Blood Spatter Formation Blood spatter is the dispersion of blood spots of varying sizes, created when a source of blood

is subjected to an external force they are being acted on by air resistance and gravity as blood droplets travel through the air three-dimensional droplets are now referred to as spatters as they strike a surface spatters often exhibit directionality and differences in their sizes which exhibit distributions relative to the mechanism(s) that created them

2 Minimum Requirements for the Formation of Spatter 1. Source of blood 2. External force great enough to overcome the physical properties of blood a. Physical properties of blood - Specific gravity maintain the stability of exposed blood and/or other blood groups, causing them to be resistant to alteration or - Viscosity breaking up. - Surface tension

Spatter formation Source of blood subjected to a sufficient external force energy is transferred to the blood blood spurts and forms a spatter on a surface Flights Paths 1. Straight/flat flight Path - A straight trajectory flight path will deposit droplets at approximately 90 or upward or downward at a lesser angle of impact. 2. Parabolic Flight Path - A parabolic arc flight path will deposit droplets with a downward trajectory when the surface contacted by the blood droplet is close to the downward side of the arc. Factors to Consider in Spatter Pattern Analysis 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. physical characteristics: size, shape, and distribution target surface texture where the blood has been deposited quantity or concentration of spatters location of the spatters on the target surface

Physical Characteristics of Spatter Patterns 1. Size range and quantity of spatters - If produced by a single mechanism, can vary significantly depending on the volume of the parent source of blood and the amount and/or type of force being exerted on the fluid blood - spatters will range in size even when produced by a single spatter mechanism - quantity or number of individual spatters relates to the volume of available blood and the mechanism by which it is being disrupted - quantity of blood being impacted can influence the size range as well as the quantity of spatters produced. 2. Distribution and location of spatter - any stain created with blood as the medium may be referred to as a bloodstain pattern. - the term pattern refers to a distribution of individual spatters - it is not possible to have a distribution with a single spatter (spot). Hence, a single blood spatter does not constitute a spatter pattern - distribution of the spatters in a spatter pattern can vary significantly. - individual spatters that make up a spatter distribution usually will exhibit similar directionalities that can be traced back to a common area of convergence. - distribution and location of the individual spatter(s) can assist in determining the mechanism that created the spatter pattern. 3. Shape of Spatters The shape of the individual spatters within a pattern will be dependent on the following: Flight path of the spatter prior to striking the target surface The texture of the target surface: absorbent versus nonabsorbent, smooth versus coarse The shape and/or angle of the surface being struck by the spatters - shape of the spatters can be used to establish a common area of convergence and origin of a group of spatters. - directionality and angle of impact of the spatters is established by their shape. 4. Effect of Target Surface Texture on Spatter Appearance - target surface texture must be carefully evaluated prior to rendering opinions in regard to the stain patterns in all bloodstain patterns. - Clothing fabrics, floor coverings, and upholstery are some of the more common surface textures in which blood is spattered onto during a bloodshedding event - affect the shape and size of the spatters - droplets with diameters less than 2 mm in size impacting absorbent fabrics will be too small to actually show any directionality - size and shape of the individual spatters can be affected by the target surfaces they strike - spatters may appear larger on an absorbent fabric as opposed to painted drywall

- shape can be influenced by the weave and absorbance of the fabric with which they are coming into contact Significance of Spatter Identification 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Allow for the determination of an area or location of the origin(s) of the blood source. Link the accuseds clothing to the location of a spatter-producing event. Link the accused to the homicide. Allow for the determination of the mechanism by which the spatter pattern was created. Be used to corroborate or refute an accuseds account of how the blood was deposited on their clothing. 6. Link an item of evidence to a spatter-producing event.