Behind the Yellow Tape: On the Road With Some of America's Hardest Working Crime Scene Investigators by Jarrett Hallcox, Amy Welch Page A
Authors: Jarrett Hallcox, Amy Welch
Tags: General, True Crime
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their waists and decided to go snowmobiling on a semifrozen lake. Unfortunately, one of the guys fell through the ice, slid right out of his inner tube, and sank to the bottom to die. We watched the screen in awe as the mini-sub lit up the dark lake and showed the unlucky snowmobiler dead, in “position found.” The team had decided not to send their divers into the subzero waters, but instead used the clamp arm on the ROV to grab the body and hoist it to the surface. Again, we watched as the ROV moved into position, clasped hold of the snowmobiler’s coat, and began pulling the man from the water. It was the first and only time so far that a body has ever been recovered by an ROV.
The surface has only been scratched about what can be done about crime scenes underwater. With the price of underwater technologies dropping (the equipment originally cost roughly $100,000) and the ever-present danger that exists in our country seemingly increasing, this field will soon explode with research and development. For now, though, these guys are as good as it gets.
The next morning, on the eve of the blizzard of ’07, Eric picked us up to visit the Duluth Police Department, see some old friends, and talk about some of their cases. Duluth has sent four crime scene investigators through the forensic program, including Eric, so we were also able to visit with another forensic academy graduate, Lieutenant Kerry Kolodge.
Kolodge had had an interesting case not long after he graduated from our program. In July 2005, a call came in to the Duluth Police Department regarding a violent assault. The victim, Deliena Lamberton, had been severely beaten and subsequently taken to the hospital by her boyfriend, Edward Bergren. All indications were that the assault had even continued while en route to the emergency room. Kerry ultimately worked the scene, using the knowledge he had acquired in bloodstain pattern analysis to assess the directionality of the blood in the Ford F-150 truck where the assault occurred. “Either I was right on or way off,” Kerry said, regarding his interpretation of the bloodstains found at the scene. His conclusion conflicted with the suspect’s story.
“He claimed that his girlfriend went out one way, and the blood spatter evidence proved otherwise,” Kerry told us as the wind began to whistle through the crevices of the old Duluth Police Department structure. In court testimony, Kolodge had educated the jury on forensic details such as height and directionality of bloodstains. The only thing he could not do was physically string the stains and come up with an area of convergence because of the truck’s curved roof. Kerry consulted with Jeff Gurvis, one of the best bloodstain pattern experts in the country. “[He] told me not to worry about stringing a curved surface,” Kerry said. Stringing a curved surface to calculate the area of convergence is a tough proposition left up to the most experienced analysts, and Kolodge had enough evidence without having to take on that challenge.
In the end, the defense brought in an expert from Florida who had nothing contradictory to say to Kerry’s conclusion. The only question that was asked of the lieutenant was, “Have you ever witnessed anybody who was knocked unconscious standing on their feet?”—a perplexing question, especially when it is the only one asked. Kerry thought a minute and responded resolutely, “Not without some help.” And with that, the jury deliberated and came back with a verdict of guilty. Edward Bergren was sentenced to 158 months for his violent attack on his girlfriend.
After we chatted with Kerry for a little while longer, catching up on old times, it was time for him to go back to work. We all said our good-byes and laughed a little as Kerry overaccentuated his “oo’s” and “aye’s.” If it is possible, Kerry sounds even more Duluthian than Eric.
As Kerry vanished down the stairs, Eric grabbed the large three-ring binder that
The surface has only been scratched about what can be done about crime scenes underwater. With the price of underwater technologies dropping (the equipment originally cost roughly $100,000) and the ever-present danger that exists in our country seemingly increasing, this field will soon explode with research and development. For now, though, these guys are as good as it gets.
The next morning, on the eve of the blizzard of ’07, Eric picked us up to visit the Duluth Police Department, see some old friends, and talk about some of their cases. Duluth has sent four crime scene investigators through the forensic program, including Eric, so we were also able to visit with another forensic academy graduate, Lieutenant Kerry Kolodge.
Kolodge had had an interesting case not long after he graduated from our program. In July 2005, a call came in to the Duluth Police Department regarding a violent assault. The victim, Deliena Lamberton, had been severely beaten and subsequently taken to the hospital by her boyfriend, Edward Bergren. All indications were that the assault had even continued while en route to the emergency room. Kerry ultimately worked the scene, using the knowledge he had acquired in bloodstain pattern analysis to assess the directionality of the blood in the Ford F-150 truck where the assault occurred. “Either I was right on or way off,” Kerry said, regarding his interpretation of the bloodstains found at the scene. His conclusion conflicted with the suspect’s story.
“He claimed that his girlfriend went out one way, and the blood spatter evidence proved otherwise,” Kerry told us as the wind began to whistle through the crevices of the old Duluth Police Department structure. In court testimony, Kolodge had educated the jury on forensic details such as height and directionality of bloodstains. The only thing he could not do was physically string the stains and come up with an area of convergence because of the truck’s curved roof. Kerry consulted with Jeff Gurvis, one of the best bloodstain pattern experts in the country. “[He] told me not to worry about stringing a curved surface,” Kerry said. Stringing a curved surface to calculate the area of convergence is a tough proposition left up to the most experienced analysts, and Kolodge had enough evidence without having to take on that challenge.
In the end, the defense brought in an expert from Florida who had nothing contradictory to say to Kerry’s conclusion. The only question that was asked of the lieutenant was, “Have you ever witnessed anybody who was knocked unconscious standing on their feet?”—a perplexing question, especially when it is the only one asked. Kerry thought a minute and responded resolutely, “Not without some help.” And with that, the jury deliberated and came back with a verdict of guilty. Edward Bergren was sentenced to 158 months for his violent attack on his girlfriend.
After we chatted with Kerry for a little while longer, catching up on old times, it was time for him to go back to work. We all said our good-byes and laughed a little as Kerry overaccentuated his “oo’s” and “aye’s.” If it is possible, Kerry sounds even more Duluthian than Eric.
As Kerry vanished down the stairs, Eric grabbed the large three-ring binder that
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