Handwriting

  Handwriting is a forensic investigation technique that is often unrecognized. But, with ransom notes and similar examples of writing in crime scenes, it can be a very conclusive article of evidence.

Handwriting Characteristics

·      Line quality: Are the marks smooth and flowing? Are they shaky and wavering?

·      Spacing of words and letters: Is the spacing consistent between each letter and word? Does it vary?

·      Ratio of relative height, width, and size of letters: Is the ratio of the letters consistent? What is the ratio?

·      Pen lifts and separations: Does the person stop to form new letters and begin words? Are there dark spots where the pen may have rested? Forgeries of ten have lifts and pauses in strange places.

·      Connecting strokes: Are the capitals connected to the lowercase letters? Are there connecting strokes between lowercase letters and words?

·      Beginning and ending strokes: How are the beginning and ending strokes curved? Upwards, downward, long short, etc.?

·      Unusual letter formation: Are any letters formed differently? Such as backward letters or unusual capitals?

·      Shading or pen pressure: Is the pressure on the upward or downward strokes?

·      Slant: Which direction is the writing slanted, right, left, vertical?

·      Baseline habits: Is the writing above or below the line? Do certain letters drop lower than the rest?

·      Flourishes and embellishments: Are there any flourishes or embellishments? What are they?

·      Diacritic placement: How are the t’s crossed? How are the j’s and i’s dotted? Are they to the right or to left of the letter?

Famous Handwriting Cases

> Forgeries aren’t always criminal cases. One of the most commonly known examples is a case of fraud. The signature of baseball player, Mickey Mantle, was forged on pieces of merchandise in order to turn a profit. The FBI got involved in the civil suit and determined, by the shaky lines and round flourishes on the 'M's, that the lower two in the photo were forgeries.

> Perhaps the most famous case in handwriting forensics is the case of the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping. The perpetrator had sent ransom notes to Charles Lindbergh (the child’s father), all handwritten. Though it took a while, authorities were able to locate the kidnapper with other evidence, and affirmed that Richard Bruno Hauptmann was the kidnapper by comparing his handwriting to the ransom notes. He was convicted and sentenced to death.