ABSTRACT
Figure 9.1 The victim found at the scene of her murder. Note the proximity of the telephone cord to her head. (Norman D.Sperber, DDS, San Diego, California, and El Cajon Police Department, El Cajon, California.)
Richardson was arrested for the murder of his wife Maria. Dr. Norman D. “Skip” Sperber, a forensic odontologist called into the investigation, made castings and took photographs of the suspect’s fingers and of the ligature marks on the victim’s neck (Figure 9.4 and Figure 9.5). The castings and photographs were compared with the wall telephone cord from the scene. In this case, the cord became critical evidence (Figure 9.6A, B, C). A search of the suspect’s home yielded evidence of disharmony in the marriage; investigators also found writings by Maria in which she said she was afraid of Charlie.
