The use of bleach, which destroys DNA, is not unusual in a planned homicide, says the Associated Press. Experts complain about television crime dramas like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which give criminals helpful tips on how to cover up evidence. Prosecutors have worried about the “CSI effect” on juries – an expectation in every trial for the type of high-tech forensic evidence the show’s investigators uncover. It also appears the popular show and its two spinoffs could be affecting how some crimes are committed.
A man charged in an Ohio double-homicide was a CSI fan and went to great lengths to cover his tracks, said prosecutors. Cases where suspects burn and tamper with evidence seem to be increasing, said Chuck Morrow of the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office. Another view came from Larry Pozner, former president of the Naitonal Association of Criminal Defense Laweyrs, who said sphisticated planning and concealment of evidence are aberrations, not the norm. “Most people who commit crimes are not very bright and don’t take many precautions,” Pozner said. “CSI and all the other crime shows will make no difference.”
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-29-crime-tv_x.htm