Duties of homicide detective are a 24 hour job
Working as a homicide detective is not just a job; it's a way of life. "Other people go home at the end of the day and their job`s done. Homicide never quits," said Detective Pat Barr, who has worked at the Columbus Division of Police for 20 years. Barr joined the Homicide Unit eight years ago. Detective Dana Farbacher joined the unit six and a half years ago because he considered it to be an highly interesting place to work. "You get to see the case through from beginning to end," Farbacher said. Barr remarked that homicide cases are particularly in depth. He has received calls from members of victims` families at all hours of the day seeking information. He will think of something while watching television and jump up to make a note for himself. "I think being responsible for investigating another human being's death is probably the most sacred task you can be asked to perform," Barr said. Detective Amy Morris has worked on homicide cases for four and a half years because those cases interest her. "You might investigate 30 or 40 burglaries a year and have no hope of solving them all, but you can possibly solve the one or two homicide cases you get," she said. Ron Price, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus police, worked two tours as a homicide detective from 1970 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1986. "Working on homicide cases allows you to exercise investigative skill and re-evaluate the offense in more depth than you could working in other departments, particularly an unsolved homicide," Price said. Price remembers one unsolved homicide in particular, a case involving the murder of an OSU student and his friend who had come to visit him. On Friday, February 28, 1970, William Sproat, 22, an OSU graduate French major, met Mary Petry, 20, at the bus station downtown and drove her back to his apartment at 378 W. 8th Ave. Sproat`s roommate, who had left for the night, witnessed a gruesome scene the next morning. When he returned to the apartment, he discovered that Sproat and Petry! had bee n tied up with coat hangers, beaten with a bowling ball, and stabbed to death. Sproat`s body was found in the bathroom. Price said that a strange factor in the case was that an effort had been made to make Sproat comfortable before he was killed. Petry was found semi-nude on the bed. She had been sexually assaulted. No sign of forced entry was found and the door was unlocked. "There were no witnesses and nobody heard a thing," Price said. "There were numerous leads from various persons throughout the city, none of which panned out." Price said a series of tests were conducted to extract fingerprints through lead powder dusting. But, this idea was new and as in this case, it was not always successful. "If we had been able to employ the technology back then that we have today, we would have stood a much better chance of solving the case," Price said. Price said that one challenge of investigating a homicide in the university district back then was that many students are transient to the area and potential witnesses and suspects may move away from campus. Morris remarked that one of the difficulties investigating homicides on campus today is that students are not always as helpful as citizens in other areas of the city. "I don't know why that is," Morris said. "Maybe they just don't want to get involved." Barr said that students should get more involved in what`s happening around them, in particular, if they are aware of a crime while it is in progress. He suggest that if you hear someone screaming, inform the police. "If the officers come out and see that it was only some horseplay between a guy and his girlfriend, that`s fine," Farbacher said. Because the police can't be everywhere, Price said that "students can be the best watchdogs for each other." "If you see something, report it immediately, don't wait for it to be too late," he said. Price offered some advice to students on how to protect themselves. "Be more aware and responsible, don't go out with the ide! a of get ting drunk or high because people may be watching or following you," he said. Barr also noted that people are safer when they "pay attention and don't take chances." "If it comes down to walking on High Street at night or Pearl Alley, take the safer route," he said. "And don't walk alone."
Read More @ Source LA Noire: The Silk Stocking Murder Walkthough 5 STAR Case 3 Part 2 [The Homicide Cases] Let's Play
Criminal Stories Here
Comments