Crime Scene Staging: Early Detection, Analysis, and Reconstruction Methodology

BY DR. LAURA PETTLER 

Spring 2011 

The development of an early detection methodology to detect, investigate, analyze, and reconstruct potentially staged crimes and crime scenes is paramount to protecting valuable human and financial resources and public safety. 
 
The third empirical study published on crime scene staging, Crime Scene Behaviors of Crime Scene Stagers, included information about the emergence and development of a new interdisciplinary, hybrid early detection, investigation, analysis, and reconstruction methodology for crimes and crime scenes where staging is in question (Pettler, 2011b).  This new three-pronged, quantitative evidence-based approach integrates a modified version of the qualitative research method Triangulation, within the scientific classification system created by renowned Educator, Benjamin Bloom (1956), entitled Taxonomy of Educational Domains, commonly known as “Bloom’s Taxonomy”, then uses the Scientific Method to test the quantitative research question(s), and finally integrating Bloom’s top level to report the quantitative results while also being aware and recording qualitative data when necessary for legal or investigative purposes. 
 
​Determining “the what”or the quantitative, precisely measured aspects of the crime and/or crime scene, are paramount to the success of the justice system.  Unlike other methodologies, this methodology goes beyond answering “the what” of the staged crime and/or crime scene because this scaffolding possesses the capacity to examine and analyze “the why” or the qualitative aspects of the staged crime and/or crime scene, which, although are not critical for prosecution, can become very important when staged crimes or crime scenes initially go undetected or when an individual’s death is specifically ruled suicide or accident while other ideas might also be important to consider in the interest of justice. 
 
According to Merriam-Webster’s 11th Online Dictionary (2011) taxonomy is “the study of general principles of scientific classification or systematics” (para. 1).  Taxonomies differ from typologies in that typologies categorize similar things, such as crimes into broad groups while taxonomies interrelate two or more things.  Taxonomy Example: First grade relates to second grade because students must pass first grade to be promoted to second grade and so forth.  Typology Example: Violent Crimes - assault, robbery, homicide. 
 
Early detection of staged crimes and crime scenes is paramount to saving valuable resources that are already in short supply for many law enforcement agencies in the United States.  Although no methodology could ever yield a 100% reliability rate or a zero percent error rate, when applied to various staged crime scenes, this new methodology for early detection has shown promising results. 
 
An Interdisciplinary Hybrid Evidence-Based Model 
 
I.  Modified Triangulation 
 
​Judging the quality of qualitative research is very important and can be accomplished in several ways. “Triangulation involves checking information that has been collected from different sources or methods for consistency of evidence across sources of data” (Mertens, 2005, p. 255).  When applying Triangulation to traditional homicide and/or crime scene investigation, evidence, such as “interviews, observations, and documents” can be gathered from different sources to verify factual, quantitative data (Mertens, 2005, p. 255). 
 
Pettler’s Crime & Crime Scene Staging Early Detection Methodology Model 
Although some might suggest that it is fair to assume all suspects lie, this assumption is overreaching and does not universally apply to all violent criminal cases.  Some suspects choose to make no statements at all, while others offer full confessions that are consistent with the physical and/or other evidence gathered during an investigation.  Of course, it is completely reasonable to approach with caution an individual suspected of a criminal act when confronted with the potential consequences for his or her actions pursuant to his or her truthfulness of those events.  In terms of why a suspect’s lies specifically apply to crime and/or crime scene staging early detection and why they are significant when compared to lies suspects might generate in other types of non-staged violent criminal cases is specifically related to the following: 
 
a. Motivation a suspect might have to harm the victim; 
Benefits the suspect might gain as the result of the death of the victim; 
Conflict between the victim and the offender before the event; 
Precipitation and/or Facilitation on behalf of either the victim or the suspect before the event. 
 
It is arguable that modified qualitative triangulation used to verify quantitative data (i.e., hard facts) can be supported by the implications of some aspects of the qualitative data of a crime and/or crime scene (Pettler, 2011a).  Further, investigators could potentially detect a staged crime and/or crime scene early in an investigation if they gather information in the following three categories: 
 
Fishing Stories - Inconsistent, multiple, and/or false information/stories about a victim and/or the suspect and/or about the location of a missing victim to investigators; other information could apply. 
 
Prescriptive Stories - Relies on personality characteristics and routine activities of the victim to design “prescriptive stories” for family/friends about a victim and/or about the location of a missing victim that specifically meet the needs of the receiver; other information could apply. 
 
Victim/Offender Relationship - The suspect’s relationship to the victim and/or routine activities, personality characteristics, and/or envirosociocultural (ESC) experiences influences if he/she does or does not do one/all/either/or of the following: (a) reports the victim missing, (b) reports seeing the victim leave; and/or (c) reports finding the victim’s body (Pettler, 2011).  If one or more of these is true, then Pettler (2011) recommends investigators consider raising the question that a crime or crime scene could be potentially staged. 
 
It appears that crime scene stagers might make an effort towards deducing what would be most believable and pitch their best idea/ideas to the respective audience (i.e., fishing stories).  In some cases, they design prescriptive stories for families and friends based on what they know family and friends will think is reasonable (Pettler, 2011b).  Using the Modified Triangulation Method to potentially raise the question of ‘could a crime or crime scene be staged?‘ should only be used early in the investigation before the investigation and/or crime scene investigation ensues.  Assuming investigators would not automatically assume the integrity of a crime scene, the approach and processing of a potentially staged crime scene presents unique challenges and obstacles that must be recognized, addressed, and potential plans developed for overcoming challenges and obstacles before or as they are encountered rather than after the fact, after an autopsy, or after the scene or situation has been handled and cleared without giving consideration to potential big picture pitfalls long term in pursuit of justice for a victim of a staged violent crime. 
 
Opportunities are often lost forever in staged cases when staging behaviors go undetected. 
 
II.   Bloom’s Taxonomy 
 
“Our system determines our outcome.” 
Bloom’s Taxonomy and its cognitive domains specifically, Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation, arguably provides an overarching model of what a crime scene investigation and reconstruction should contain in rank order in that it exemplifies the objectives and roles of both jobs (Bloom, 1956; Pettler, 2011b).  People are not born with knowledge per se, but can typically acquire knowledge through education, training, and experience.  A crime scene investigator (CSI) utilizes knowledge by identifying pieces of evidence in a crime scene and defines and describes them within the documentation.  CSIs then comprehend what evidence was identified by classifying, documenting, and discussing items categorically, such as biological evidence, trace evidence, etc.  CSIs then apply what they comprehended by collecting, preserving, preparing, and reporting the identified and classified evidence.  The lower three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy as it applies to crime scene investigation is important to the success of quantitative crime scene investigation and to the integrity of the case.  Without CSIs’ executing the solid quantitative action verbs associated with precise measurement in the first three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the end result of the entire case could be weakened. 
 
Pettler’s Application of Bloom’s Taxonomy to the Quantitative Crime Scene Investigation & Quantitative/Qualitative Crime Scene Reconstruction 
 
The crime scene reconstructionist (CSR) takes the pieces identified, collected, and reported by the CSI through knowledge, comprehension and application, and with the help of a multitude of resources, scrutinizes and studies each piece using the upper three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation for quantitative and qualitative information (Blooms, 1956).  The CSR analyzes each piece of evidence, Level 4 of Bloom’s taxonomy, by breaking apart each piece of a whole (the macro) to discover how its pieces (the micro) interrelate to each other.   Pettler’s approach incorporates and advocates for four critical subcomponents completed within the analysis step: investigatory/organizational statement analysis (McClish, 2001), investigatory/organizational wound analysis, behavioral analysis (not behavioral/criminal profiling), comprehensive victimology, and comprehensive suspectology (Pettler, 2011).  The CSR then puts analyzed pieces back together as a new whole and understands the item of evidence in a new way than from when it was initially identified and collected.  Level 5 of Bloom’s Taxonomy as it applies to crime scene reconstruction is utilized as the CSR synthesizes all of the pieces that have been so carefully analyzed to reconstruct, reorganize, combine, and collaborate to understand the evidence in its totality.  This step is comprehensive from the standpoint that it encompasses analyzed statements, physical evidence, behavioral evidence (from an applied standpoint, non-professional; investigatory tool), the crime laboratory results, the autopsy report(s), etc. 
 
An investigation can not be crippled faster than if those involved approach a crime scene with preconceived notions or by drawing conclusions upon cursory review (i.e., Bloom’s Level 6 Evaluation) rather than approaching it with objectivity grounded by Bloom’s  Level 1 Knowledge.  It is desirable towards success to reserve analysis, synthesis, and specifically evaluation (i.e., judgments, worth, value, conclusions) for the appropriate time under the appropriate circumstances, which is never when signing into the crime scene.  Analyzing is not to be confused with “thinking-hard about something” because the analytical process is systematic in nature and documented in progress within this model. 
 
When it comes to staged crimes and crime scenes, critical pieces of criminally purposefully tampered with evidence can be missed not only because the integrity of the scene is automatically assumed, or investigators approach the scene by drawing conclusions (evaluation), but also because investigators are rushed by superior officers/other service calls, and for other reasons that arise as well, etc.  It is arguable that rushing when crime scene staging is in question could prove disastrous. 
 
III.  Crime Scene Reconstruction and The Scientific Method 
 
Crime scene reconstruction can sometimes offer a peak into past events that might have occurred during the commission of a crime.  The Scientific Method is a proven empirically grounded methodology for use in crime scene reconstruction that focuses on the quantitative aspects of the crime itself, which are paramount to illustrating sequences of events, determining the positioning of involved individuals, etc. (Gardner & Bevel, 2009). 
 
The crime scene reconstructionist utilizes the totality of the available evidence to potentially reconstruct a crime.  The use of traditional homicide investigation methods and procedures are a critical piece of this process in that they are the methods and processes used to gather the data to be (a) triangulated, (b) analyzed and synthesized using Bloom’s Taxonomy, and (c) reconstructed using the Scientific Method, which can be eventually be evaluated (Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 6) and reported. 
 
The advantages to triangulating the stories to the police, prescriptive stories to family and friends, and a suspect’s decisions pertaining to the victim could prove to be a useful tool for law enforcement professionals pending additional research.  The integration of Modified Triangulation for early detection with Bloom’s Taxonomy as a scaffolding for investigation, analysis and synthesis, in cases where staging is in question builds a solid foundation that enhances the ability of investigator and the reconstructionist to meet each objective in order towards creating the ability to accurately evaluate the results and/or assign merit at the end. 
 
The “Conversational” Scientific Method 
 
Utilizing the Scientific Method within this interdisciplinary, hybrid approach that is completely dependent on traditional homicide investigation methods and techniques to provide the necessary data to test a quantitative question that could lead to the discovery that evidence was tampered with for deceptive purposes in criminal cases could be helpful to the criminal justice professional and the scholarly community in the future. 
 
IV. Pettler’s Crime & Crime Scene Staging Early Detection, Analysis, and Reconstruction Continuum Methodology Interface (above graphics put together) 
 
Pettler’s model serves as an interface for investigators and analysts as they move along the continuum from early detection to investigation through analysis to reconstruction when possible. Although additional empirical research is necessary to develop this model and others to continue to build knowledge in all respects to crime scene staging and crime scene reconstruction in general, Pettler’s model is the first to offer a comprehensive look at what a model might or could look like somewhat in the future, coupled with the future development of a model of the crime scene stager. 
 
SEE ALSO: Mark Clish’s website www.statementanalysis.com; 
 
Key Concepts: Triangulation/Modified Triangulation, Homicide Investigation Methods and Procedures, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Crime Scene Reconstruction, the Scientific Method, Statement Analysis, Wound Analysis (Non-Expert/Non-Pathologist), Victimology, Suspectology. 
 
References: 

1. Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Book 1, Cognitive domain. White  Plains, NY: Longman. 

2. Gardner, R. M., & Bevel, T. (2009). Practical crime scene analysis and reconstruction. Boca  Raton, FL: CRC Press. 

3. McClish, M. (2001). I know your are lying. Winterville, NC: The Marpa Group. 

4. Mertens, D. M. (2005). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating  diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

5. Pettler, L. G. (2011). Component analysis of crime scene reconstruction. The 96th Educational  Conference of the International Association for Identification. Milwaukee, WI: Author. 

6. Pettler, L. G. (2011a). Crime scene behaviors of crime scene stagers (Doctoral dissertation). Proquest. (2251577601). 

7. Taxonomy. (2011). Merriam-Webster 11th Online Dictionary. Retrieved from  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxonomy