Question

Duct tape was used to bind a store clerk in a robbery, and a new roll of duct tape was found in a suspect's home. Is the roll of duct tape class or individual evidence?

a) Class evidence
b) Individual evidence
c) Insufficient data to determine
d) Both class and individual evidence

Answer 1

The roll of duct tape is class evidence because it can only be associated with a group of items, not uniquely linked to the crime without more specific characteristics. For it to be individual evidence, it would require unique identifiers from forensic analysis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The roll of duct tape found in the suspect's home would be considered class evidence. Class evidence is material that can be associated only with a group of items that share properties or characteristics. In this case, the roll of duct tape could have come from the same batch as the tape used in the robbery, but without more specific characteristics that can be uniquely linked to the tape used to bind the store clerk, it cannot be considered individual evidence. Individual evidence narrows down the source to a unique, single, specific entity or person. Examples of individual evidence might include things like DNA, fingerprints, or unique wear patterns that could definitively tie an object to a specific event.

To elevate the duct tape to individual evidence status, forensic analysis would have to provide a match that uniquely links that specific roll of tape to the crime scene, which might include matching torn edges, unique wear patterns, or distinct chemical composition that differs even among other rolls from the same brand or batch.