Final answer:
Jennifer Thompson ultimately identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker through a lineup, however, the reliability of her identification was influenced by external cues from a detective, demonstrating challenges in eyewitness identification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who is able to finally identify the serial killer is often faced with challenges, such as memory reliability and influence from others like police officers. In the case of Jennifer Thompson, who was attacked in 1984, her attempt to memorize her assailant's face led to the identification of Ronald Cotton as the perpetrator.
Despite her best efforts to recall details accurately, the process was compromised by external cues from a detective, which is a common issue in eyewitness identification. The district attorney had concerns about her initial uncertainty, which Jennifer attempted to resolve during a lineup where she eventually chose Cotton as the assailant.
Procedures such as photo arrays and lineups can be influenced by various factors, including unintentional prompts from law enforcement and the psychological pressure on victims to make a positive identification, raising concerns about wrongful convictions.
Jennifer's case is an example of how difficult it can be for someone to correctly identify a criminal without suggestive influence, and it underscores the importance of using careful methods during criminal investigations to avoid misidentification.