Table of ContentsJohn Orner Murder Case (1961)The CaseBackground of the CaseFurther Forensic Examination and PunishmentOn March 1, 1961, in Columbia, South Carolina, the driver's taxi local taxi driver, John Orner, was found empty but with blood found inside the vehicle. There was no sign of Mr. Orner or where he might be. Later, on March 3, 1961, they found Mr. Orner's body on the side of the road, shot in the head. The bullet passed through the brain and appeared to come from the rear passenger side of the taxi. Through further forensic examination, they determined it was a. 32 caliber bullet fired from a Harrington and Richardson (H&R) revolver. (State v. Freiburger, 2005) At the same time, Edward Freiburger was absent without leave (AWOL) from Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. He was later found hitchhiking along the Tennessee Highway. As it was dark, the policeman searched Mr. Freiburger and found one. 32H&R revolver. He stopped Freiburger for hitchhiking. Since Mr. Orner's last taxi stop was at the Fort Jackson NCO Club and Mr. Freiburger had disappeared at the same time, they continued their investigation. They discovered he had just purchased one. 32 H&R with serial number 9948, at a local pawn shop. Police conducted ballistic tests on the firearm, but they were unsuccessful and no one was charged. Thirty-nine years later, while reviewing unsolved cases, the department conducted a new ballistic test on bullet fragments found at the scene and on a bullet fired from Mr. Freiburger's revolver and found a match in the streaks. He was arrested and charged with murder. Mr. Freiburger was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The reason ballistic forensics played such a major role in this case is the lack of anything other than circumstantial evidence. Because the body was not found immediately and the suspect was not arrested almost 3 weeks later. Ultimately, the prosecution took place almost 40 years later, so the only evidence they had was what they had collected and preserved at the crime scene. When reviewing the facts of the case, certain normal forensic examinations could not be used due to the previously mentioned mitigating factors. They didn't find Mr. Freiburger right after the murder, so there was no blood on him or his clothes. They couldn't test him for GSR because all that would show was that he had contact with a gun, which was obvious since he was found with a gun in his possession. This allowed them to link this specific firearm to the murder and then to Mr. Freiburger himself. In this particular case, fire forensics played a major role in getting this case to trial and the perpetrator being sent to prison for life. Forensics was used in two main ways in this case. The first was to use the serial number as a means of identification to link the firearm to Mr. Freiburger. Serial numbers are engraved on the weapon throughout the manufacturing process, making the firearm traceable. (Heard, 2008) In this case, the serial number was not obstructed in any way, so the investigator did not need to apply restoration methods to be able to read it correctly. However, later when Mr. Freiburger appealed his conviction, one of his arguments was the chain of custody of the gun due to the weatherhad passed since the crime was committed and he was convicted. However, investigators were able to establish that the serial number of the revolver matched the serial number of the revolver he had purchased from the pawn shop a few days before Mr. Orner's murder. This is important because it showed that it was the same revolver, the court rejected Mr. Freiburger's appeal in 2005. The first step linking the firearm to Mr. Freiburger was established.You might also be interested Essay Title Generator The second method in which firearms forensics was a major point of the case was the ballistic testing of bullet fragments from the crime scene and comparing them with the firearm of Mr. Freiburger. All firearms have ballistic characteristics that can be tested due to their unique nature to that specific firearm. When investigators first conducted a test on the bullet fragments, they were able to determine that the weapon used was a firearm. 32 caliber firearm. This is important because it allowed investigators to narrow down the type of firearm they were looking for. When they did the first ballistic test of the fragments, it was in 1961 and the tests were different simply because of the different technology that existed at that time. Due to the comprehensiveness of the results, investigators had no choice but to release Mr. Freiburger and not charge him with a crime. During a new ballistics examination in 2002, a match was noted between the streaks found on one of the bullet fragments and on the firearm belonging to Mr. Freiburger. Streaks are essentially a fingerprint of the firearm used and are generated by imperfections in the firearm. (Warlow, 2012) Imperfections on the bore and barrel will leave marks, ridges, on the bullet as it leaves the barrel. With this, an investigator can compare the striations of bullet fragments found at the crime scene to a bullet fired from the same firearm in a controlled environment. However, due to terminal ballistics, recovered bullet fragments do not always allow investigators to determine with certainty whether a bullet came from a specific firearm. If the bullet hits something soft, it is more likely that it can be examined and the streaks match than a bullet that passes through the victim and then hits a metal surface where it is even more distorted from its original state. 'origin. three bullet fragments tested; First from their service where they received inconclusive results. Later, four other investigators also conducted forensic analyzes on the bullet fragments and came to inconclusive results. They said the bullets could have passed through any location. 32 caliber weapon, this is not necessarily Mr. Freiburger's firearm. Eventually, a private ballistics expert was hired and he found striations on one of the fragments that matched the test case fired from Mr. Freiburger's firearm. It was following these ballistic tests that the police filed a complaint against Mr. Freiburger and he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. Until now, the case seemed pretty clear cut, with someone finally being charged for a crime they had committed for 40 years. earlier, based on advances in forensic science. However, in 2016, Mr. Freiburger was released on parole and his case to the end, not necessarily due to poor forensic knowledge, but due to the way the prosecution presented the case and evidence that the defense did not use to defend its client. Prosecutors left out that they had tested another. 73.