ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses a method for identifying the primary suspect in a murder investigation which has proven to be especially beneficial in the undertaking of a cold case evaluation. This method requires evaluating the information pertaining to pre-crime events, the facts of the crime, and postcrime behaviors, and is wholly comprehensive. As such, the primary benefit to cold case evaluators is this: At the onset of a cold case evaluation, investigators have the advantage of having all relevant case information available, whereas during a “hot” case they must rely on a trickle of incoming information. This process is started first by examining the core elements of the crime where a subtype is identified and subsequently moves outward from a working profile toward identifying like characteristics in identified persons of interest.
