MURDER CASES
In my experience with murder cases I would divide such crimes into
three classes, namely: The cases wherein a murder has been carefully
planned or premeditated; the cases where a murder is committed suddenly
or on the spur of the moment; and those that are a result of some
person intending only to do bodily harm to another but wherein such
injuries later cause death. One could hardly lay down any set rule to
be applied by the detective for the proper investigation of murder
cases. There are, however, several primary things that should be
kept in mind by the detective, and which I have found will apply in
most murder cases. The first and most important thing to be looked
into is the motive. Every effort should be made by the detective to
establish the motive, and if successful he will, as a rule, have little
difficulty in ascertaining the identity of the murderer. After the
murderer's identity is known the detective has something definite upon
which to work.
The detective should satisfy himself as to which of the three classes
previously named the crime would come under. It should be borne in mind
that murders as a rule, are not committed for pastime or amusement. I
would venture to state that seventy-five per cent of murders committed
come under the first named class. Often they are very carefully
planned and the plans just as carefully executed. The detective should
ascertain, by making inquiry or otherwise, who would profit by the
death of the person murdered. It should be ascertained if robbery was
the direct motive.
Hundreds of persons have been murdered by slow poisoning. In such
cases the detective must look for the relative who would benefit by
the death of the person murdered. Persons very often are murdered
so that the insurance they may carry can be claimed. It should be
ascertained if the person murdered had any quarrels with business
associates, relatives, friends, or other persons, or if the enmity of
any person in particular was incurred at any time. If a weapon was
used to cause death, it should be ascertained from the nature of the
wound what kind of weapon was used, and if the weapon prove to be a
pistol, its calibre, make, etc., should be gone into. Regardless of the
kind of weapon used, if its nature can be established, the detective
should endeavor to learn where it was secured, who was known to be in
possession of, or known to have carried such a weapon. In murder cases
every clue, no matter how small or vague, should be run out by the
detective. The smallest clues often develop the best results. As the
circumstances in every murder case will differ, the detective must use
his own judgment as to how to proceed. Application of good judgment and
good common sense methods have never failed to bring about results.