Quotes About Evidence

In the twentieth century the Mormon Church sent a number of well-funded archaeologists to Mexico and Central America to try to confirm the stories through site excavations. Although this resulted in valuable, high-quality research, it also proved difficult for the scientists themselves; facing clear evidence that disproved the Mormon view of history, some of the archaeologists ended up losing their faith, and a few of those who voiced their doubts were excommunicated.

There is no evidence of sexual or religious ritual, or any kind of game or group orgy.

It is scientifically impossible for one offender to leave extensive DNA evidence and for others involved in the same assault to leave none.

I'm afraid so," said Pendergast. "The body, it appears, has been buttered and sugared.

From all physical and behavioral evidence, the most likely scenario would have the lone offender quickly rising from the toilet, pulling up his trousers, and going immediately to the woman and confronting her with his knife. With reference to the element of surprise and victimology displayed at countless scenes of violence, we would expect the victim to plead with the UNSUB to take what he wants and leave her unhurt. This would be true whether the victim knows the UNSUB or not.

We don't just look for dead bodies. That day, we were actually looking for a cache of heroin somebody'd thrown off a bridge.

Edgardo Giobbi, lead investigator, all but confessed his ignorance with this statement to the press: "We knew she was guilty of murder without physical evidence." This embarrassingly naïve statement apparently raised no alarms in Perugia.

But on the final evening of Amanda's interrogation, she was interrogated all night. Not by just one or two detectives, but by adozen—twelve—detectives. Again, the police not only do not dispute this; they have entered this evidence into court.

Nearly two more years would pass before appellate Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann announced his verdict, declaring them innocent upon appeal—under Italian law an even more forceful verdict than not guilty because it means exoneration and an absence of any compelling evidence at all.

Eight months passed before they were actually charged with murder: That was how long it took to develop the "evidence." In the United States, suspects typically cannot be held more than 72 hours without being charged.

It is a capital mistake to develop a premature hypothesis in the absence of hard data.

It often seems to me that's all detective work is, wiping out your false starts and beginning again." "Yes, it is very true, that. And it is just what some people will not do. They conceive a certain theory, and everything has to fit into that theory. If one little fact will not fit it, they throw it aside. But it is always the facts that will not fit in that are significant.

Unless you are good at guessing, it is not much use being a detective.

No innocent person ever has an alibi.

Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of Mrs. Armstrong's mother, the detective methods of Mr. Hardman, the suggestion of Mr. MacQueen that Ratchett himself destroyed the charred note we found, Princess Dragomiroff's Christian name, and a grease spot on a Hungarian passport.

Real evidence is usually vague and unsatisfactory. It has to be examined---sifted. But here the whole thing is cut and dried. No, my friend, this evidence has been very cleverly manufactured---so cleverly that it has defeated its own ends.

My friend, in working upon a case, one does not take into account only the things that are "mentioned". There is no reason to mention many things which may be important. Equally, there is often an excellent reason for not mentioning them.

So you think that the coco- mark well what I say, Hastings, the coco- contained strychnine?" "Of course! That salt on the tray, what else could it have been?" "It might have been salt." replied Poirot placidly.

Oh, my friend, have I not said to you all along that I have no proofs. It is one thing to know that a man is guilty, it is quite another matter to prove him so. And, in this case, there is terribly little evidence. That is the whole trouble.

It is one thing to know that a man is guilty, it is quite another matter to prove him so.

The great thing in these cases is to keep an absolutely open mind. Most crimes, you see, are so absurdly simple.

Proof must be solid break walls of facts.

Always the facts must be twisted to fit the theory!

Real evidence is usually vague and unsatisfactory. It has to be examined—sifted.