NCJ Number
145582
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 61-67
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This case report demonstrates a positive identification of the right-handed writer of an extortion letter who used his unaccustomed left hand to handprint the letter.
Abstract
The note demanded a large sum of money and threatened the life of the victim and his family members. The victim's wife thought that the handprinting on the extortion note appeared similar to a former employer's handprinting. The victim supplied the police with handwriting samples from the former employer. The extortion note had several classic indications of the use of the unaccustomed hand, including poor writing skill, jagged portions of letters that would normally be rounded, many tick marks and instances where the pen trailed, and the inability to retrace strokes accurately. Other indicators include alignment, margin habits, proportions, word and letter spacing, vertical and horizontal strokes, and other characteristics. The accused person rejected a plea bargain and was convicted and imprisoned. The case demonstrates that identifications are possible even though comparison samples written with the same hand are not available. Photographs and 5 references