Robbery-Homicide Link in 12 minutes

"FCC's from a robbery were scanned into BIQ, identifying two firearms. The following Saturday a homicide occurred around midnight with no witnesses, even though it was on a busy street. The FCC's from the homicide were scanned and submit for Rapid Ballistics at approximately 0100 Sunday morning. In 12 minutes the BIQ Rapid Ballistics team was able to provide the agency a Potential Link report between the robbery and the homicide. Working with another agency, the investigators were able to identify a suspect and secured murder arrest warrants within 24 hours."

.45 Cal Casings Tied To One Gun And Suspect

"In a Kankakee County, IL homicide, investigators collected several .45- caliber FCC's at the scene, including one inside a pickup truck believed to be the suspect vehicle. County investigators asked a neighboring police department (with BIQ access) to scan five .45 FCCS. The CSA report showed four matched one firearm, but the fifth was “undetermined.” a qat examiner later confirmed all five originated from the same gun, connecting the suspect to the vehicle and possibly the shooting. This investigation is"

BIQ Revealed Two Firearms from Hiding Suspects

"Officers on foot patrol heard gunshots and found a victim collapsing. Two suspects, one of whom had a firearm in his possession, were discovered hiding under debris in the alley. Four FCCS and the recovered firearm were scanned into BIQ, which indicated two firearms had been used. This determination caused a return to the crime scene and a second search uncovered the second firearm on a rooftop. Both guns were test fired and confirmed linked to the homicide in 1.5 hours. BIQ’s quick results closed the case and lead to homicide arrests against both individuals."

Single Firearm Tied To 14 Different Shootings

"An agency reported that BIQ identified a single .223-caliber firearm connected to 14 separate shootings, each scene averaging 60–70 FCCS. By using the multi-scanner, the agency streamlined evidence entry, and the agency expressed extreme satisfaction with BIQ’s efficiency."

MISSED SUBMISSION ALLOWS SUSPECT TO REOFFEND

"IN EARLY JUNE 2021, FCC'S FROM TWO PROPERTY CRIME CASES (ONE HAD A KNOWN SUSPECT) WERE SCANNED INTO BIQ BUT NEVER SUBMITTED FOR ANALYSIS BY THE BIQ RAPID BALLISTICS TEAM. TWO WEEKS LATER, FCCS FROM AN AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WERE SCANNED AND SUBMITTED TO THE BIQ RAPID BALLISTICS TEAM WHICH LINKED TO THOSE PRIOR PROPERTY CRIMES WITHIN 3 HOURS. HAD THE EARLIER CASES BEEN SUBMITTED INVESTIGATORS COULD HAVE APPREHENDED THE SUSPECT SOONER, POTENTIALLY PREVENTING THE ASSAULT; THUS, DISRUPTING THE CYCLE OF GUN CRIME."

THREE FIREARMS AT DOUBLE HOMICIDE

"In an urgent double homicide , 64 FCCS (58 from the scene and 6 from test fire of collected firearm) were scanned into BIQ around Midnight and submitted to the Rapid Ballistics team. The team returned a CSA QAT report in 4 hours indicating that none of the tested firearms linked to the scene FCC's, but rather three (3) separate firearms were used. This helped the investigators reconstruct the shooting scene between the two vehicles and ruled out the victims recovered gun."

OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING CONFIRMED IN 2 HOURS

"In an officer-involved shooting, FCC's from the scene and test fires from officers weapon were scanned into BIQ. The CSA report provided the agency confirmation regarding the officers FCCs versus the suspects. This quick data validated the officers statements regarding the number of rounds fired by the officer and the suspect."

Same day results secure arrest warrant in Homicide

"A PEST CONTROL WORKER WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX WHERE 1 FCC WAS COLLECTED. POLICE LOCATED A SUSPECT’S VEHICLE AND FOUND A HANDGUN IN THE VEHICLE. TEST FIRES FROM THE HANDGUN AND THE HOMICIDE SCENE’S SINGLE FCC WERE SCANNED INTO BIQ AND SUBMITTED TO BIQS RAPID BALLISTICS TEAM. WITHIN 30 MINUTES, AN EXAMINER WAS ABLE ASSOCIATE THE TEST FIRED CARTRIDGE CASES (FROM THE HANDGUN) WITH THE FIRED CARTRIDGE CASE COLLECTED FROM THE SCENE. THE POTENTIAL LINK REPORT WAS RETURNED TO INVESTIGATORS WHILE THE SUSPECT WAS IN CUSTODY AND BEING INTERVIEWED. THE POTENTIAL LINK REPORT IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER EVIDENCE SECURED AN ARREST WARRANT FOR THE SUSPECT. LATER, IT WAS REVEALED THE TV SHOW THE FIRST 48 FILMED THE BIQ PROCESS."

28-minute link to test fire from arrest

"ONE FIRED CARTRIDGE CASE FROM AN ASSAULT CASE FROM A NEIGHBORING EXTERNAL AGENCY WAS SCANNED INTO BIQ AND SUBMITTED TO THE RAPID BALLISTICS TEAM. A POTENTIAL LINK REPORT WAS RETURNED IN 28 MINUTES AND CONNECTED THE EXTERNAL AGENCY’S ASSAULT CASE TO A TEST FIRE FROM A COLLECTED FIREARM FROM A WEAPONS CASE FROM AUGUST 2020. AFTER CONTACTING A SUPERVISOR FROM THE PRIMARY AGENCY, EIQ PERSONNEL WERE INFORMED THAT THAT THE FIREARM WAS TEST FIRED AFTER BEING COLLECTED IN SEPTEMBER 2020 AND THEN RELEASED TO A FAMILY MEMBER LATER THAT MONTH. THIS SAME FIREARM WAS THEN USED IN AN ASSAULT CASE IN A NEARBY CITY IN DECEMBER 2020. A SUSPECT WAS APPREHENDED THAT DAY WITH THE FIREARM, AND HE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A COUSIN OF THE SHOOTER IN THE ASSAULT CASE IN AUGUST 2020 OF THE PRIMARY AGENCY. THERE WERE NO LEADS IN THE PRIMARY AGENCY’S ASSAULT CASE, BUT SINCE A SUSPECT WAS APPREHENDED IN THE EXTERNAL AGENCY’S ASSAULT CASE, THE PRIMARY AGENCY HAD A LEAD TO INVESTIGATE."

Boulder County Sheriffs Office

"Boulder County, Colo. - After nearly five decades of investigation, new developments in the 1975 homicide case of John Curtis Patterson have provided decisive evidence that conclusively links Louis Jess Locicero to the crime. On September 29, 1975, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the 4500 block of N. Broadway in Boulder on the report of a deceased male. Upon arrival, deputies found 20-year-old John Curtis Patterson, a clerk at the Cascade Service Station, deceased in a restroom at the gas station. Patterson had suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest. Two unfired .30 caliber cartridges were also found on the floor of the bathroom near Mr. Patterson's body. They bore extractor marks and indications of "light hits" on the primers. The cash register was found open, and the cash was missing, indicating robbery as the likely motive. The investigation led to 32-year-old Louis Jess Locicero, a suspect with a criminal history, including robbery, burglary, drug, and weapon charges. He was staying at a nearby motel, in the 4500 block of Broadway in Boulder, around the time of the murder. Key evidence found in Locicero’s motel room, including a .30 caliber M1 carbine firearm, a knife that matched the victim's wound, and fibers from Patterson’s shirt found on the knife and in the sheath, and hairs found on Locicero’s boots matched hair from Patterson's head all pointed to his involvement in the crime. Detectives interviewed Locicero along with countless others and ultimately arrested Locicero in 1975, however, he was released for unknown reasons prior to charges being filed. Sheriff detectives have continued the investigation and followed leads over the decades. Unfortunately, detectives had not been able to develop new leads after reviewing the evidence and interviewing potential witnesses, until recently. Despite previous challenges in definitively connecting Locicero’s firearm to the crime a breakthrough recently occurred. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was evaluating the Ballistics IQ device from Evidence IQ which linked the cartridges found at the murder scene and cartridges found in Locicero’s nearby hotel room to a single firearm — Locicero’s .30 caliber M1 carbine. Evidentiary items were later sent to Ballistics IQ for evaluation by ballistics experts, which ultimately confirmed these findings. This evidence now conclusively links Locicero’s weapon to the crime scene. Though some aspects of the case remain unconfirmed, there is now significant evidence to indicate Locicero committed the crime, and probable cause exists to arrest him if he were alive today, however Locicero died in 2024. The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and concluded the evidence establishes proof beyond a reasonable doubt Locicero committed the murder. The District Attorney’s Office provided a letter documenting their findings that if Locicero were alive today, he would be prosecuted for the robbery and the murder of John Patterson. "This is why the Boulder County Sheriff's Office spends time investigating cold cases like this, to see if something was missed and to see if, with new technology, new leads can be found. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office wants the families to know their loved ones have not been forgotten," said Detective Don Dillard. Commander Jeff Pelletier said, “I take pride in the work of those in our agency and the reality that our agency is willing to be a champion for technology and its’ involvement in solving cases, particularly cold cases, bringing closure to those who have had to wait. I’d also like to thank the team at Evidence IQ for their willingness to be part of closing this case and performing expert analysis in such a timely fashion.” District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated, “In our jurisdiction we work very closely with law enforcement to secure justice for victims and our community. As this investigation by the Sheriff’s Department demonstrates the quest for justice is something we will always pursue. I’m very grateful to the Sheriff’s Office for continuing to investigate this tragic murder and using new technology to provide answers for the victim’s family and our community. Our office reviewed this investigation and with this new evidence we would have been able to file charges in this case.” The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number is 75-04014."

New Ballistics Technology and Forensic Findings Lead to Closure - Colorado