Criminal Attorney: Secondary Crime Scene

In Broward County, crime scenes can be considered primary or secondary. The primary scene is where the crime actually occurred, while any subsequent scenes are deemed secondary. In a bank robbery, the bank would be the primary scene while the getaway car and the thief’s hideout would be secondary scenes. Or, if a killer commits a murder at someone’s home, but transports the victim’s body to another location, such as a river for disposal, the home would be the primary scene and the perpetrator’s car and the river would be secondary scenes. Primary scenes typically yield more usable evidence than secondary scenes, but not always.

Sometimes only a secondary scene is available. If a body is found at a “dump site,” this would be a secondary scene. The primary scene, where the murder actually occurred, is not known. Broward County investigators use the evidence found at the secondary scene in an attempt to identify the killer or to locate the primary scene. For example, fibers from an expensive or unusual carpet may be found on the victim. Investigators might be able to use this evidence to identify the manufacturer and the seller and ultimately to create a list of buyers or locations where that particular product has been installed. This may greatly narrow the focus of the investigation and may lead to the primary crime scene and the perpetrator.