Document Examinations Unit

Sophina Moore and Taylor Perea

What the Unit Does:● The examination of documents in which authenticity may be

disputed in court

Evidence analyzed:● The purpose is to provide evidence about a suspicious documentType of cases:● Any case that includes documents

○ A bank robber’s holdup note○ A suicide note○ The will of a wealthy person

How the evidence is analyzed● Examiner's use known and unknown materials to see if it was

altered● In cases with handwriting they compare the collective writing

with with suspects handwriting● Examiner’s use non destructive techniques in order to collect

data from the evidence

Example of aN Real Life case:● Dennis Rader (called the BTK killer)

○ Terrorized Wichita, Kansas for 17 years○ Tortured and killed 10 people○ In 2005, police matched his handwriting with letters he sent

to the police to strike fear● Robert Durst

○ He was suspected of murdering Susan Berman○ Police convinced him when they found a handwritten letter

matching an anonymous letter sent to the police

Works Cited● “Case Studies.” Case Studies - Forensic Document Services,

www.forensicdocument.com.au/case-studies.● “Handwriting Analysis & Forensic Document Examination Education Guide.” Forensics

Colleges, www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/handwriting-analysis-education-guide.

● Posted June 30, 2015 by sdrexler-admin & filed under handwriting analisys. (n.d.). “High-Profile Cases Cracked with Handwriting Analysis”. Retrieved August 24, 2017, from https://www.drexdoclab.com/high-profile-cases-cracked-with-handwriting-analysis/