Easy – The New Yorker – Malcom Gladwell
The Cropsey Maniac by Meridith Vitale
Cropsey at Camp by Libby Tucker – New York Folklore Society
Creepy History: Cropsey — The Monster of Staten Island
FBI – Criminal Investigative Analysis
