Identity in crimes of malice, assault

Assaults are known to arise impulsively in many cases between people who are acquainted and in close proximity (близость) to each other. Usually in each case there are other witnesses to the assault, and identification of the assailant (противник, нападающая сторона) is easy. However, if only a description is available, quite possibly the assailant may be a nearby resident. Assault may appear to have been part of other crimes, e.g. rapes, muggings (нападение с целью ограбления), etc.

At any rate, the important problem then is to learn the identity of the assailant. The methods of determining a suspect are similar to those used in robbery. A description of the assailant should be secured, the victim should visit the rogues gallery (полицейский архив фотоснимков преступников) and inspect the photographs of criminals, a search may be made in the vicinity and so on.

IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM IN CRIMES OF MALICE (HOMICIDE)

The first problem in relation to the victim is to determine his identity. As soon as identity is established, a history of the victim should be secured. This history, which may reveal evidence of a homicide or a suicide (самоубийство), takes up his life from the last moment he was seen alive and may go as far as his childhood or birth. His immediate past is usually the most important, especially the last moments or days.

Establishment of the victim's identity is closely related to his story. To be accurate, the victim's own peculiar history must fit (соответствовать) into the circumstances immediately preceding the mortal injury. Identification is established easily when the victim was in company with his acquaintances at the time he received the mortal injury and the victim remained in the presence of the witnesses. Difficulties in identification seem to increase whenever there is a space of time between the last known appearance of the victim and the time the body is found. The problem of identity is a serious difficulty when the victim is a stranger in the community or when his body has been decomposed (разлагаться) or mutilated (увечить, калечить).

The work of identification is known to include taking fingerprints,.photographs, masks in moulage, descriptions and measurements with attention paid to the physical characteristics that are peculiar to that person. Clothing and other items are examined for trade marks, laundry (прачечная) marks, or other markings that will furnish clues. If wounds are on the body, it is important to know if the clothing was or was not covering the place where the wound was inflicted. Identification is best established by fingerprints if they were taken before death and that person was accurately identified at the time the prints were taken. Identification by some person who knows the victim well and views the body is the next best. Photographs of the person made before death may be used to identify the body although identification from a photograph alone is not always accurate. Identification may be confirmed by other evidence which shows individual characteristics in facial or body formations, marks, scars, dental work, jewelry, clothing, handbags, etc., provided that a living person can identify these characteristics.

The problem of identification may be very involved and may mean the reconstruction of a dismembered body or a skeleton or part of the body. This is difficult though not a hopeless task, but usually requires expert reconstruction to be performed by a pathologist.

Any investigator who has a difficult problem of identification may need to call in experts or consult authorities on the subject.