Introna Francesco, Cattaneo Cristina, Mazzarelli Debora, De Micco Francesco, Campobasso Carlo Pietro
Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinar Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Policlinico Hospital, 70124 Bari, Italy.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Insects. 2021 May 13;12(5):444. doi: 10.3390/insects12050444.
Insect-related evidence must be considered of probative value just as bloodstains, fingerprints, fibers, or any other materials. Such evidence if properly collected and analyzed can also provide useful details in the reopening of old unsolved murders, also called "cold cases". This paper presents the case of two murders that occurred in two different European countries and remained unsolved for years. The remains of a girl found in Italy 17 years after her disappearance helped to solve a murder that occurred in Britain 8 years prior. The cases were unexpectedly linked together because of the similarities in the ritualistic placing of strands of hair and connections with the suspect. The trace evidence relating to insects and hairs played a relevant role in the conviction of the perpetrator. In Italy, the defense raised the doubt that the strands of hair found nearby the skeletal remains could be the result of insect feeding activity and not the result of a cut by sharp objects. Therefore, it was fundamental to distinguish between sharp force lesions and insect feeding activity on hair. This unusual application of insect-related evidence clearly emphasizes the importance of an appropriate professional collection and analysis of any physical evidence that could be of robust probative value.
与昆虫相关的证据必须被视为具有证明价值，就如同血迹、指纹、纤维或任何其他物质一样。如果此类证据得到妥善收集和分析，也能够在重新调查陈年未破的谋杀案（即所谓的“冷案”）时提供有用的细节。本文介绍了两起发生在两个不同欧洲国家且多年未破的谋杀案。在意大利发现的一名失踪17年后的女孩遗体，帮助破获了8年前发生在英国的一起谋杀案。由于在仪式性放置头发的方式以及与嫌疑人的关联方面存在相似之处，这两起案件意外地联系在了一起。与昆虫和头发相关的微量证据在对犯罪者的定罪中起到了重要作用。在意大利，辩方提出怀疑，认为在骨骼遗骸附近发现的头发可能是昆虫啃食活动的结果，而非尖锐物体切割所致。因此，区分头发上的锐器伤和昆虫啃食活动至关重要。这种对与昆虫相关证据的不同寻常应用清楚地强调了对任何可能具有强大证明价值的物证进行适当专业收集和分析的重要性。
