Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Within the basis of my experience, I have examined
thousands of hairs and I have never found Caucasian hairs from two
different individuals that match.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, when you say that, Mr. Stombaugh, have you been
presented with hairs in your laboratory from Caucasian individuals
which you knew before the examination came from two or more individuals?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes.
We have obtained samples of hairs from a hundred different people, and
would select one hair, give it to an examiner and ask who it originated
from, and invariably he would be able to find in the hundred different
samples the individual the hair originated from.
Mr. EISENBERG. Now, when a specimen comes into your laboratory, does
it frequently come in--and I am talking now about specimens that come
in from a crime--does it frequently come in such, so that you have two
specimens, two or more specimens, which you know before you begin are
from two different people?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. You are told before you begin that they come from two
different people?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes, sir; ordinarily a case such as a murder or a rape,
you will obtain the clothing of the victim, the clothing of the suspect
in the case, as well as hair samples from the victim and hair samples
from the suspect.
Mr. EISENBERG. How many types of cases like this do you think you have
processed?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Processed approximately 500 a year.
Mr. EISENBERG. For how many years?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Four years--no, three years.
Mr. EISENBERG. In any of these approximately 1,500 cases, have you
found a case involving Caucasian hairs in which the hairs from the
known two different individuals matched in observable physical
characteristics microscopically?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No, sir; I have never found hair from two different
Caucasian persons that matched.
Mr. EISENBERG. Have you found any in non-Caucasian hairs, by the way?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I have found several cases in which hairs from two
different persons of the Negroid race, although the hairs did not match
completely, the characteristics were such that I felt that I could not
go further with the examination because I could not exclude the hairs.
The hairs were too similar. When I make a hair match. I know that any
case might go to court, and of course I want to be absolutely certain
in my mind.
In these cases I am referring to right now, the hair sample from the
victim and the hair sample from the suspect were pubic hairs. They were
so similar to each other that I could not find any pubic hairs that I
could match with the suspect's pubic hairs, and be certain in my mind
that these hairs came from him rather than her. I couldn't do this.
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