True Crime Mystery Solved: Early Forensics

February 7, 1968, Bernard Josephs returned to his home in England, to find that his wife, Claire had been murdered. While the crime scene had been gruesome, his wife had defensive wounds, telling investigators that she put up a fight. There were no signs of forced entry. A half-finished meal was prepared in the kitchen, leading investigators to believe someone Claire knew stopped by while she was making dinner.
Police narrowed their suspects to one, Roger Payne, an acquaintance of the Josephs. He had a flimsy alibi and wounds on his hands. That seemed to be enough for them to investigate him further. Though forensics in the 60s wasn’t nearly as advanced as today, investigators were still able to find fibers from Claire’s red wool dress on his clothes and in his car along with traces of blood that matched Claire’s blood type.
Roger Payne was sentenced to life in prison after a guilty verdict in this case that forensic evidence helped solve.
This early case using forensic evidence is impressive for it’s time. 

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