I just read some work by a man named Lee Goldberg. Lee is quite a famous television producer/writer who has worked on series such as Diagnosis Murder, Spenser for Hire, Psych, and Monk. He sheds some interesting insight about the early days of forensics on television.

Forensic identification is a branch of forensic science that has played an increasingly significant role in crime solving over the past three decades. A body whose identity cannot be determined by next of kin is often confirmed by fingerprint, DNA, or dental records comparison. Presumptive identifications can result in false or incorrect conclusions, further compounding the tragedy of an already traumatic situation.

I have reviewed the Whitey Bulger story in detail and find it fascinating. It reminds me of several gang type cases we have worked involving murders similar to this. The practice of extracting human teeth, decapitating the victim, or cutting their hands off to hide fingerprints of the decedent has been noticed in many cases over the years. The idea evidently originates from the premise that the murderer has read so much or watched so many ‘true crime’ type television programs, that they act out that behavior in the actual murder.

When Nashville, Tennessee, is referred to as Music City, USA, there are some real reasons behind that claim. During the first two weeks of June each year, our fair city, and the surrounding counties extending down to Manchester, put on a show for just about any type of music lover. For the traditional country music fans there is the CMA festival, which packs LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans, each night for a star studded spectacle second to none. Nearly 100,000 country fans from all over the world visit the mecca of country music, leaving at the end of the week with memories that will last forever.