Famous crimes solved by Fingerprinting
Fingerprints have been the reason for the solving of a vast amount of cases. The case of Thomas Jennings in 1910 was the case, which resulted in the first American murder trial to admit fingerprint testimony. Clarence Hiller lived with his wife and four children. On the morning of September 19, 1910, Mr. Hiller woke up to find that a gaslight near her daughter's bedroom was not burning. On the landing, he found a stranger and engaged in combat. Both men tumbled down the staircase. Seconds later, two shots were sound, as well as, Mr. Hiller's soft cry for help. At the door, Mrs. Hiller found her husband dead. Investigators found some particles of sand and gravel at the foot of the daughter's bed. Yet what convicted the killer, Thomas Jennings, were his fingerprints. Next to the rear kitchen window, through which the killer had entered the home of the Hillers, were railings. By chance, Mr. Hiller had painted these very railings just hours before his death. Into the paint four fingerprints of someone's left hand was etched. American law enforcement has already adopted the principle of fingerprinting. Therefore, the presence of these fingerprints was admissible in the court of law. At the trial, fingerprint expert William M. Evans of the PDBI agreed that Jennings hand, and his alone, had left the prints on the railings. The appeal court affirmed the verdict of the jury, guilty, and upheld Jenning's death sentence. He was later hanged.
Fingerprints were also the reasons behind the solving of another famous case: the case of the Stratton Brothers. Thomas Farrow, and his wife, Ann, managed a paint shop in South London. On March 27, 1905, Mr. Farrow had been found dead on the floor of his paint shop. Upstairs, where the couple kept a small room for themselves, his wife lay, covered in blood, and barely alive. Just a few days later, Ann died. The discovery of two masks at the scene of the crime suggested the presence of more than one intruder. They found a clear print on a tray that did not match either victim. With the description given by milkman Henry Jennings, two brothers known for burglary, Albert and Alfred Stratton were held custody. Both were taken to the Tower Bridge police station, where Detective Inspector Charles Collins, a founding member of Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Branch in 1901, rolled their fingers on the inkpad. The fingerprint on the tray matched Albert's right thumb to perfection. Thus, both brothers were charged with murder.
Fingerprints were also the reasons behind the solving of another famous case: the case of the Stratton Brothers. Thomas Farrow, and his wife, Ann, managed a paint shop in South London. On March 27, 1905, Mr. Farrow had been found dead on the floor of his paint shop. Upstairs, where the couple kept a small room for themselves, his wife lay, covered in blood, and barely alive. Just a few days later, Ann died. The discovery of two masks at the scene of the crime suggested the presence of more than one intruder. They found a clear print on a tray that did not match either victim. With the description given by milkman Henry Jennings, two brothers known for burglary, Albert and Alfred Stratton were held custody. Both were taken to the Tower Bridge police station, where Detective Inspector Charles Collins, a founding member of Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Branch in 1901, rolled their fingers on the inkpad. The fingerprint on the tray matched Albert's right thumb to perfection. Thus, both brothers were charged with murder.