Part I - Strangulation: Identification and InvestigationTuesday, Feburary 8, 2022, 10:00am – 12:00pm EST
Course Description:
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, in partnership with the Virginia Victim Assistance Network, is pleased to announce that registration is now open for Strangulation: Identification, Investigation, and Strategic Prosecution webinar series.
The heinous crime of strangulation is too often overlooked due to elusive evidence and the already complex dynamics of sexual and domestic violence crimes. The use of strangulation as a form of domestic violence is an undeniable red flag for future violence and homicide— not only for the victim, but our communities as a whole. Perpetrators who strangle pose the highest threat to the lives of law enforcement officers, and the correlation between mass shooters and a history of strangulation has been well-documented. This training will teach investigators how to identify, investigate, and document cases involving strangulation. The trainers will use their own cases to show the value of law enforcement digging deeper into the dynamics of abuse and the role of fear to prepare an evidence-based prosecution. By better investigating these intangible dynamics, prosecutors will be better equipped to overcome common attacks on the victim's credibility.
Register in advance for this webinar:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8R_WlWtlQ-eLk5bA8vgZzw
Although Virginia law gives prosecutors the ability to hold offenders who use strangulation accountable, they are often stifled by a misunderstanding of the evidence and strategic defenses. Part two of this training takes the audience on the journey of respiration and offers insight into the most common defenses that impede justice, confuse juries and allow these offenders to escape accountability. Through case studies, the trainers show how investigators can better prepare against the common defenses that arise in court and result in the loss of a case. This session will provide prosecutors with tips on how to strategically prosecute asphyxiation offenders who claim the act is consensual and provide tips on jury selection, using expert witnesses, and combating the most common defenses.
Register in advance for this webinar:https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CUyvLanrTfK5gBM-_BEgYw
Who should attend?
Law enforcement, Commonwealth's Attorneys, Victim Advocates, Forensic Nurse Examiners, Social Services and other victims services professionals. If you do not work in one of these professions, DCJS may cancel your registration.
Participant Registration and Cost: There is no cost to participate in this webinar series. Please click on the registration links above to register. Registrants will receive a confirmation email. If you need to cancel your registration, you can do so on your confirmation email.
Cancellation Policy: Registrants will receive an email notification if this webinar is cancelled.
Presenters:
Kelsey McKay was a prosecutor in Travis County, Texas for twelve years. For six years she exclusively prosecuted strangulation-related crimes ranging from assault, sexual assault to capital murder. She has developed and implemented protocols for strangulation and domestic violence response and treatment. To that end, she has strengthened how communities collaborate, investigate, treat and prosecute strangulation and intimate partner cases. She works to develop medical and non-medical experts in the community to testify to a jury regarding the evidence in strangulation, trauma-related crime, and family violence cases. She works with law enforcement to develop the protocol and implement the use of a Strangulation Supplement (recently retitled: The Asphyxiation Assessment) into the field transforming the role of first responders to be more investigative by carrying her knowledge and needs as a prosecutor into the field on every case. In collaboration with the non-profit, RESPOND Against Violence she is working to develop an evidence-based protocol to assist communities to implement a Blueprint of Policies for Asphyxiation Crimes.
Kimberly Orts is a detective with the Travis Co. Sheriff's Office, assigned to the Family Violence Unit, primarily investigating the spectrum of crimes involving intimate partner violence. Det. Orts' experience is diverse, working multiple assignments in Corrections and Law Enforcement, as well as extended duties as a team leader of the Crisis Negotiations Team and an adjunct training instructor.
Andrea Zaferes is a medicolegal death investigator specializing in the handling of asphyxiation cases from scene to courtroom. She trains law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners, domestic violence workers, medical personnel, and jurisprudence members to recognize, document, and investigate aquatic homicide, death, assault, and abuse cases. She assists in analyzing and building such cases in the U.S. and abroad and has developed standards for their investigation. She is recognized in multiple jurisdictions and the U.S. Army as an expert witness in bodies-found-in-water/aquatic death investigation. For over 30 years, she has taught dive and surface teams around the world to perform water rescue and find/recover submerged evidence and bodies. She is an author and frequent public speaker on the topics of aquatic death and aquatic abuse.
