Authorities Use Bugs To Solve A Murder

Sometimes insects are used to solve murders. You are probably thinking that this article will be about forensic entomology, but it will not be. Using insects as evidence in crime investigations is rare when forensic science is not a part of the process, but it does happen. For example, early in the millennium a man named Vincent Brothers was convicted of multiple murders as a result of insect evidence. At first the police were stumped when five dead bodies were discovered in Bakersfield, California. Eventually the authorities convicted Brothers for the murder with the help of an entomologist, Lynn Kimsey, from the University of California at Davis.

Back in 2002 the police discovered five murder victims in a home in Bakersfield. All of the victims were relatives. And the victims were all related to a man named Vincent Brothers. Since Brothers managed to avoid being brutally killed, unlike his relatives, police naturally wanted to ask Brothers a few questions. The murder victims included Brothers’ wife, their three children and his mother in law. As you can understand, this put Brothers under immediate suspicion. However, Brothers had an alibi. Brothers claimed that he could not have been responsible for the murders because he had driven to Ohio to visit his brother when the murders occurred. In fact, Brothers had even rented a car, which he claimed to have driven to Ohio. The police reviewed the rental car companies paperwork, and sure enough, Brothers did rent a car shortly before his family was murdered. For a short time the case went cold, as the police could find no evidence to link Brothers to the crime scene. Luckily, an entomologist was brought in on the case, which resulted in Brothers’ conviction. If the car had been driven from California to Ohio, then certain insects that are native to the midwest would have been found smashed against his windshield. However, only insects that are native to the western US were found on the rental car, proving Brothers had never driven to Ohio. These insects included true bugs, paper wasps, and a distinctive grasshopper leg. The insects were surprisingly well intact, which led to Brothers’ conviction.

Do you think that using insects as evidence is solid enough to convict a person for murder in this case?