Mary Jane Burton Hair Analysis Essay

On August 3, 1979, a female was assaulted and raped in her apartment. Victor Burnette, 19 years old, was brought in as a suspect and the female said that he was the perpetrator. Burnette was convicted based on pubic hairs found at the scene. He spent seven years in prison and was released on parole in ’87. Two decades later, Burnette asked to have his case reworked using DNA analysis and was found to be not guilty. The serologist who worked his case was Mary Jane Burton. By the time Burnette cleared his name, at least five other people had been exonerated from their convictions due to Burton’s evidence. (“Victor”) Hair analysis has been a part of forensic science since the beginning. However, some have begun to question the reliability of

Just because a hair is found at the scene doesn’t mean that it belongs to the perpetrator. It is important to take Locard’s Principle into account, “The microscopic debris that cover our bodies are the mute witnesses... of all our movements and all our encounters.” (Robertson, 7.2) When you come into contact with something or someone, there is always a transfer, even if it isn’t noticeable. There are different types of transferring, primary and secondary. Primary transfer is when something transfers from you to another source. When someone comes into contact with that source, there is a chance that your hair or fiber transfers onto the other person. This is secondary transfer. Because humans shed hair frequently, it is easy for hair to go through secondary transfer and end up somewhere that the individual had never been. Hair can remain on a source for a couple hours without being transferred and it does not break down very easily, so this can remain in place for a long time. (Robertson,