Criminal Dismemberment is the first book to examine dismemberment as a phenomenon in the context of criminal acts. While the number of such dismemberment cases in any given country is often small, the notion of dismemberment captures the imagination, often leading many to question the motivations as to why anyone would perpetrate such an unnatural act. The act of dismemberment, in its original form, referred to cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise separating the limbs from a living being as a form a capital punishment. In today’s society, it has become associated most frequently with the criminal act of sectioning the remains of the dead in an attempt to conceal the death and dispose of the remains or make the process of identification of the deceased more difficult to achieve. Drawing on expertise from leading forensic anthropologists, pathologists, and forensic materials engineers, the book brings together much of the literature on criminal dismemberment—viewing it from the investigative, forensic, and social science perspectives. Key features include: Psychological analysis of the perpetrator Detailed examination of case studies, anonymized from recent investigations Difficulties encountered in a dismemberment investigation Tool mark analysis, including knives and saws, accompanied by over 120 detailed, full-color illustrations and photographs Serves as a unique and useful resource in the investigation of dismembered human remains The diverse backgrounds of the contributors offers a thorough account of such topics as the history of dismemberment, the forensic pathology in such cases, the importance of developing a common vocabulary in terminology used, the legal admissibility in dismemberment cases. As such, Criminal Dismemberment will serve as a comprehensive reference for students and practitioners alike.

It is Easter weekend, 1999. A rookie uniformed cop responds to a call of "suspicious circumstances" in a working class neighbourhood inn Hamilton, Ontario. The cop meets a woman who is afraid to go near bags left for garbage outside the house of a man named Sam Pirrera. The cop confirms the woman’s worst fears: the bags contain pieces of human tissue. The call for backup goes out and a homicide investigation begins. But who is the victim? Where is the rest of the body? The prime suspect is Pirrera, a steelworker whose inner demons and capacity for violence are inflamed by his addiction to crack cocaine. He cannot tolerate women leaving him, but several have tried to do so, including his first wife, his current estranged wife, and two women who have recently visited his house on dates. How far is he willing to go to stop them? Led by driven investigator Peter Abi-Rashed, who once chased teenage Sam Pirrera on the streets of Hamilton’s east end, police ultimately learn the unspeakable truth, uncovering a case that shocks even veteran homicide and forensic investigators. Award-winning journalist and author Jon Wells takes readers into the heart of a real-life crime scene investigation and into the chaotic mind of a murderous control freak. Wells, Canada’s top true mystery writer, crafts a novelistic story that is true in every detail, at once darkly disturbing and deeply moving.

The Routledge Handbook of Homicide Studies comprehensively examines the topic of homicide from a diverse collection of perspectives and backgrounds. It brings together original contributions on homicide, with a focus on the broad range of impacts of homicide from a multitude of disciplines that evaluate and examine homicide in actual practice and theory. The editors have assembled a comprehensive collection highlighting the multifaceted causes and ramifications of homicide both across the United States and globally, with chapters exploring the current state of homicide, typologies of homicides offenders, causes and correlates of homicide, homicides and the criminal justice system, and a professional observations chapters authored by some of the leading practicing professionals in the world, many of whom have made pivotal contributions to the evaluation and investigation of homicide offenders and cases. Providing state-of-the-art scholarship on homicide in modern society, this handbook is a key collection and an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners engaged in the study of homicide across a diverse range of disciplines, including criminal justice and criminology, psychology, sociology, forensics, interdisciplinary departments, and sociolegal studies.

Der Goldstandard unter den Referenzwerken der Rechtsmedizin In der zweiten Auflage des Handbook of Forensic Medicine vermittelt der Herausgeber Burkhard Madea der Leserschaft einen umfassenden, internationalen Ansatz in der Rechtsmedizin mithilfe eines Teams von Experten aus aller Welt. Das Buch enthält neue Inhalte zu den Themen Tatortuntersuchung, Analyse von Blutfleckenmustern, Terroranschläge, Brandkatastrophen, neue psychoaktive Substanzen und Molekularpathologie sowie einen umfassenden Überblick über sämtliche Aspekte der Rechtsmedizin. In den einzelnen Kapiteln werden alle Faktoren der Qualitätskontrolle und Best Practices behandelt. Anhand von Fallstudien werden die dort erläuterten Konzepte veranschaulicht und die Verbindungen zwischen verschiedenen Teildisziplinen hervorgehoben. Für Spezialisten, die täglich im Einsatz sind, werden in jedem Kapitel die Elemente der Routineanalyse behandelt. In der zweiten Auflage des Handbook of Forensic Medicine werden die neuesten Entwicklungen in der forensischen Molekularbiologie, der forensischen Toxikologie, der Molekularpathologie und der Immunhistochemie besprochen. Darüber hinaus bietet das Werk: * Eine gründliche Einführung in die Aufgaben der Rechtsmedizin in der modernen Gesellschaft mit einer Darstellung der internationalen Richtlinien und Akkreditierungen in der Rechtsmedizin * Umfassende Betrachtungen der medizinischen Aspekte des Todes, insbesondere des Wesens und der Definition von Tod, Autopsie und der Identifizierung der Opfer von Massenkatastrophen * Praktische Erörterungen zur Traumatologie und zum gewaltsamen Tod, insbesondere durch Ersticken, Stromschlag und Blitzschlag, Kindstötung und ärztliche Kunstfehler * Tiefgreifende Untersuchungen zum plötzlichen und unerwarteten Tod aus natürlichen Gründen, auch zur Biochemie nach dem Tod Dieses Buch ist unverzichtbar für jeden Experten in der Rechtsmedizin, Toxikologie und Hämogenetik sowie für alle, die Gutachten für Gerichtsverfahren erstellen sollen. Auch für Rechtsanwälte und Jurastudenten ist es ein ideales Nachschlagewerk.

Humanity's most appalling crimes are solved by experts presenting painstakingly gathered evidence to the court of law. Investigators rely on physical, chemical and digital clues gathered at the scene of an incident to reconstruct beyond all reasonable doubt the events that occurred in order to bring criminals to justice. Enter the forensic team, tasked with providing objective recognition and identification and evaluating physical evidence (the clues) to support known or suspected circumstances. Far from the super-sleuths of fiction, the real-life masters of deduction occupy a world of dogged detection, analysing fingerprints or gait, identifying traces of toxins, drugs or explosives, matching digital data, performing anatomical dissection, disease diagnosis, facial reconstruction and environmental profiling.

Dismemberments: Perspectives in Forensic Anthropology and Legal Medicine is the only volume in the field to address the complexities of interpreting dismemberment trauma, the different tools used, and the sociocultural motives behind dismemberments. The book's goal is to provide the reader with a comprehensive assessment that covers all aspects of dismemberment, from means and motive, to toolmark and instrument identification, to disarticulation and re-association of body parts. Each chapter is written by internationally known, expert contributors from around the world. Users will find this to be is a great resource for those involved in the analysis of recovered human remains. - Presents a comprehensive volume on trauma examination and reconstruction in complex dismemberment cases - Includes contributions by world renowned specialists in forensic anthropology and legal medicine - Provides case studies throughout the volume to aid with understanding

Case studies on violent deaths from the past and present vividly illustrate how anthropologists construct meaning from the victim's bones.