What is the goal of the bloodstain pattern analyst?
The goal of the bloodstain pattern analyst is to recognize this basic nature of the stain through these physical characteristics, properly classify the pattern and then to associate the pattern back to a source event within the context of the scene. This final step is a function of associating the pattern to a specific event that occurred during the incident in question. For instance: In a scene we might find a radiating pattern of very fine spatter deposited on a surface in close proximity to a bullet defect. The autopsy information advises us that the victim received a perforating gunshot wound. DNA testing verifies the blood is that of the victim. Using BPA the pattern would be recognized as an impact spatter pattern. The small (sub-millimeter) size of the stains in the pattern might suggest explosive force and thus the analyst could functionally opine that the pattern was produced by the gunshot event.
