One Deadly Punch Leads To Prison
Our faithful readers may remember that I wrote a newsletter back in 2011 called “Can One Punch Kill” but it has been many years since then and I asked one of my nurses to…
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Fentanyl: An involuntary intoxication defense?
A strange occurrence at a Massachusetts hospital Articles by Forensic Magazine and New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Between 2012 to 2016, fourteen patients showed up at a Massachusetts hospital with a strange problem. All…
Visualization of Old Bruises in Children
Ultraviolet Radiation and Forensics In forensics, ultraviolet radiation is used to enhance injuries of the skin. It has been reported that ultraviolet radiation can help visualize an old bruise and can also estimate the shape…
Aging a bruise on Autopsy
Those of you who follow me know I have several posts about how you can’t date bruises by color, but there is emerging literature to show that bruises can be dated on tissue analysis: How…
Are alcoholics really at fault for their crimes?
In April, I covered delirium and noted that there are many underlying etiologies that can cause it. One such etiology is Wernicke encephalopathy. What is encephalopathy? Encephalopathy is a general term describing any disease of…
5 Things Criminal Authorities Should Know About… Psychosis
This month we have a guest author. Thank you to Eleanor Ruth for providing this newsletter/blog post for us! Psychosis is a condition that distorts attunement with reality. Throughout the years, there have been many…
How using a nurse can help you win your case.
The nurses and doctors at Godoy Medical Forensics offer medico-legal consulting in criminal and civil cases and we can assist you in your case development and at trial. In many cases you do need a doctor…
We can help you on your Capital Case!
Do you have a capital case? Does the defendant have oodles of medical records? How are you digesting those right now? As a prosecutor, are you ready for the defense arguments against competency? As a…
Detecting Methamphetamine : Toxicology Time Window
Detection Time of Methamphetamine: Compared to cocaine, methamphetamine’s effects can be more intense and last longer. The half-life for methamphetamine (the time period required for the body to decrease the blood level of methamphetamine by…
Concentration and Metabolites: Methamphetamine
Blood concentrations for methamphetamine use as a prescribed medication are typically in the range of .02-.05 mg/L for a person taking methamphetamine prescribed for attention deficit disorder, weight loss or narcolepsy. Drug abuse with methamphetamine…
Methamphetamine: Screening
Screening: Methamphetamine is typically detected through urine and blood screens that offer positive or negative (“qualitative”) results. A positive result on a screen often leads to a confirmatory test that will use more sophisticated laboratory…
Meth: What triggers a drug screen?
Methamphetamine use has physical manifestations that heighten suspicion of use and lead to a drug screen. The category of stimulants, which includes methamphetamine, methylphenidate and cocaine, all produce dilation of pupils and the pupils appear…
