A Condom—the Critical Link in a Rape

Abstract

An intact condom, reputedly used during a rape, was submitted for forensic examination. Conventional biochemistry results indicated that blood found on one side of the condom may have originated from the victim. Semen from the other side of the condom was not characterizable by conventional biochemical methods. Pubic hairs recovered from the condom matched those of the victim and not those of the suspect. Testing the blood and semen from the condom by DNA analysis gave the profile of the victim from the blood and the profile of the suspect from the semen.

Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry for analysis of sexual assault evidence

“…In this regard, analysis of lubricant residues associated with condom use in sexual assaults can provide probative evidence to support a victim's claims that a crime has occurred, establish the extent of the crime, link a suspect to a victim, or confirm penetration . Several case studies have been documented where a condom has served to establish a critical link between the victim and the perpetrator …”

“…[11] Several case studies have been documented where a condom has served to establish a critical link between the victim and the perpetrator. [11,13,15] The experimental methods that have been developed to characterize lubricants associated with sexual assault include those that utilize techniques that are commonplace in crime labs, such as microscopy, infrared analysis, and various mass spectrometry (MS) methods. [16,17] In addition, more sophisticated MS techniques not routinely found in crime laboratories have been applied to lubricant analysis, including liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-MS analysis.…”

Detection of the Spermicide Nonoxynol-9 Via GC-MS

“…One particular NPE, nonoxynol-9, is a spermicidal agent used in the United States as a common component of condom lubricants and other contraceptive products. Condom use has been documented in sexual assault as a means by which criminals can avoid leaving behind incriminating DNA evidence [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. However, in the absence of DNA evidence, detection of the various components of condom lubricants can serve as a causal link between a victim and suspect [1][2][3][4].…”

“…In this context, the detection of specific lubricant components has served as a probative link that provides an avenue to corroborate other evidence or information related to the crime. Spermicides in particular have been identified as potential trace evidence in sexual assault, with numerous case studies detailing its contextual value [2,5,6,8]. However, detection of nonoxynol-9 for evidentiary purposes has not been fully exploited because its physical characteristics are generally incompatible with the routine equipment most often found in crime labs, GC-MS.…”