BBM:
Below is a very complicated case of simulation of a crime scene, taken from an appendix of a text about a case in which 3 people were stabbed to death in an apartment, and a fourth was implicated in the crime.
Interestingly enough, the police concluded that an unknown "lone wolf" had done the crime:
Conclusion 2:
The crime scene in this case appears to have been staged to
implicate Charles B. Davis.
The simulated, or staged, crime scene is that in which the physical evidence has been purposefully altered to mislead authorities or redirect the investigation (Turvey,
2002, p. 249).
Evidence may be added, relocated, removed, obscured, or even obliterated to serve this purpose.
The evidence found at the crime scene in this case is most consistent with having been staged to implicate Charles B. Davis. This is based on a careful consideration of the following observations and inconsistencies in the evidence:
1. The person who committed the murders in this case would have had
sustained various amounts of bloody transfer from stabbing the victims.
Consequently, there would be mixtures of the victims blood on the
offenders hands, forearms, clothing, and exposed skin.
2. Dan Kinkade found the door at the crime scene to be closed and locked.
There would have been blood on the offenders hands, which would have
transferred onto the doorknob when the offender closed and locked it.
No blood is observed on the interior or exterior doorknob at the crime
scene. This suggests three possibilities: the offender was wearing gloves
and removed them before leaving the victims apartment; the offender
cleaned up the bloody transfer that was left behind; or more than one
person was at the scene with the offender and the other person closed
and locked the door. The fact that gloves were not found in association
with this crime, while other bloody clothing items were found, suggests
that gloves were not used. Further, there is no evidence that the doorknob
was cleaned off. This leaves the possibility that at least one other person
was present when the victims were killed, and this person closed and
locked the door for the offender. This final possibility appears to be the
most likely.
3. According to witness statements, Charles Davis knocked on Cherish
Putnams apartment door3549 Windrift Way, Apt. #223, Vista,
Californiaat approximately 12:30 a.m. Cherish Putnam is his
daughter. Ms. Putnams door is approximately 100 feet from the door
of Dana Beckmeyer. Crime scene photos clearly show a bloodstain
smear pattern on the outside of Ms. Putnams door, up and to the
left of the exterior doorknob. However, witnesses stated that Charles
Daviss hands were not bloody when he entered her apartment and that
he did not wash his hands or shower subsequently. This is inconsistent
with the ability to leave behind a bloody smear on any door at any
time when entering or exiting a residence. This suggests the strong
possibility that someone other than Mr. Davis placed the bloody smear
on the door.
4. According to witness statements, Charles Davis prepared a bag of clothing
and was given access to a vehicle. However, the evidence is clear that he left on foot and without the belongings he had allegedly prepared. This would
seem to be contradictory.
5. According to witness statements, Cherish Putnam and her roommate
Christina Mauga allegedly aided Charles Davis in concealing his
connection to the crime by helping him clean up at a gas station. Ms.
Mauga stated that she sprayed gasoline on Mr. Daviss hands, and he
rubbed them together to clean them off. However, no blood was found on
the door of the victims apartment or in Ms. Putnams vehicle. Moreover,
investigators did not note detecting the smell of gasoline in relation to
Ms. Putnams vehicle or objects touched by Mr. Bernard subsequent to this
alleged cleaning event.
6. According to witness statements, Cherish Putnam and her roommate
Christina Mauga allegedly aided Charles Davis in concealing his
connection to the crime by driving with him to a pier in Oceanside to
dispose of the alleged murder weapon, a K-Bar knife. However, after giving
multiple false statements to investigators, Ms. Mauga lead the police to the
location where the knife had been disposed of. In fact, Ms. Mauga stated
that she disposed of the knife by dropping it in such a fashion that she
would be able to find it later.
7. According to witness statements, Cherish Putnam waited
for an extended period of time before investigating the
Beckmeyer residence after initially being woken by her
father. Moreover, she did not call the police but rather
some neighbors (Kelly and Dan Kinkade), so that the
neighbor would actually investigate the scene and find the
bodies. The enlistment of an impartial witness to assist
with discovering the crime is a classic feature of crime
scene staging.
8. According to forensic reports, the jacket recovered from
the dumpster in association with this crime has DNA from
the victims blood, as well as unidentified bloodstains.
It is common in cases involving sharp-force weapons for
offenders to injure themselves and bleed at the scene or
on their own clothing. Charles Davis has been excluded
as the source of the unidentified bloodstains on this
clothing.
These facts are consistent with the possibility
that an unidentified assailant killed the victims, injured
himself or herself, and bled on the jacket. http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780123852434/appendices/Third_Edition_Appendix_IV.pdf
