You were called to a scene where a young woman was found dead in a vacant field located next to an industrial park. The victim was found lying on her back totally nude. She had several puncture wounds in her stomach area and a few slash marks on both of her arms. There was also a belt pulled tight around her neck. A large kitchen knife was discovered several feet away from the body.

The victim was identified as a 15 year old high school girl that was reported missing several days earlier. It was determined that she had been sexually assaulted then brutally murdered.

There had been a lot of media attention to this case because of the girl's young age. You are aware that your involvement in a high profile case such as this you will eventually be subpoenaed to testify in court. Your current assignment involves crime scene photography and you were called in to take pictures of the scene.

Consider the different elements of the crime scene and the proper way to establish a foundation to enter your work into admissible evidence. We know the prosecutor will try and show all the gory details from your work and the defense attorney trying to keep the photos away from the jury.  How will the judge balance between limiting the value of the evidence against its potential for unfair prejudice? What are some precautions you can take to prevent the jury from being overwhelmed with emotions? What are some points you need to keep in mind as you process the initial scene?

I have laid the ground work for this scenario so you need to outline what you would do once you arrived on the scene. What factors would you look for right away? What pieces of evidence would be important to document with your camera? Explain how and why you would photograph the victim and the surrounding area. What hurdles would you expect when you testified in the courtroom?

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