FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Trident Academy High School students used biology, physics, and chemistry to solve a double murder during their forensic science mid-term exam. Students were presented with a mock crime scene – an obvious murder in the living room with a “Dear John” letter implicating a jilted boyfriend. However, as students began uncovering more clues and analyzing the evidence, they discovered three different blood types in the scene and that the Dear John letter had been forged. In the end, students correctly concluded that the crime was the result of a love triangle gone awry, leaving two victims and one murderer who had unsuccessfully attempted to alter the scene to frame his rival.

To solve the crime, students analyzed blood samples, handwriting, fingerprints, & blood spatter. They used deductive reasoning skills to piece together over twenty items of evidence in order to form their final conclusions as to “who dunnit”, how, and why.

“Forensic science is not a multiple choice exam. It’s more about critical thinking and problem solving” explains Mrs. Greig.

Don Calabrese, crime prevention officer from the Mt Pleasant Police Department, assisted Mrs. Greig in setting up the crime scene (which took weeks of planning & several hours to set up). Officer Calabrese has also been a frequent guest in the class, sharing hands-on knowledge and experience in crime scene securing & processing and helping to connect students to the real people whose job it is to step behind the yellow tape.

Greig says, “I was really impressed with how well the students did and how serious they were. It took them the full hour and a half exam period to piece everything together and figure it out”.

Funding for the class was made possible through a grant from the Lowcountry Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA).