LA Forensics: The Signature Murders

Upon arriving at Luis Garcia’s house, his sister and nephew were shocked and disturbed to find their close relative lying on the floor, lifeless. They immediately called 911 after realizing that this was a crime scene, not just an accidental death. Forensic scientists quickly made their way to the scene where they were able to uncover many valuable clues. There was apparent blood splatter in various places along with bruises on the victim’s face, which led the detectives to believe there was a struggle and that Garcia had tried to fight back. He had apparently been strangled with a cord from a clock radio, which the murderer most likely found at the scene. This implied that the killer had not originally planned on committing a murder, but when he attempted to burglarize the house, Garcia’s actions forced him to carry out his actions. Also, a black leather belt was found near the victim’s body, another possible method of strangulation. They found a window open with the screen inside but on the floor. An open folding knife was found, suggesting that the killer may have used it to cut open the screen window and make his way inside. With this in mind, the scientists took footprints and fingerprints outside, as well as inside. A final key clue that they found was blood stops in the sink that appeared to belong to the intruder. They were able to collect the blood samples and later use them for DNA testing and matching.
In total, nearly thirty fingerprints were found and usable in the testing facilities and allowed them to find matches to possible suspects. A complete victimology record was made, tracing back any relationships that Garcia may have had that could lead to a violent attack. During the testing process, a new case had recently been published that dealt with an almost identical situation. Detectives had found Willie Nichols dead due to strangulation, and the murder weapon was a leather belt. Psychologists were called in to track the patterns of these two murders and it was decided that the killer was responsible for both due to the habits shown in both cases. After deep investigation, including DNA testing and fingerprinting, Robert Rose, a convicted killer, was brought to trial and convicted with the murder of Luis Garcia and Willie Nichols.
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