Weapons of the Criminal

1. Weapons of the Criminal Chapter 4 - Pure Poison

2. Chapter 4 HW Check 1. Name one situation, other than murder, where death may be caused by poison. (Q.3) • Name one poison, as described by your text, that is commonly found in the household. (Q.4) 3. What are the physical signs of carbon monoxide poisoning? (Q.5) 4. What is the plant source of Aconitine? (Q.7) 5. What is the plant source of Atropine? (Q.7)

3. What is the profession of many of the murderers who use poison? Why? • Professionals such as doctors or pharmacists • Many of the poisons used are not readily available to the public.

4. 2. How often is poison used in murders in developed parts of the world such as Canada? • In 1/100 murders. • Skilled medical and forensic experts can typically identify the signs of poisoning with ease.

5. 3. List TWO poisonous situations, other than murder, where forensic evidence is needed to establish cause of death: • Accidental poisoning – overdose, mixed prescription. • Suicide

6. 4. What are FOUR common poisons found in many houses that could be used for their poisonous effects? • ASA Pills – A diet pill which decreases the amount of carbs that can be broken down into glucose. • Household disinfectants such as Lysol • Deprive the blood of calcium • Slug-killer • Causes cramps, hallucinations, tremor of limbs, coma, and death from respiratory breakdown in only days. • Gas and Carbon Monoxide  • suffocate from the inside out

7. 5. What are the physical signs of carbon monoxide poisoning? • Carbon monoxide begins to combine with the red blood cells instead of oxygen. • Causes the skin and internal organs to turn a cherry red colour.

8. 6. Describe how forensic examiners can determine if a victim died in a fire or if their body was dumped there to destroy evidence? • If carbon monoxide is found in the blood, must have been alive when the fire started, otherwise, wouldn’t have breathed it in.

9. Random Fact • Canaries used to be used in coal mines to warn minors of toxic fumes. • The birds would die from carbon monoxide, or methane poisoning before it would effect the miners. • In addition, canaries tend to sing much of the time, and they would stop singing just before death, which would alert the minors.

12. Results of Arsenic Poisoning

13. Strychine Poisoning

14. Opium Fields

15. The major legal opium production areas in the world today are in government-regulated opium farms in India, Turkey, and Tasmania (Australia). The major illegal growing areas are in Southwest Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran) and in the highlands of Mainland Southeast Asia (Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand) —popularly known as the Golden Triangle. Opium poppy is also grown in Colombia, Mexico, and Lebanon.

16. Opium Production in Afghanistan • Afghanistan is the largest producer of illicit opium in the world. • More opium grown since American invasion, than during any year under the rule of the Taliban • In 2007, 92% of opiates originated from Afghanistan, worth $4 billion • 25% goes to farmers • 75% goes to district officials, war lords, and drug traffickers.

18. Problems Stopping Production • Corrupt gov’t officials, can be bribed by rich producers to turn a blind eye. • Focus on punishing poor farmers instead. • US doesn’t want to hunt Afghan warlords because of their use to the US gov’t • Scouting, providing local intelligence, ridding their districts of Taliban insurgents

20. Opium Production

21. 8. List the FOUR drugs that form the opium family and indicate what, if any, legal use they may have: • Opium  released from unripe opium poppy. • Smoked or mixed with brandy which is called Laudanum • Causes drowsiness and freedom pain.

22. Morphine  can relieve sever pain • Derived from opium, which contains 4% - 20% morphine • Can induce a high degree of dependence

23. Heroin  used illicitly rather than as a prescription. • Produced by the reaction between morphine and acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride. • Popular because it is water soluble and can be injected directly into the vein.

24. Codeine  common pain-killer and cough suppressant.

25. 9. Name and describe TWO depressants, TWO stimulants, and TWO hallucinogenic drugs: • Depressants  alcohol, tranquilizers, barbiturates, adhesive solvents, lighter fluids. • Produce feelings of relaxations, euphoria, loss of inhibition, increased confidence, and ultimately drowsiness. • Stimulants  cocaine, amphetamines, meth • Produce feelings of confidence, boundless energy, loss of appetite, but give way to feelings of dread, extreme fatigue, hunger, and depression

26. Hallucinogens • Marijuana little or no physical dependency, although one can become psychologically dependant on the intoxication produced. • LSD  produced from a chemical called lysergic acid, which was originally extracted from ergot. • PCP  easy to make hallucinogenic, sometimes mixed with LSD and amphetamines to produce “Angel Dust”. • Ecstasy (“E”)  originally developed to suppress appetite. Also leads to state of euphoria. Negative side-effects include: increased blood pressure and pulse rate, nausea and muscle cramps, anxiety and confusion and can be fatal.

27. 10. List FOUR different methods that are used to indicate if a victim has been poisoned or not: • Blood, urine, tissue tests • Will be dissolved in acidic or alkaline solutions and poisons can then be extracted from solution using organic solvents. • Gas Chromatography • Liquid sample (urine) is vaporized as it travels along a tube of liquid. Different chemicals travel at different speeds, reach the indicator and leave a mark.

28. Thin-layer chromatography • Sample placed on a film of silica gel or aluminum oxide. • A solvent separates the different constituents. • Can view these constituents under a microscope, or have them react with another chemical agent. • Immuno-Assay • Antibodies are used, which react differently to specific substances.

29. Harold ShipmanEnglish Doctor and Serial Killer • On January 31st, 2000, Shipman was found guilty of 15 murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. • After further inquest, it is believed that Shipman may have killed over 215 people, most of whom were women. • He killed them by giving the large quantities of morphine.

30. Why did he do it?

31. Early Life • His mother died of lung cancer when he was 17. • May have witnessed a physician give his mother doses of morphine to relieve her pain. • Was often forced by his parents to go on boating trips. • A boating theme has been noticed throughout his life: in scrapbooks and boat collections. • A boat was found surgically placed in one victim’s large intestines

32. Detection • Concerns arose about the high death rate of Shipman’s patients. • Unsure if it was through negligence or intentional • Police investigated but did not press charges • His last victim was Kathleen Grundy • He signed her death certificate as “old age” • Her family became suspicious when the Kathleen’s will left everything to Shipman and excluded her own family. • Police investigated and exhumed Kathleen’s body, which was found to have traces of morphine. • Also found a typewriter in his home that matched the will.

33. A case was put together that included samples of 15 other deceased patients. • He was convicted of killing 15 women through a lethal overdose of morphine. • He was sentenced to 15 concurrent life sentences. • Shipman continually professed his innocence. • He committed suicide by hanging himself from the bars of his prison window with bed sheets. • The families of Shipman’s victims felt cheated that he never confessed to his crime and provided an explanation. • He possibly committed suicide so that his wife would get a lump sum pension payment

34. It was concluded that the probable number of Shipman's victims between 1971 and 1998 was 250. • In total, 459 people died while under his care.

35. Why? • There were no signs of violence, no sexual overtones, no known motive — except for one victim. • Serial killers often like to toy with their victims to show dominance, but Shipman’s victims appeared to die peacefully, in a place they felt comfortable. • Some say he hated old people, believing they were a drain on society. • Others feel he was trying to recreate his mother’s death. • The number of clues he left suggests that maybe he wanted to be caught so that he could be stopped. • On the other hand, maybe he felt so superior that he thought he couldn’t be caught.