NCJ Number
106480
Journal
Journal of the Forensic Science Society Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: (May/June 1987) Pages: 189-192
Date Published
1987
Length
4 pages
Annotation
An Australian study demonstrates how background information from a shoe manufacturer provided evidence in a murder case by showing that the occurrence of a pair of shoes identical to those worn by the suspect would be very rare.
Abstract
An overview of factors affecting shoeprints notes that while soles are often produced from a mold, some shoe types exist which have soles hand-cut from sheets in such a manner that differences occur in the sole pattern. An extreme example of such a case is described in which a young woman was severely assaulted by an unknown intruder who left distinct left and right shoeprints in blood at the crime scene. A suspect was located who possessed a pair of shoes which appeared to have the same type of sole patterns as the crime scene shoeprints. Forensic examination of the wave patterns coupled with information on the manufacturing process revealed that there were only 90 possible nonmatching pairs of shoes and at least 3,600 possible variations. Therefore, the likelihood of the sole pattern on any of those 90 pairs being duplicated was very remote. The probability that the suspect's shoes caused the bloodied shoeprints consequently was extremely high. Tables, a photograph, and 3 references. (Publisher abstract modified)