The Murder of Claire Josephs and the Power of Forensic Evidence
On this day in 1968, Bernard Josephs arrived at his Bromley, England, home to find the body of his wife Claire under the couple's bed. Her throat had been cut so deeply that it was severed to the spine. Defensive wounds on her hands indicated that she had been attacked with a serrated knife. When police arrived at the scene, they could find no murder weapon, and it appeared that there was no other evidence to go on. However, this brutal murder would be solved, and Claire Josephs' killer would be convicted within four months of the crime, thanks to police determination and forensic evidence.
As investigators examined the Josephs home, they noticed that Claire Josephs had been in the middle of preparing a meal. They could find no signs of forced entry and observed a half-empty cup of coffee on the kitchen table. Clearly, Claire knew her attacker. As detectives began to focus on Bernard and Claire's relatives and circle of friends, one man stood out. Roger Payne had met Claire and Bernard not too long before Claire's murder. He had a criminal record that included assaults on four different women. During questioning, police noticed scratches on his hands that he said were from a fight with his wife.
Payne's flimsy alibi prompted investigators to confiscate his clothing. Although it had already been cleaned, they found more than 60 cerise wool fibers trapped in the seams and the hems. Claire Josephs had been wearing a cerise wool dress when she was murdered. Fibers from her dress were also found in Payne's car along with blood the same type as Claire's.
In May 1968, Roger Payne was found guilty of the murder of Claire Josephs and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains to this day. The forensic science used to convict him is still used to solve crimes. While DNA evidence has wowed the public with its usefulness in solving cold cases, fiber and blood evidence goes a long way in solving murders and other crimes and is favored by prosecutors because it is easier to understand.
Related Reading:
DNA evidence helps solve murder - 1968
A Study of Fibers and Textiles
The Development of Serology and the Discovery of DNA
As investigators examined the Josephs home, they noticed that Claire Josephs had been in the middle of preparing a meal. They could find no signs of forced entry and observed a half-empty cup of coffee on the kitchen table. Clearly, Claire knew her attacker. As detectives began to focus on Bernard and Claire's relatives and circle of friends, one man stood out. Roger Payne had met Claire and Bernard not too long before Claire's murder. He had a criminal record that included assaults on four different women. During questioning, police noticed scratches on his hands that he said were from a fight with his wife.
Payne's flimsy alibi prompted investigators to confiscate his clothing. Although it had already been cleaned, they found more than 60 cerise wool fibers trapped in the seams and the hems. Claire Josephs had been wearing a cerise wool dress when she was murdered. Fibers from her dress were also found in Payne's car along with blood the same type as Claire's.
In May 1968, Roger Payne was found guilty of the murder of Claire Josephs and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains to this day. The forensic science used to convict him is still used to solve crimes. While DNA evidence has wowed the public with its usefulness in solving cold cases, fiber and blood evidence goes a long way in solving murders and other crimes and is favored by prosecutors because it is easier to understand.
Related Reading:
DNA evidence helps solve murder - 1968
A Study of Fibers and Textiles
The Development of Serology and the Discovery of DNA
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