FORT DODGE, Iowa — A detective who wrote the book on how blood patterns can solve homicides is testifying at the murder trial of a woman charged with killing her neighbor in 2001.
Investigators hired consultant Rod Englert to reconstruct the scene in Tracey Richter's bedroom where she shot and killed Dustin Wehde in Early, a small town in northwest Iowa.
Englert, former chief sheriff's deputy in Multnomah County, Ore., is noted for expertise on crime scene reconstruction and blood pattern analysis. He wrote "Blood Secrets: Chronicles of a Crime Scene Reconstructionist," which was published last year.
Some jurors seemed amazed as Englert put fake blood on a white board to illustrate different blood patterns and what causes them. He says the Richter case is about "high-velocity" impact patterns and will elaborate Tuesday afternoon.