Handwriting Analysis In The Tampa Bay Homicide Investigation | The New Detectives

Summary

In the Tampa Bay triple homicide case, Sergeant Glenn Moore and his team faced a dead end until they discovered palm prints on a hotel brochure. Latent print examiner Sam McMullen's analysis and the public's help through billboards led to a handwriting match with Oba Chandler, a criminal with a history of burglary and kidnapping. Document examiner Teresa Stubbs confirmed the match, and Chandler's palm prints from prison records sealed his connection to the crime, providing a breakthrough in the investigation.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Sergeant Glenn Moore was investigating a triple homicide in Tampa Bay with limited leads.
• 🔎 A composite sketch and a brochure with directions to a hotel written in a stranger's hand were the main pieces of evidence.
• 👁️‍🗨️ The brochure was processed at a lab to reveal fingerprints, including some that didn't match the victims.
• 🖊️ Latent print examiner Sam McMullen identified a 'writer's palm' print, which is as conclusive as a fingerprint.
• 🔍 Detectives suspected the person who left the palm print might be the killer and could have a criminal record.
• 🚫 Palm prints are not usually catalogued in the computerized fingerprint system, making automated searches impossible.
• 🚨 Police used press conferences and billboards with the handwriting evidence to generate leads.
• 👩‍💼 Joanne Steffy, a woman who recognized the handwriting, provided a lead that pointed to Oba Chandler, an aluminum siding contractor.
• 🔍 Document examiner Teresa Stubbs confirmed that the handwriting on the brochure significantly matched known samples of Oba Chandler's writing.
• 🔗 Oba Chandler, with a long criminal record, was identified through his palm prints obtained from prison records, which matched the print on the brochure.

Q & A

What was the status of the investigation into the Tampa Bay triple homicide at the beginning of the script?

At the beginning of the script, the investigation into the Tampa Bay triple homicide had no promising leads, and Sergeant Glenn Moore was reviewing the evidence collected so far.

What evidence did Sergeant Glenn Moore have that was not yet identified?

Sergeant Glenn Moore had a composite sketch with no identification and a brochure with directions to the hotel written in a stranger's hand.

What was discovered after the brochure was processed at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab in Tampa?

After processing, the brochure revealed fingerprints that did not belong to any of the victims, which were analyzed by latent print examiner Sam McMullen.

What is a 'writer's palm' and how is it significant in the investigation?

A 'writer's palm' refers to the palm print that is left on a document when a person writes, with their palm resting on it. It is significant because a palm print can be as conclusive as a fingerprint in making an identification.

Why were the palm prints found on the brochure not immediately useful for an automated search?

The palm prints were not immediately useful for an automated search because, although palm prints become part of a repeat offender's record, they are not usually catalogued in the computerized fingerprint system.

What strategy did the police use to flush out the suspect, and how was it different from typical approaches?

The police used press conferences and posted billboards to flush out the suspect. What was unique was that they put a picture of the handwriting evidence on the billboards, asking people to identify the handwriter, instead of just showing the victims' pictures.

Who provided the lead that eventually helped identify the suspect, and how?

A woman named Joanne Steffy provided the lead that helped identify the suspect. She recognized the handwriting as resembling that of her former neighbor, Oba Chandler, an aluminum siding contractor, and confirmed this with other neighbors and business contracts.

What was the role of Document Examiner Teresa Stubbs in the investigation?

Document Examiner Teresa Stubbs scrutinized the contracts and the brochure, comparing the handwriting habits on the brochure with the known sample of writing submitted as being that of Mr. Chandler, and found them to be significantly similar.

What was the significance of the handwriting match in the investigation?

The handwriting match was significant as it provided the detectives with the break they needed to link Oba Chandler to the crime, leading to further investigation into his criminal record and ultimately matching his palm print to the one found on the brochure.

What was Oba Chandler's criminal history, and how did it aid the detectives in building their case?

Oba Chandler had a long criminal record, with charges ranging from burglary and counterfeiting to kidnapping. This history, along with the matching palm print from his prison records, helped detectives build their case against him as the suspect in the Tampa Bay triple homicide.