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Copyright of Armenian Folia Anglistika is the property of Publishing House of Yerevan State University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Honour-based violence has garnered significant attention within Canadian national discourses, especially within popular media and political rhetoric. Frequently conceptualized as a culturally specific form of violence embedded with patriarchal understandings of honour, these crimes have been mobilized within mainstream media to vilify certain ethnic and racial communities, particularly from the Global East. Relying on ethnocentric explanations, honour crimes are imagined as foreign phenomena that have been imported into Canada by immigrant populations who actively resist assimilation and fail to adopt liberal Western values of equality and freedom. This paper seeks to unsettle these very tropes surrounding the "honour crime" label using a postcolonial feminist lens. Drawing on the murder case of Aqsa Parvez, this paper calls into question the discursive strategies used to construct "honour crimes" and the racialized tropes that they perpetuate. Further, this paper examines how this label is mobilized to carry out "political work" and support certain political agendas, which include managing immigrant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For senior British officials in late colonial Burma, an important part of the explanation for the province's soaring murder rate was the reluctance and often outright refusal of Burmese witnesses to murder to engage with the police and courts in bringing killers to justice. That reluctance or refusal, it was said, substantially reduced the arrest and in particular the conviction rate in murder cases, thereby weakening the deterrent impact of the law. British officials explained the reluctance or refusal in terms of alleged weaknesses in the Burmese character and social organisation. In contrast, this paper argues that the Burmese had strong reasons for failing to engage, in that they could have little confidence that the colonial police and courts would in fact bring murderers to justice. Self-help justice, revenge-killing, was a far more certain path. The final section of the paper examines a number of measures considered or implemented by the British colonial administration in the 1920s and 1930s to curb the murder count, measures which in fact merely exposed the Burma administration's limited reach and indeed ambition in seeing murderers caught and convicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 30 years have seen a dramatic shift in investigative interview training in the United Kingdom (UK) as a result of miscarriages of justice cases featuring vulnerable suspects. In 2001, the UK Police adopted a five-tiered approach to investigative interviewing, with Tier 1 for new recruits through to Tier 5 for interview managers (IMs). The IM is responsible for overseeing strategic decisions with regard to the investigative interviewing process. Even though the role of an IM has been in existence for over twenty years, it is one of the most under-researched aspects of investigative interviewing. The aim of the current paper is to present an oversight of the role of an IM in UK policing using a self-report questionnaire, presenting the responses of 53 UK police IMs’ perceptions of their role in high-stakes crime investigations. Content analysis was carried out on the responses and revealed that IMs are most frequently deployed to murder investigations, followed by serious assaults, then sexual offences. However, not all of the respondents had received the pre-requisite training for the role. Nevertheless, the IMs broadly agreed that the senior investigating officer respected the advice provided by the IM, though without fully understanding what the role entailed. IMs unanimously said the role was crucial to high-stakes investigations and presented their perceptions of the skills, qualities and knowledge that IMs require to perform the role. Finally, future directions of research in this area are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a plastic tarp to dispose of a dead body is portrayed frequently in true crime media and often seen in actual investigated murder cases. In these instances, the suspect wraps a victim's body completely in a plastic tarp and disposes of it, hoping that because the remains are not actively exposed, they will not be discovered. This paper explores the differences between a natural, open decomposition and a closed decomposition in which the body is wrapped in a plastic tarp and analyses the effectiveness of utilizing a plastic tarp for body disposal. Using two wild Texas hogs, Sus Scrofa, as surrogates for human bodies, the decomposition process was monitored biweekly for ten weeks. The temperature, moisture level, insect presence, animal activity, and overall condition of the bodies were measured to determine which decomposition process occurred at a quicker rate and what factors of decomposition had the greatest effect on the rate at which the bodies reached Butyric Fermentation. While the pig wrapped in the tarp underwent faster internal decomposition changes, the presence of increased insect and animal activity to the exposed pig caused its body to deteriorate faster. Therefore, it can be determined that while, in a theoretical, concealed environment, a plastic tarp would be a more effective method to decompose a body because the tarp holds the victim at higher internal temperatures and accumulates moisture. However, because of the importance of insect and animal activity in the decomposition process, leaving a body without covering would help eliminate and scatter the bodily evidence faster and more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The death notification is regarded as one of the most defining events for families of sudden and unexpected death. Little is known how the death notification process impacts families who have lost a loved one to homicide. Using the focus group methodology, this study depicts the death notification process through the eyes of homicide co-victims and examines the patterned aspects of the notifiers' association with co-victims as their relationships and contacts unfold across three critical phases of death notification: initiating contact with co-victims, delivering the notice, and providing assistance and referral to co-victims. Of particular interest is retelling personal accounts of secondary victimization that homicide co-victims experience during the death notification process and how they responded to such experiences. The paper concludes by discussing ways to improve death notification protocols and training guidelines and providing direction for future policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to life includes the absolute freedom of the individual to live without being endangered or threatened, in conditions of freedom and promotion of interpersonal values. The purpose of the paper is to provide a general overview of the right to life, including the consequences of denying this right, as well as the main forms or distinguishing investigative characteristics in determining whether it is a case of murder or suicide. To provide the required data, a statistical method was used, through which the frequency of murder and suicide during the years 2019-2022 was presented. The comparative method was used to compare the findings on the change in number in relation to the prevalence of murders and suicides. The interview method was used to collect data on the prevalence of murders and suicides at the local level, as well as to determine the distinctive investigative features of these cases. The results of the research indicate that murder, aggravated murder and suicide have been decreased during the period 2019-2022, respectively the first six months of 2022. The results also indicate that investigators may face some difficulties such as the lack of cooperation of witnesses, the unintentional and intentional destruction of evidence, the movement of the victim's body by changing its position, or even in some cases the lack of professionalism of the investigator. Based on the results, the investigators can distinguish whether it is a case of murder or suicide based on the position of the victim, the type of caused wound, bodily secretions, the past of the victim and the presence of a weapon at the scene. Investigators do not often face doubts as to whether the case is murder or suicide due to sufficient evidence. The research indicates that in some cases the investigators can also face those situations when the murder is staged with manipulative methods to look like suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kroatologija is the property of University of Zagreb, Centre for Croatian Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The research paper explores the application of Functional Systemic Linguistics (FSL) in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) on the news "Scenario Ferdy Sambo" in online media Kompas and Tempo. FSL is used to analyze the textual features of the news, including the choice of words, grammar, and coherence, to identify the underlying ideologies and power relations embedded in the discourse. CDA is employed to analyze the social context and discourse practices surrounding news production and consumption, including the actors involved, their interests, and the implications of the news for society. This research analyzes the news of the murder case of Brigadier J, who dragged the name of a general, Ferdy Sambo. This case is at the forefront of a problem that is rife throughout society. The internet media, particularly Tempo and Kompas, highlighted stories connected to the unearthing of CCTV that Ferdy Sambo had buried. News writing portrays thoughts and manifestations of emotion in the individuals who read it. This analysis tries to describe the structure of the text and the social context of the discourse news in Kompas and Tempo. The research technique incorporates Teun A. Van Dijk's critical discourse analysis. Data were acquired via viewing the tempo and Kompas websites. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the structure of the text is built on elements of macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure in the form of semantic, syntactic, stylistic, and rhetorical features that underpin the overall discourse. Analysis related to the social context provides an overview of the representation of the reader/community regarding the allegations of Ferdy Sambo's involvement in the killing of Brigadier J through the CCTV found. This leads to the people's thinking/ideology that the news is according to what they need because it is plain and open. The materials supplied in the discourse provided further explanations and disrupted the basic scenario of Ferdy Sambo, who was not involved in the death of Brigadier J. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the aftermath of Kim Jong Nam’s assassination on the diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea along with the historical evolution of diplomatic relations between both countries since Malaysia’s independence. Little is known about the nature of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and North Korea, especially when public perceptions dictate that both countries barely share any similarities. In appreciating the implications of the murder case from the perspective of international law, an analysis is carried out on the history of diplomatic relations between Putrajaya and Pyongyang. A further study is conducted on the factors which attract Malaysia and North Korea to forge and strengthen their diplomatic relations. Malaysia’s inclusive foreign policy is highlighted via her participation in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1970 which promotes peaceful engagement with all countries regardless of their political allegiance, including the Communist-led regime in North Korea. The task of preserving regional safety and bolstering economic prosperity are top on Putrajaya’s priority list. With the volume of bilateral trade between Malaysia and North Korea is steadily increasing and Pyongyang’s continuous provocations of her Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), peaceful engagements with the aim of repairing the damaged diplomatic relations is the best option for both countries. This study concludes that although the relationship between the two nations are severed, it is crucial for Malaysia to consider reviving and enhancing bilateral relations with North Korea, hence benefiting Putrajaya in outlining Malaysia’s future foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Murder is a crime that is specified relatively early in Vietnam's criminal legislative history. Throughout the legislative history of the Vietnam Criminal Law with several revision and amendment, the highest penalty for murder crime is the death penalty. In according to the downward trend of regulations on the death penalty, Article 123 of the Criminal Law 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017) have many amendments. The question could be raised in this paper is whether in the practice of Vietnam the rate of the death penalty application for murder offense accounts for a worrying proportion or not?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Socioterapy / Journal Socioterapie is the property of Linguo-Cultural & Translation-Interpretation Centre of Excellence at the Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the problem of decision making by a judge in the case of murder cases in criminal law using single hidden layered fuzzy neural network algorithm. Since the membership functions (MFs) of fuzzy sets can affect the performance of the classification models, determination of MFs is crucial. In this paper, the MF selected is Triangular and Gaussian is proposed for evaluation to improve the classification results. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed Fuzzy Neural Network model for the classification of murder cases, sufficient number of real-world data sets of court decisions are trained and tested. The simulation model of different membership functions for the modified fuzzy neural network architecture is implemented in C++. Experimental results show that the proposed neuro-fuzzy classifier with Gaussian MF outperforms Triangular MF with higher accuracy. The proposed classification model is proved to be a suitable tool for classification of murder cases in criminal law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A murder of a Slovak investigative journalist in February 2018 led to a wave of massive rallies across the country and abroad which demanded a fair investigation of the murder as well as some political concessions. The grass-roots protests were held under the slogan Za slušné Slovensko (For a Decent Slovakia) in which the concept of slušnosť (decency) was chosen to echo the ethos of the November 1989 Velvet Revolution. In a wave of ensuing societal discourses about (im)politeness, slušnosť has proven to be a highly contested term. This contestedness is examined in two threads from Internet discussion fora which are attached to news articles reporting on March 9, 2019 mass gatherings. The analysis demonstrates how posters negotiate their understandings of slušnosť with regard to their group-based stances and identities. Also, the paper points out the indexical resources which posters use to construct their own and others' identities and demonstrates how (im)politeness, morality and identity construction are closely interrelated. The paper adopts the approach of ʽpoliteness as a social practiceʼ and uses ʽtactics of intersubjectivityʼ as the main analytical tool. The metapragmatic analysis of a societal change is contextualized within wider socio-political developments in post-1989 Slovakia. • A murder of a Slovak journalist in February 2018 sparked mass protests held under the slogan of ʽFor a Decent Slovakiaʼ. • In the slogan, the concept of slušnosť (decency) was chosen to echo the ethos of Czechoslovak 1989 Velvet Revolution. • In the ensuing societal discourses slušnosť has proven to be a highly contested term across social groups. • Internet discussion for a demonstrate how understandings of slušnosť are linked to posters´ stances and group identities. • After the ʽrevolution of decencyʼ of 2018, the argumentativity of slušnosť has contributed to societal group-based divisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the results of training experiences in the field of education in forensic and biomedical sciences carried out during two editions of summer schools. Two simulated serious crimes, involving dummies used as victims, were prepared for practitioners in outdoor places. The scenes simulate a suspect murder case of homicide with staging and a corpse concealment with dismembered human remains found into a clandestine grave, respectively. During the simulations, laser scanning technology was applied to reproduce the outdoor crime scenes in order to verify the capacity of the innovative technique as advantageous tool during educational and forensic training. Judicial inspections conducted during the simulation provided preliminary physical evidence, in the fields of forensic medicine, forensic geology, and engineering, highlighting the importance of the multidisciplinary approach. These experiences, through the use of the laser scanner that allowed for the recreation of virtual environments in which practitioners were able to confront crime scenes, demonstrated how such an approach can be useful in education and training activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a hybrid algorithm based on maximum spanning tree and dynamic fuzzy neural network is proposed for classification of murder cases. The proposed classification model of criminal law is useful for judges, lawyers or other people who want to determine the guilt and deliver judgment in their cases. The model is trained and tested for sufficient number of court decisions. The experimental results show that the proposed maximum spanning tree-based dynamic fuzzy supervised neural network algorithm overcomes the problem of slow convergence and large computation caused by artificial neural network and fuzzy neural network algorithms. Comparative studies were carried out for a number of different networks and configurations and reported. Simulations are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This applied linguistics study on the lay discourse about legal language analyses online public reactions to a court decision in the Sarah Halimi case, a French Jewish woman killed by her neighbour in Paris in 2017. This study draws on discourse analysis with a focus on semantics analysis and dialogism theory to delve into how legal discourse is disseminated in forums and undergoes semantic redefinition through users' language practices of legal notion in their own discourses. Thus, the aim of this study is not to develop linguistics theories but to use linguistics to explore the relationship between (1) the public representation and perception of this murder case in three forums and (2) the politico-legal response to decisions about a lack of criminal responsibility. The latter remains a sensitive topic in several countries, and several criminal justice reforms are revised or implemented with close observation of public reaction. This analysis highlights the linguistic markers revealing emotional discourse and a polymorphous expression of a lack of confidence in the justice system and legal actors, emphasising issues in comprehending justice and the work of psychiatrists and highlighting a gap between expectations and the actual delivery of justice. This study also shows that the linguistic strategies of non-experts are similar to those of legal experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the role of a Behavioural Investigative Adviser (BIA) in assisting with the decision-making of a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) in difficult-to-detect murder investigations. It outlines the need for transparent evidence-based decision-making from both the SIO and the BIA. The paper then details a piece of relevant, applied research that can assist in this end. The research utilised a pragmatic psychology approach to analyse 312 detected murder cases from the Serious Crime Analysis Section database. Some significant patterns relating what is known about the offence at different stages of an investigation and inferences regarding the offender were found, indicating that certain offence information can lead to some reliable predictions and these can be refined as more information becomes available. However, the findings also indicate that base rate frequencies and a 'best-guess' methodology may be as, if not more, useful than more complex statistical techniques when providing advice to investigations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The death of Adam Regis in March 2007 and subsequent murder investigation highlighted the difficulties of encouraging young people to cooperate with the police by providing information that could lead to a successful conviction. ‘Snitching’, as it is known, is currently an under-explored area of research in the UK with most extant research having been conducted in the US. Therefore this paper attempts partially to fill this gap in the research. Drawing on a recent multi-method qualitative study, involving 24 interviews with young people in one London borough and two focus groups with teachers, police officers and youth workers, this paper seeks to explore the puzzling issue of why young people do not ‘snitch’. In particular, we explore the impact of relationships with the police and the impact of wider social influences – such as young people's concerns about their safety, peer groups, particularly ‘elders’, families and music – on their decision to ‘actively cooperate’ with the police. We argue that peers, specifically ‘olders’, appear to have more influence on a young person's decision to cooperate with the police, than their relationships with the police or the advice from their family. However, the intertwined nature of the influences on young people's decision to cooperate and the importance of trust in the police provide two points of variation with the existing research on procedural justice and police legitimacy. We also demonstrate the benefits of conducting research on policing ‘from within’ and of collaborations between practitioners and academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws upon a range of empirical data to consider the ways in which police murder investigations are symbolically constructed, both within and outside of the police organization. It is argued that a range of communicative formats serve to produce the activities associated with police murder investigations in a way that serves to legitimate the police function to both members of the public and police officers alike. A particular emphasis is placed upon understanding the connections between informal and formal communications, and the instrumental and expressive objectives that variously underpin them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we look at reasoning with evidence and facts in criminal cases. We show how this reasoning may be analysed in a dialectical way by means of critical questions that point to typical sources of doubt. We discuss critical questions about the evidential arguments adduced, about the narrative accounts of the facts considered, and about the way in which the arguments and narratives are connected in an analysis. Our treatment shows how two different types of knowledge, represented as schemes, play a role in reasoning with evidence: argumentation schemes and story schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research paper examines the observance ofhunger strikes by the Und Lahore Conspiracy Case prisoners in Lahore Central Jail in 1929 to uplift the terrible condition of the political prisoners. It starts with the filing of a complaint by the Punjab Police Superintendent under the seditious activities and in the Saunders murder case and further shed light on the activities of the under trial revolutionaries to resist the hearing. It highlights the peaceful struggle in the form ofhunger strikes by Bhagat Singh and other accused under this case. This historic hunger strike resulted in the martyrdom of Das on September 13, 1929. The case drew attention the world over and the revolutionaries finally achieved their target to get special status injails for Indian prisoners. On February 19,1930, the government oflndia issued the New Jail Rules. Many demands were conceded, though it was still far short of the desired reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Netflix nineteenth-century period drama The Law According to Lidia Poet presents the adventures of a young Italian law graduate in her pursuit of solving murder cases. Lidia Poet is not a fictional character, but very little is known about her journey to become a lawyer- and the series only adds a little to this knowledge. This review has several aims. First, it will reconsider the implications of reel history. Second, it will add some context to Netflix's introduction of Lidia Poet and compare her experiences accessing the legal profession with her English colleagues, such as Bertha Cave and Gwyneth Bebb. Attention will be paid to the courts' rejections of their appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay studies the "Henry Spearman" detective novel series, wherein a fictional Harvard economist applies economic theory to solve murder cases. Written by professional economists under a pen name, the novels, designed for entertainment and to be assigned to economics courses, espouse a narrow vision of economic common sense through what I call the detective's "economic law enforcement." By interrogating the detective's retroactive construction of symbolic guilt upon suspects, and the authors' use of prosopopœia in verbal debates over economic concepts, it is possible to see how economic orthodoxy is reproduced through the mechanisms of speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In murder cases, the body of the deceased has practical importance in the criminal investigation of a death. This comparative study considers the position held in legislation concerning the protection of the corpse as an investigation tool. Such protection may relate to the objective protection of the corpse, or to procedural protection aimed at regulating the procedures that must be followed during the examination of the body. The protection must also take into account the body's right to privacy, including the value it carries for the deceased's family and loved ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen years after a murder and an act of cannibalism, the police in Szczecin have conducted an investigation, in which neither the time of the murder, nor the victim identity were known, no body was found, and the defendants have not confessed. Due to the circumstantial nature of the investigation and the trial, a number of analyses were performed, and expert opinions were requested as part of the inquiry. A dendrochronological study of a birch tree growing on the shore of Lake Żabie was one of the analyses lending credibility to the testimony of one of the defendants and pointing to the murder site. The aim of this study was to determine the age and size of the birch tree in the 1998–2002 period, and to determine whether the tree was a distinctive feature of the landscape through the period in question. Field work was performed in April 2019, under the supervision of the police. The birch tree was measured and samples collected using a Pressler borer. The measurements and observations revealed that the birch tree, due to its size, and the absence of other trees of this species in this segment of the lake shore, may have been a characteristic landscape element in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to the police officer and the prosecutor in charge of the case, the results of the dendrological analysis have lent a strong credibility to the testimony of one of the defendants and other findings of the investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suppressing irrational beliefs for moral reasons leaves the agent "divided against himself" (Sher [2]: 121) and can render his conscious thoughts "no longer expressions of [his] true nature" (Sher [2]: 123). Sher points out that, until we act, we have the opportunity to back out of following through on our intentions (Sher [2]: 24). Third, Sher notes that when our thoughts increase the risk of (or create an expectation of) our acting wrongly "we always have the final say about whether those expectations will be met" (Sher [2]: 48). Just as Sher makes use of these claims to resist derivative obligations to avoid risky thoughts, we can make use of them to keep derivative obligations from running amok through our mental lives. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Proper collection and analysis of physical evidence including insects, bloodstains, or any other material can be of probative value in a court of law. This is the first casework where hairs were involved as insect-related evidence. Hairs constitute important categories of trace evidence as they can provide useful information for an association between a suspect and a crime scene or a suspect and a victim. Two "cold cases" occurred in two different European countries in which the trace evidence relating to insects was the last piece of a complex puzzle useful for the conviction of the perpetrator. Insect-related evidence must be considered of probative value just as bloodstains, fingerprints, fibers, or any other materials. Such evidence if properly collected and analyzed can also provide useful details in the reopening of old unsolved murders, also called "cold cases". This paper presents the case of two murders that occurred in two different European countries and remained unsolved for years. The remains of a girl found in Italy 17 years after her disappearance helped to solve a murder that occurred in Britain 8 years prior. The cases were unexpectedly linked together because of the similarities in the ritualistic placing of strands of hair and connections with the suspect. The trace evidence relating to insects and hairs played a relevant role in the conviction of the perpetrator. In Italy, the defense raised the doubt that the strands of hair found nearby the skeletal remains could be the result of insect feeding activity and not the result of a cut by sharp objects. Therefore, it was fundamental to distinguish between sharp force lesions and insect feeding activity on hair. This unusual application of insect-related evidence clearly emphasizes the importance of an appropriate professional collection and analysis of any physical evidence that could be of robust probative value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass murder, particularly mass shootings, constitutes a major, growing public health concern. Specific motivations for these acts are not well understood, often overattributed to severe mental illness. Identifying diverse factors motivating mass murders may facilitate prevention. We examined 1,725 global mass murders from 1900–2019, publicly described in English in print or online. We empirically categorized each into one of ten categories reflecting reported primary motivating factors, which were analyzed across mass murderers generally, as well as between U.S- and non-U.S.-based mass-shooters. Psychosis or disorganization related to mental illness were infrequently motivational factors (166; 9.6%), and were significantly more associated with mass murder committed using methods other than firearms. The vast majority (998, 57.86%) of incidents were impulsive and emotionally-driven, following adverse life circumstances. Most mass murderers prompted by emotional upset were found to be driven by despair or extreme sadness over life events (161, 16.13% within the category); romantic rejection or loss, or severe jealousy (204, 20.44% within the category); some specific non-romantic grudge (212, 21.24% within the category); or explosive, overwhelming rage following a dispute (266, 26.65% within the category). Results suggest that policies seeking to prevent mass murder should focus on criminal history, as well as subacute emotional disturbances not associated with severe mental illness in individuals with poor coping skills who have recently experienced negative life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bones are one of the most common biological types of evidence in forensic cases. Discriminating human bones from irrelevant species is important for the identification of victims; however, the highly degraded bones could be undiagnostic morphologically and difficult to analyze with standard DNA profiling approaches. The same challenge also exists in archaeological studies. Here, we present an initial study of an analytical strategy that involves zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) and ancient DNA methods. Through the combined strategy, we managed to identify the only biological evidence of a two-decades-old murder case — a small piece of human bone out of 19 bone fragments — and confirmed the kinship between the victim and the putative parents through joint application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and Sanger sequencing methods. ZooMS effectively screened out the target human bone while ancient DNA methods improve the DNA yields. The combined strategy in this case outperforms the standard DNA profiling approach with shorter time, less cost, as well as higher reliability for the genetic identification results. Highlights: • The first application of zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry technique in the forensic case for screening out human bones from bone fragment mixtures. • Application of ancient DNA technique to recover the highly degraded DNA sequence from the challenging sample that failed standard DNA profiling approaches. • A fast, sensitive, and low-cost strategy that combines the strengths of protein analysis and DNA analysis for kinship identification in forensic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]