What DNA Evidence Reveals About Criminals: Cold Case Criminology

Cold cases are resolved on an almost weekly basis by new investigative techniques and forensic technologies that can process DNA evidence from long dormant crime scenes. This DNA evidence revolution has unprecedented potential for locating missing persons, identifying crime victims, and bringing perpetrators to justice. Infamous figures in the annals of crime, including the Green River Killer, Boston Strangler, Golden State Killer, Grim Sleeper, Night Stalker, I-65 Killer, and Ted Bundy, are connected to the DNA revolution as investigators leverage brilliant technological innovations to analyze archival forensic evidence. The resolution of cold cases, which often takes decades to transpire, allows for a long observational period of the perpetrator and their conduct, thus the long shelf-life of cold cases offers a natural experiment to analyze how offenders behave as their crimes remained undetected. Cold cases resolved with DNA evidence has shed light on several important scientific facts about criminal offenders themselves and offers important criminological lessons, ones that this book details.

Drawing on his unparalleled criminological career, Matt DeLisi examines well over 100 cold cases recently resolved by DNA evidence. Behind each fascinating case of a long-dormant felony are scientific principles that are central to criminology including opportunity, self-control, noncompliance, versatility, specialization, continuity, intermittency, severity, and comorbidity. DNA evidence brings these facts fully to light.