Build a timeline.

It is ever so basic an investigative principle to build a precise fact timeline that we are often amazed that it is so often overlooked, or done half-heartedly. We were contacted by one of our Clients, a police department that we had supported in the past. The case was anything but routine with the death of a six year old child.

The victim was reported to have drowned at the beach and was being classified as an accident. However, one investigator had some nagging doubts. The victim had been in the company of the new step mother. What we found on the stepmom was straight out of a movie. The stepmom had previously shot and killed a boyfriend and done time in prison. She also had a lurid past involving exotic dancing and pornography. Our profile of the stepmom was that she was suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder.

We then built a very detailed timeline of the stepmoms version of events on the afternoon prior to the drowning.We compared this to a timeline of events that we could tether to events that could not be disputed. It became crystal clear that the events could not have happened as the step mom had claimed. This information, couple with the fact that the stepmom had never called 9-11 during the 20 minute drive to the emergency room, led to her being charged with Capital Murder.

The Timeline was the crucial piece of evidence in the trial that led to her conviction.