PART FOUR

  scientific evidence

A. Fingerprints

Prints were taken from numerous items found within several different crime scenes in connection with the murder of Deputy Barret Hill. Office Joe took prints from the tools found in and around the stolen cars and none of the prints matched back to Rob. The prints weren’t compared to anyone else’s in an attempt to make a match.

  Shell casings from the murder weapon and flashlights found at the murder scene were all processed for prints and none matched back to Robert. After Rock-E left Robert’s apartment, police went there and searched the entire area. Detective Tracy Shipley went to the outside storage closet and found the various items that Rock-E left, along with the note he wrote attempting to set up the other friend of his for the murder. The detective also found a pill bottle with this person’s name on it, the gun case of the murder weapon along with the manual, and various ammunition.

  Rock-E is a rather intelligent and methodical individual, isn’t he? In addition to the items listed above, several other weapons and a bulletproof vest were found by police. There is a photograph of Rock-E holding one of the guns found while wearing the bulletproof vest. There is no doubt that these things belonged to him. None of Robert’s prints were found on any of these things.

B. DNA Evidence

Samples of DNA were taken from over 50 items, including Robert’s clothes as well as Deputy Hill’s clothing. When Robert was arrested, he was covered in blood. Senior Forensic Scientist Bill Watson testified that none of Deputy Hill’s blood was on Robert, even though Mr. Hill was shot seven times at close range in extremely vascular areas. All of the blood on Robert’s clothing was his own.

  One single drop of blood on Deputy Hill’s right boot was identified as being from Robert. This is because he was, of course, right there when Mr. Hill was shot and as Robert was running past him, a drop of his blood fell onto Mr. Hill’s boot. After Rock-E uncuffed Robert, when he fired more shots at Mr. Hill, he wounded Robert in his left hand. Robert was bleeding so heavily that he left a blood trail all the way to the parking lot where he stole the car. Bullet fragments were found in the ground, showing that at one point, the shooter was standing over Officer Hill. If Robert shot Deputy Hill as the prosecutor says, they why wasn’t his blood all over Officer Hill? And why wasn’t Officer Hill’s blood all over Robert? The answer is simple: Robert didn’t shoot Deputy Hill!

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Rock-E went to Rob’s apartment and witnesses saw him immediately bleach his clothes with Deputy Barret Hill’s blood on them. A pair of Rock-E’s white, windbreaker pants was submitted for DNA testing. These were the pants with the deputy’s blood on them. However, since they had been bleached, there was no way of obtaining a DNA sample of the blood on the clothes.

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In addition to Mr. Bill, another Forensic Scientist named Katherine was hired by the prosecutor’s office. Ms L. stated that she was “utilizing her training as a consultant and expert in this field to help them (the prosecutors) prove their theory of the case.” She went on to add “That’s the objective here.” At least she was honest on that point! The testimony of both the Forensic Scientists went on for hours, focusing on the effectiveness of DNA testing and other aspects of forensic science. It was all very impressive and the prosecutor cleverly avoided focusing on the fact that all of the evidence pointed directly to Robert’s innocence. Just as throughout the entire trial, Robert’s court appointed attorneys seemed to be doing nothing more than helping the DA win an unjust conviction and death sentence.

B. Gunshot Residue (GSR) and Firearms Tests

Senior Forensic Chemist Robert testified that both Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) and Atomic Absorption (AA) tests were conducted for this case. Both of these tests are used to detect gunshot residue. The AA and SEM tests are routinely seen being conducted on various crime drama television shows. The AA test consists of using swabs to take samples, and then the samples are tested for GSR. The SEM test is conducted using the most advanced microscopes available to test samples and two hugs super computers are used for diagnostics.

  The two types of GSR tests were done on both of Robert’s hands and the gloves he was wearing. Deputy Hill’s hands and his gloves were tested also. Mr. Hill was right handed and the GSR tests came back positive for his right palm, even though he was wearing gloves and hadn’t fired his weapon that night. This shows that Deputy Hill’s palm tested positive just from handling his gun.

  When Robert was arrested, he was still wearing the gloves he had on when Rock-E shot Deputy Hill. Robert is right handed and both SEM and AA tests were done on his left and right hands, as well as both gloves. The results on the right hand and glove were negative. Yes, negative! The test results on the left hand glove were positive because Rock-E grazed Robert’s hand with a bullet.

  How did Robert’s right glove and hand test negative for GSR if he supposedly fired 7 shots from a gun that night as the District Attorney suggested? Robert didn’t fire a weapon that night, and the test results proved that fact. However, Robert’s ineffective court appointed trial attorneys did a ridiculous job of pointing this information out to the jury. The Prosecutor’s witness, Senior Forensic Chemist Mr. Robert, used clever word play to overshadow the fact that Robert didn’t fire a weapon on the night of the shooting. Instead of saying that the GSR tests conducted on Robert’s right hand and glove were “negative,” he said they were “inconclusive.” Once again, one of the DA’s witnesses gave a long testimony full of complicated, scientific jargon that sounded very impressive and completely overshadowed Robert’s attorneys’ feeble attempts to point out that he never fired a weapon on the night of the shooting.

C. Footprint Casting

Forensic Examiner Matthew took thirteen footprint casts from the area of the shooting crime scene. Robert was wearing very distinctive Nike Air Max running shoes that night, and none of the casts matched Robert’s shoes. No other shoes were submitted for comparison.

D. Dr. A. – Autopsy

Dr. Jesse A. performed the autopsy on Deputy Barret Hill, and then testified as one of the District Attorney’s expert witnesses at Robert’s trial. His testimony mainly focused on the gun shot wounds Office Hill suffered. There were seven shots fired, causing ten wounds. Six of these shots were determined to be fired from a distance of two feet or greater, and one from six inches of less.

  The most important of these wounds, which directly proves Robert’s innocence, is shown in the Injury Chart on the bottom of Page 4. This is the “traverse gun shot wound to the back of the head .” Dr. Jesse A. testified that the angle for this wound would be consistent with the shooter being to the left of the victim, standing up. This is the first shot that Rock-E fired while Robert was handcuffed. The prosecutor’s theory stated that Robert supposedly shot Deputy Hill while he was on the ground being handcuffed. If this was indeed the case, then how did a gunshot wound appear directly across the back of Deputy Hill’s head? The only logical explanation is that someone else fired the shot. That someone is Rock-E. Deputy Hill was found on his back, with his head looking straight up. This means the wound couldn’t have occurred while he was on the ground.

After this first shot, several other shots were fired in rapid succession. Then Deputy Hill dropped to the ground. Rock-E uncuffed Robert and shot Deputy Hill several more times, injuring Robert in the process. As discussed earlier, no gunshot residue was found on Robert’s right hand or glove, so he obviously didn’t shoot himself or Deputy Hill. And as also previously discussed, none of Depute Hill’s blood was on Robert, though it was on Rock-E’s clothes, prior to his bleaching them.

  The one close range gunshot wound was caused by a shot Rock-E fired into Depute Hill’s ballistic armor vest after he was already on the ground. If Dr. Jesse A.’s testimony is looked at objectively, even though he himself was profoundly biased, one will surely see that Robert is completely innocent.