Michelle O Farnelly Case Analysis

Introduction to Criminal Justice

Murder of Michelle O’Connelly in St.Augustine

Eric Flores , student [e-mail] Introduction

In this critical analysis of the murder of Michelle O’Connell in St. Augustine we will be analyzeing the following factors to determine if there was any injustice in the handleing of the murder investigation by the sheriff department to protect their follow sheriff deputy from criminal prosecution ,in particular; (1)whether there was a conflict of interest by the sheriff investigateing the murder by not properly handleing evidence in the case ; (2) whether sheriff deputy Jeremy initial interview with the criminal investigator was prejudice by the fact that sheriff

In this particular case , although sheriff deputy Jeremy was a prime suspect at the crime scene of Michelle O’Connell death however sheriff deputy Jeremy was not placed in custody or prohibited from socializeing with friends , family , and coworkers as was required by police practice and protocol regardless of what sheriff deputy Jeremy assertions of his wife committing suicide.By allowing sheriff deputy Jeremy to be able to socialize with friends , relatives , and coworkers before being interviewed by investigators at the time of the crime scene he was able to gather his though and receive feedback from his frineds , family , and coworkers to be able to adequately prepare himself from making any type of mistakes during the initial interview. The failure to perform police protocol and practice during a murder investigation great jeaparadized the outcome of the investigation because the murder suspect was not placed under any pressure of potentially being incarcerated such as being placed in handcuffs in a police car until interviewed by

Victims of police family violence typically fear that the responding officers will side with their abuser and fail to properly investigate or document the crime. These suspicions are well founded, as most departments across the country typically handle cases of police family violence informally, often without an official report, investigation, or even check of the victim's safety. This "informal" method is often in direct contradiction to legislative mandates and departmental policies regarding the appropriate response to domestic violence crimes. Moreover, a 1994 nationwide survey of 123 police departments documented that almost half (45%) had no specific policy for dealing with officer-involved domestic violence.(2013 , Police Family Violence Fact Sheet , National Center for Woman and Policing). This may very well be the reason why the police department improperly handled the case involveing sheriff deputy Jeremy and the death of his wife Michelle