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Comparative bullet-lead analysis

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tests as applied by the FBI could cause confusion and misinterpretation when transmitted to prosecutors or when explained to a trial jury. Because of the significance of this weakness, the report concluded that the analysis should be used with caution. This report helped the FBI decide in 2004 to
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to identify trace elements in the bullets). The report also concluded that the seven trace elements selected for the analyses (arsenic, antimony, tin, copper, bismuth, silver and cadmium) are acceptable for sample correlation. The report finally concluded that the procedure is the best available
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In 2004 the Board's study was summarized in "Forensic Analysis: Weighing Bullet Lead Evidence." The Board determined that the chemical analyses were being performed correctly and were probably sufficient to determine correlation between two bullets from separate sources (the analysis used
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On 17 December 2008, Jimmy Ates was released from a Florida prison after serving ten years on the conviction of having murdered his wife, a conviction obtained largely on the strength of a bullet-lead analysis. His conviction was overturned as a consequence of the 2004 report.
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conducted about 2,500 analyses on cases submitted by law-enforcement groups. The results of these analyses had often been questioned by defence lawyers and the press, so the FBI finally asked the
254:"FBI's Forensic Test Full of Holes: Lee Wayne Hunt is one of hundreds of defendants whose convictions are in question now that FBI forensic evidence has been discredited" 149:
Randich, Erik; Duerfeldt, Wayne; McLendon, Wade; Tobin, William (2002). "A metallurgical review of the interpretation of bullet lead compositional analysis".
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voluntarily cease offering the analysis to law-enforcement entities. The National Academy of Sciences never required that the FBI stop using the test.
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has fought releasing the list of the estimated 2,500 cases over three decades in which it performed the analysis, which may have led to
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examined the unreliability of this technique. It has been discontinued as of September 1, 2005.
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to ones possessed by suspects on the theory that each batch of
42: 306:(Press release). FBI National Press Office. September 1, 2005. 148: 46: 213:"Board's Report Leads to Overturn of Murder Conviction" 298: 296: 63:in 1963. From the early 1980s through 2004 the US 97:CNN Presents Encore Presentation: Reasonable Doubt 75:to research the scientific merit of the process. 73:Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy 315: 293: 84:method for such correlations. The greatest 129:"Skeptoid #821: Forensic (Pseudo) Science" 69:United States National Academy of Sciences 247: 245: 243: 211:Bohaty, Rochelle F. H. (March 2, 2009). 206: 204: 251: 189:. www.cleveland.com. December 29, 2009. 123: 316: 240: 210: 30:, is a now discredited and abandoned 272:"CNN Presents – Encore Presentation: 201: 81:plasma-optical emission spectroscopy 52:The technique was first used after 13: 252:Solomon, John (October 18, 2007). 117: 28:compositional bullet-lead analysis 14: 350: 20:Comparative bullet-lead analysis 329:Federal Bureau of Investigation 218:Chemical & Engineering News 65:Federal Bureau of Investigation 49:had a unique elemental makeup. 264: 151:Forensic Science International 1: 194: 163:10.1016/S0379-0738(02)00118-4 7: 88:in the report was that the 10: 355: 227:10.1021/cen-v087n009.p032 16:Former forensic technique 324:Overturned convictions 34:technique which used 334:Forensic techniques 281:. CNN. May 7, 2006 108:false convictions 26:), also known as 346: 308: 307: 300: 291: 290: 288: 286: 280: 274:Reasonable Doubt 268: 262: 261: 249: 238: 237: 235: 233: 208: 190: 182: 145: 143: 141: 127:(1 March 2022). 354: 353: 349: 348: 347: 345: 344: 343: 314: 313: 312: 311: 302: 301: 294: 284: 282: 278: 270: 269: 265: 258:Washington Post 250: 241: 231: 229: 209: 202: 197: 185: 139: 137: 120: 118:Further reading 104:U.S. government 57:John F. Kennedy 17: 12: 11: 5: 352: 342: 341: 336: 331: 326: 310: 309: 292: 263: 239: 199: 198: 196: 193: 192: 191: 183: 157:(3): 174–191. 146: 125:Dunning, Brian 119: 116: 54:U.S. President 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 351: 340: 337: 335: 332: 330: 327: 325: 322: 321: 319: 305: 299: 297: 277: 275: 267: 259: 255: 248: 246: 244: 228: 224: 220: 219: 214: 207: 205: 200: 188: 184: 180: 176: 172: 168: 164: 160: 156: 152: 147: 136: 135: 130: 126: 122: 121: 115: 111: 109: 105: 100: 98: 94: 91: 87: 82: 76: 74: 70: 66: 62: 61:assassination 58: 55: 50: 48: 44: 41: 37: 33: 29: 25: 21: 283:. Retrieved 279:(transcript) 273: 266: 257: 230:. Retrieved 216: 154: 150: 138:. Retrieved 132: 112: 101: 96: 95: 77: 51: 27: 23: 19: 18: 339:Comparisons 90:statistical 40:crime scene 318:Categories 195:References 36:chemistry 179:22272775 171:12175947 134:Skeptoid 38:to link 32:forensic 285:May 31, 232:May 31, 43:bullets 221:: 32. 177:  169:  140:15 May 86:caveat 175:S2CID 287:2013 234:2013 167:PMID 142:2022 102:The 47:lead 24:CBLA 223:doi 159:doi 155:127 59:'s 320:: 295:^ 256:. 242:^ 215:. 203:^ 173:. 165:. 153:. 131:. 71:' 289:. 276:" 260:. 236:. 225:: 181:. 161:: 144:. 22:(

Index

forensic
chemistry
crime scene
bullets
lead
U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
assassination
Federal Bureau of Investigation
United States National Academy of Sciences
Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy
plasma-optical emission spectroscopy
caveat
statistical
U.S. government
false convictions
Dunning, Brian
"Skeptoid #821: Forensic (Pseudo) Science"
Skeptoid
doi
10.1016/S0379-0738(02)00118-4
PMID
12175947
S2CID
22272775
"Discredited bullet evidence: 5 years in, FBI still hasn't finished review of 2,500 cases"


"Board's Report Leads to Overturn of Murder Conviction"
Chemical & Engineering News

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