Narrator: a christian
Missionary was m*rder*d in her
Apartment.
The perpetrator left little
Evidence behind, but a new
Computer program found clues on
A bloody sheet, and the case
Made forensic history.
Kirkland, washington...
An upscale suburb of seattle,
Which has some of the
Best-educated citizens in the
United states.
Over % have either a
High-school or college diploma.
-Year-old dawn fehring fit
Right in.
Dawn was very much interested
In foreign languages, and she
Was an exchange student in paris
First, learning french, and then
Went to vienna, austria, and
Learned german.
Narrator: dawn was an
Accomplished violinist and
Dancer who had recently returned
From japan, where she was doing
Christian missionary work.
She was living in this apartment
Building in kirkland for just
Two weeks when her neighbor, a
Local fireman, noticed her front
Door was left open, and decided
To investigate.
So, he grabbed his portable
Phone, knocked on the door,
Called out to see if anyone was
There, and when he didn't
Receive a response, he entered
Into the unit.
Narrator: in the kitchen,
There were freshly baked
Cookies.
Dawn?
Narrator: in the bedroom, he
Found his neighbor dawn fehring
On the floor.
On the floor. Emergency.
Emergency.
Narrator: dawn was pronounced
Dead at the scene.
It was total denial for me.
I couldn't believe that it was
Happening.
I mean, there's no motive.
She has no enemies whatsoever.
I don't think she knew
Anybody.
I don't think she even knew the
People across the hall.
She had not, as yet, said
Anything to any of us about the
Other people in the condo.
Narrator: the autopsy
Revealed a fist-sized bruise on
The back of dawn's head.
She had also been sexually
Assaulted and strangled to death
With the bedsheet.
It appeared to us that the
att*ck was quick.
It didn't look like the suspect
Spent much time at the crime
Scene.
And, again, that night, no one
Heard or saw anything, and
There's units above and below
And across from her, and people
Were home at the time.
The one thing that the
Investigators knew immediately
When they entered the scene was
That whomever it was that did
This was a smoker.
Narrator: they knew this from
The ashes on the mattress and
The burn mark on the table where
He put the cigarette out.
He didn't leave the cigarette
Butt behind.
That means one of two things.
Either he had a cigarette in his
Mouth when he went in or after
He realized what he's done, he
Said to himself, "oh, god, what
Am I gonna do now?"
And it was then that he lit the
Cigarette and thought about what
He might do to try and cover it
Up or clean it up or abandon it.
Narrator: there was also a
Bloodstain on the fitted sheet.
Tests showed the blood was
Dawn fehring's.
Investigators didn't find any
Foreign fingerprints or shoe
Impressions at the scene.
None of the neighbors saw or
Heard anything suspicious, and
Nothing had been stolen from the
Apartment.
From a prosecutorial
Perspective, most of the time,
You get k*lled for a reason.
Somebody knows you -- whether
It's a legitimate reason or not
And, most of the time, it's not.
But there's always a reason --
<Span tts:fontstyle="italic">almost</span>always a reason.
Narrator: in this case, there
Was none.
Dawn fehring led a very
Low-risk lifestyle.
She wasn't involved in a
Romantic relationship.
And, again, her main priorities
In her life at that time was her
Christian faith, her family, and
Her studies to be a missionary.
So, there were a number of
Times when I think we all,
Individually and collectively,
Looked at one another and said,
"What the hell are we gonna do
Now?"
Narrator: the freshly baked
Chocolate-chip cookies in
Dawn fehring's kitchen provided
An insight into her last moments
Alive.
Grocery receipts identified the
Store where dawn purchased the
Ingredients, and they showed
That dawn was in the store at
: P.m.
Investigators couldn't find
Anyone who had seen her between
The time she left the store and
When her body was discovered the
Following morning.
Dawn fehring was an innocent
Victim doing the most
All-american of events, which
Was making cookies for her
Mother for mother's day in the
Privacy of her own home.
It could've happened to your
Daughter or son.
It could've happened to
Anyone.
It just happened to be our
Daughter.
Narrator: a background check
Revealed dawn was a very private
Person who did not date, drink,
Or use dr*gs.
She had been in town for only
Two weeks.
One of the interesting things
That you learn when you do this
Kind of work -- the medical
Examiner and their observations
That they make of a person, and
The remarkable observation that
He made about dawn fehring was
That she was so modest that she
Didn't even have pierced ears.
Narrator: investigators
Checked the whereabouts of all
Registered sex offenders in the
Area, and each of them had an
Alibi.
The registered sex offender
Who lived in this neighborhood
Actually had a history of
Abusing children and not grown
Women.
And not to suggest that never
The two shall meet, but, most
Often, you have one target group
Or another if you're a sex
Offender.
We had a number of potential
Leads.
At that time, a serial-k*ller
Investigation in that part of
The county was underway.
Narrator: the "green river
Serial k*ller" att*cked dozens
Of women in the pacific
Northwest, but those murders
Differed from this one since the
Green river victims weren't
k*lled in their homes.
Investigators were fairly
Certain that dawn's k*ller lived
Somewhere nearby.
We initially looked at
Everyone in the building.
There was nothing that really
Stood out.
People had alibis.
They were pretty much accounted
For, and when we ran the
Criminal-history checks on those
Persons, we didn't come back
With anything of concern.
Narrator: and it also
Appeared that the k*ller knew
Dawn lived alone.
If it had been someone who
Just followed her home from the
Grocery store or off the street,
They're taking a huge chance by
Entering into someone's
Residence and gambling that
They're there alone.
Narrator: although dawn had
Been sexually assaulted, the
Medical examiner could find no
Biological evidence left by the
Perpetrator.
The only possible piece of
Evidence was the bloodstain on
Dawn's bed.
The blood was dawn's, but was it
Possible that the blood held
Other clues?
The evidence techs looked at
It and reviewed it, and the
Officer asked, "what are our
Chances of identifying somebody
With this?"
And, in unison, they both said,
"Slim to none."
Narrator: if the k*ller had
Touched the blood, it might show
His fingerprint, but the blood
Was on a porous bedsheet --
Another roadblock.
Getting prints on fabric is
Extremely difficult -- pretty
Rare.
There's not very many cases
Documented for that.
Narrator: a quick call to the
Fbi's crime lab suggested they
Could try to see if there was a
Print in the bloodstain with a
Substance called "amido black."
Amido black has long been used
On laboratory slides to enhance
The contrast.
It also reacts positively to the
Protein in blood.
With nothing to lose, forensic
Scientist pat warrick took the
Fbi's suggestion and soaked the
Bedsheet in the amido-black
Solution.
None of us believed in a
Million years that we were gonna
Get anything out of this because
The moment the sheet went into
The amido-black solution the
First time, it turned completely
Blue.
Narrator: but to the trained
Eye, something did start to
Appear.
We just couldn't believe it.
You know, here we have this
Section of fabric, this sheet,
And then we can see -- easily,
Readily see -- handprints,
Fingerprints in blood on the
Sheet, and a lot of it is stuff
That was not visible at all,
Even right before we started.
And it was just covered with it.
Narrator: the partial
Palm print that emerged didn't
Look like it could be used for
Any kind of identification.
The fabric was the <span tts:fontstyle="italic">real</span>problem.
You have to get in close and
Look for detail -- ridge detail,
Friction-ridge skin detail.
So, we look at it with
Magnification.
As soon as you get in it close,
All you can see is the weave of
The fabric.
You can't really see any detail
Because the weave is interfering
With that.
That's all you can see.
Narrator: the palm print now
Looked like a dead end.
And detectives had to face the
Possibility that dawn's m*rder
Would never be solved.
But investigators kept digging,
And being at the right place at
The right time produced results.
While they were standing outside
Dawn's apartment, a passerby
Started asking questions.
I stood outside of that scene
For hours, and I vividly recall
Standing in the parking lot and
Watching this big, fat slob, for
Lack of a better term, meander
Down the stairs.
And as he walked by all the
Investigators, he, sort of,
Shouted out, "hey, man, do I
Have to be concerned about my
Personal safety around here?"
Quote, unquote.
Narrator: his name was
Eric hayden, and he lived with
His girlfriend in the apartment
Above dawn fehring's.
The first time the detective
Spoke with eric hayden, he
Claimed he'd never seen the
Person who lived there before.
The second time they spoke with
Him, he claimed that he had seen
Her but that he never had any
Contact with her at all.
Narrator: when questioned
About his whereabouts on the
Night of the m*rder, hayden
Claimed he was out drinking with
Friends until very late that
Night.
And he had no prior arrests for
Sex-related crimes.
We felt it was significant
Because this was a very unusual
Thing just to wake up one day in
Your early 's and go out and
Commit a crime like this.
That's unusual.
Narrator: but something about
Hayden bothered the
Investigators.
Eric's hand was shaking.
He pointed it out himself.
He says, "wow, look at me.
My hands are shaking.
This is really making me
Nervous."
Narrator: was a simple
Conversation with police that
Nerve-racking or was there
Something else?
Narrator: eric hayden, a
-Year-old mill worker, was
Starting to emerge as the prime
Suspect in dawn fehring's
m*rder.
He lived in the same apartment
Building, and, according to
Other residents, hayden behaved
Suspiciously.
There was a female neighbor
That described eric hayden as
"Weird," and when I asked her
"What do you mean by 'weird'?"
She said, "well, on one
Occasion, I saw him down in the
Parking lot.
It was raining.
He didn't have any shoes on.
He was smoking a cigarette, and
He was watching people come and
Go, and as I watched him, I
Realized he was paying
Particular attention to the
Women."
Narrator: and during
Questioning, hayden initially
Claimed he was out drinking with
Friends at the time of the
m*rder.
Later, he said he was drinking
Alone.
When his story started
Changing, they considered the
Fact that he admittedly drinks
To the point where he doesn't
Know what's going on.
Narrator: hayden was also a
Smoker, which was significant
Since the k*ller left cigarette
Ashes behind.
But the only forensic evidence
In this crime was the palm print
On dawn's bedsheet, and the
Print was so poor there was no
Way to make a comparison.
Desperate for answers,
Detectives called in forensic
Investigator erik berg.
They wanted another opinion
On whether or not something
Could be done with those sheets
Since they had reached the limit
Of what they were able to do
With chemistry.
Narrator: berg took a digital
Photograph of the print on the
Bedsheet and scanned it into his
Computer.
The problem was immediately
Apparent.
The ridge details on the print
Were obscured by the thread
Patterns on the sheet as if a
Screen had been placed over the
Print.
Well, I want to find out who
Left this because I think it's
My bad guy.
I see the outline of a hand, but
I can't see the details.
"How do I get rid of that
Screen?"
That's really the question I'm
Asking myself when I'm looking
At the screen.
"How do I get rid of that?"
Narrator: then, berg had an
Idea.
He needed some way to remove the
Thread pattern from the image,
But he needed to find some kind
Of filter.
The filter is a nice word for
"Algorithm."
It's a mathematical process
That can go through an image and
Do something to it.
We have one that I designed
That, basically, seeks out
Repetitive patterns -- something
That repeats itself in a
Predictable way and allows you
To remove that without affecting
The rest of the image.
Narrator: berg took a sample
Of the bedsheet's thread
Pattern and had the computer
Subtract that pattern from the
Image, leaving only the palm
Print.
And it worked.
It was beautiful.
I didn't expect this, or I
Didn't expect to be that
Clear, but details are suddenly
Just the hdtv analogy -- they
Were popping off the screen that
You did not see before.
I mean, you could see
Formations, but you weren't
Seeing the details, and now, all
Of a sudden, you're seeing those
Details.
Narrator: and there was a
<Span tts:fontstyle="italic">remarkable</span>amount of detail.
Here we have, pretty much,
Half of a hand, from the fingers
All the way down to the base of
The hand that's in view, that is
Readily visible.
So, we had just a tremendous
Amount of information as far as
Doing a latent-print examination
Or a comparison.
Narrator: the digitally
Enhanced palm print from
Dawn fehring's bedsheet was then
Compared to eric hayden's
Palm prints.
Pat warrick focused on the ridge
Patterns and breaks in the
Patterns.
These are unique to each person.
There was no doubt.
The print on dawn fehring's
Bedsheet was made by
Eric hayden.
So, we called and just said,
"You're not gonna believe it.
It's the guy who lives
Upstairs."
You know, "it's him," and they
Just were like, "what?"
You know...
[ Laughs ]
And it was just amazing.
We were like, "yeah, it matches
The card that we have.
It matches him."
Narrator: eric hayden was
Arrested and charged with
First-degree m*rder.
Prosecutors were convinced they
Had an ironclad case.
But would the judge allow this
Evidence to be used in court?
Narrator: as eric hayden
Awaited trial for the m*rder of
Dawn fehring, prosecutors had to
Deal with a number of problems.
The technology used to reveal
The print had never been
Admitted as evidence in a
Criminal trial.
The standard argument in this
Particular type of case is that
The evil empire, the cops, are
Out there, and they're just
Trying to convict innocent
People out here of m*rder and
All kinds of terrible crimes.
And they'll stop at nothing to
Do that, including taking
Computer evidence, manipulating
It, adding information, putting
Stuff in there that would
Unfairly bias the case against
Their client.
Narrator: when prosecutors
Walked into court, they had to
Convince the judge that the only
Thing they did to the palm print
On the sheet was to enhance it.
We don't add anything to the
Evidence.
The evidence is what it is.
We will take away that that is
Interfering with our ability to
Identify -- subtracting.
But we're not gonna put in a
Fingerprint ridge or a palm
Detail or anything that's
Missing.
Narrator: the judge left it
To the jury to decide.
Erik berg brought his computer
Into the courtroom and
Demonstrated the process.
Everybody looked at it, and
They were just amazed.
It was readily apparent that
It was a palm print, and I
Remember I was standing back
Behind the jury looking at them
Look at erik berg.
And in the background was the
Defense counsel, who took one
Look at me and threw his tie
Over his shoulder and spun
Around in the chair, essentially
Saying, "I'm done."
And for all practical purposes,
Eric hayden was done.
Narrator: the palm print told
The story of what happened to
Dawn fehring.
Prosecutors believe eric hayden
Was drunk when he returned to
His apartment on the night of
The m*rder.
As he walked up the stairs to
His apartment, he noticed dawn's
Door was slightly ajar.
She may have left it open
Because of the heat from baking
The cookies.
The evidence shows hayden struck
Dawn on the back of her head,
Knocking her down...
Then, sexually assaulted her and
Strangled her with the bedsheet.
As he got up, he steadied
Himself on the mattress, placing
A partial, bloody palm print on
The sheet.
He smoked a cigarette while
Trying to compose himself, not
Knowing that the palm print,
Later enhanced by computer
Technology, clearly placed him
At the scene.
This is the classic example
Of investigators, trained
Investigators, walking into a
Scene and having the good sense
To preserve something whether
It's going to turn into a piece
Of evidence or not, doing
Nothing to contaminate or
Screw it up before they get it
To the people who <span tts:fontstyle="italic">do</span>know what
Can be done with it.
Narrator: eric hayden was
Convicted and sentenced to
Years in prison.
After the trial, dawn fehring's
Friends and family set up a
Scholarship in her name for
Students who wish to do
Missionary work.
There's been over $,
That's been working in the world
That would not have been there
If it hadn't been for her death.
Narrator: the technology used
In dawn's case set a legal
Precedent and is now used in
Cases all over the world.
It was the first time
Anywhere in the world that
Crime-laboratory folks were able
To identify handprint
Impressions, finger or palm
Handprint impressions, left in
Blood on a woven piece of
Fabric.
I'm blown away looking back,
And it's some years later,
That people are still referring
To this case and using the
Technology that was used in it.
We had no idea at the time how
Significant this was gonna be.
I don't think god causes
Things to happen, but he makes
Use of them.
And the timing, to me, is just
Amazing that this technology had
Just been found at the time when
It was needed for solving dawn's
11x17 - Internal Affair
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Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.
Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.