Forensic Audio Analysis
“Judge bans audio expert testimony. In a victory for George Zimmerman’s defense, judge excludes claims that Trayvon Martin was the screamer.” So begins this article from Local10.com.
The media is spinning this as a victory for the defense table. Actually, I would argue that it’s a victory for science and sanity.
Remember, “forensic science is the systematic and coherent study of traces to address questions of authentication, identification, classification, reconstruction, and evaluation for a legal context.” If one is engaged in audio analysis (clarification, restoration, authentication) as a forensic science exercise, then it must be systematic and coherent.
Back to the Zimmerman case …
“Seminole County Judge Debra Nelson ordered Saturday morning that the testimony of two audio experts from the prosecution be excluded from the George Zimmerman trial.
[The “audio expert”] had identified the fearful screams of the Feb. 26, 2012 bloody encounter as those of Trayvon Martin. [The “audio expert”] said the screams were not from Zimmerman.
“There is no evidence to establish that their scientific techniques have been tested and found reliable,” Nelson said in her order.”
Unfortunately, a majority of those advertising themselves as forensic audio analysts have no experience in the scientific world. They come from the world of music and audio production.
We apply the same scientific rigor to the analysis of audio as we do to the other scientific domains in which we are engaged. If you’re interested in an analysis of evidentiary audio for a case, contact us today. If you’d like training / education on this topic, check out our calendar and sign up for the next class. Don’t see a date that works for you, suggest one. We can come to your location, our you can come to ours in Henderson, NV.