Abstract
For over thirty years, FBI experts testified about comparative bullet lead analysis (CBLA), a technique that was first used in the investigation into President Kennedy’s assassination. CBLA compares trace chemicals found in bullets at crime scenes with ammunition found in the possession of a suspect. This technique was used by the FBI when firearms (“ballistics”) identification could not be employed – for example, if the weapon was not recovered or the bullet was too mutilated to compare striations. Although the FBI eventually ceased using CBLA, the Bureau’s conduct in first employing the technique and then defending it after it was challenged provides an invaluable insight into how forensic science sometimes works.
Keywords
Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis, William Tobin, FBI, Scientific Evidence, National Academy of Sciences, Expert Testimony, Criminal Law
Publication Date
2010
Document Type
Article
Place of Original Publication
Criminal Law Bulletin
Publication Information
47 Criminal Law Bulletin 306 (2010)
Repository Citation
Giannelli, Paul C., "Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis: A Retrospective" (2010). Faculty Publications. 97.
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications/97
