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Video Reflections

Published onAug 05, 2022
Video Reflections

There are several video reflections in the course. For each, you will watch the assigned video listed in the Course Schedule. Links to the videos can be found here. The purpose of the video reflections is to think about how abstract concepts or theories that you learn in class relate to the real world, as well as to engage in a critical evaluation and discussion of those issues with your peers.

Each video reflection requires you to complete two parts: (1) Summary and (2) Reaction. The instructions are the same for each video reflection; they appear below this paragraph. See Course Schedule for due dates by module topic. I suggest you write your answers within a Word document, as it will help you to ensure that the word count is sufficient and that grammar and spelling are correct. 

Instructions: Watch the assigned video. After watching, write a post that contains the following two parts:

  • Summary: Summarize the video in at least 500 words; no more than 700

  • Reaction: Explain what you find most interesting about the video in at least 300 words.

You are only allowed to submit one original post. If you post more than one original post, you will receive a zero on the assignment, as it will be considered cheating. 

Once you have completed your Original Post, you are ready to submit it. For the first, for example, click on the Discussions tab. Then click on “Of Blood and Murder.” Click “Start a New Thread.” Where it says “Enter a Subject”, write the title of the video. Then cut-and-paste what you wrote above into the text box, and click “Post.” 

Grading: Posts will be graded using the following rubric with 10 representing a perfect score.

VIDEO REFLECTIONS GRADING RUBRIC

Criteria

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

 

4.5 points

3 points

1.5 point

0 points

Summary

You adequately summarize the material. Your summary is in a distinct paragraph and is at least 150 words.

You did not summarize some of the material. Or, your summary is not in a distinct paragraph. Or, your summary is not at least 150 words in length.

You do not summarize much of the material. Your summary may not be in a distinct paragraph. Your summary is not at least 150 words in length.

No summary

Reaction

You adequately react to the material. Your reaction is in a distinct paragraph and is at least 150 words.

You did not adequately react to the material. Or, your reaction is not in a distinct paragraph. Or, your reaction is not at least 150 words in length.

You do not provide an adequate reaction to the material. Your reaction may not be in a distinct paragraph. Your reaction is not at least 150 words in length.

No reaction

 

1 point

0.5 points

0 points

 

Grammar, Spelling, & Style

 

No problems of either grammar or spelling. Your style is sophisticated and appropriate. The posts are easy to read, interesting, and well organized.

 

Posts have minor problems with grammar or spelling. The posts are generally readable, interesting, and well organized.

 

Posts have many problems with grammar and spelling. The essay is difficult to read, not well organized.

 

 

Overall Score

Level 4

10 or more

Level 3

6.5 or more

Level 2

3 or more

Level 1

0 more

Comments
1
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Donisha Dixon:

Stranger than Fiction: The Murder of Angie Dodge

 

Summary

Author Scott Turow discusses the wrongful imprisonment of a man (Tapp) for 20 years for the murder and rape of Angie Dodge in 1996. Interviews with Carol, who talks about her daughter and her tireless pursuit of justice; Tapp, who discusses his newfound freedom after serving time in jail; and members of the Center on Wrongful Conviction and the Innocence Project round out this two-hour documentary. The victims mother, Carol Dodge, was concerned that justice was still not done even after Trapp was convicted thus actively sought out the truth. The murder and rape of Angie Dodge happened on June 13, 1996, in Idaho Falls, and the case was still not solved until May 2016. The crime scene where Angie Dodge was murdered in 1996 was described as "one of the most graphic" by one detective. Police discovered her inside her bedroom in a terrible condition. Angie was stabbed several times, including once in the upper right breast area, and had her neck slashed.

DNA samples were taken from the subject's hair and gametes. Tapp was imprisoned for the murder and rape of Dodge for a total of 20 years while police looked for other possible suspects whose DNA matched evidence found at the scene. In 2017, Tapp's rape conviction was quashed and he was released from jail the same year. While Tapp was in prison, officials kept looking for other possible suspects, in part because of pleas from the deceased girl's mother, Carole Dodge. The verdict in the murder case had left her dissatisfied, and she was determined to track out the individual whose DNA had been found at the murder scene. Carole spent 20 years reading every case file and conducting street interviews and surveillance. She also carefully listened to all sixty hours of Chris Tapp's questioning recordings. She discovers by paying attention to the tapes that Chris Tapp knew relatively little about Angie's murder. Over time, Carole grew to believe that Chris Tapp was not present at the crime scene.

Carol Dodge contacted CeCe Moore, an expert genomic genealogist, on November 2018. Moore enlisted Parabon Nanotech to aid him in his collaboration with law enforcement. Through the use of public genomic databases, genetic genealogy may analyze undiscovered DNA evidence to locate possible culprits though the respective family trees. Moore claimed she began constructing family trees to find where individuals who matched DNA with the mystery suspect and with each other. Michael Usry Jr. was first identified as a possible suspect of murder and rape.. Y-chromosome familial searching, in which authorities utilize incomplete DNA matching with relatives to identify an individual, lead them to Usry. Nonetheless, DNA testing at the crime scene revealed that Usry was not a match for evidence. Moore continued to look into the matter and discovered that one of the male relatives had married and divorced at a young age. Soon after the couple split up, she learned that one of their children, Brian L. Dripps Sr., had been conceived. In 2019, officials used autosomal familial sequencing to positively identify and convict Dripps, who was determined to have a complete genetic similarity. He even admitted to the crime during interrogation, making Carole Dodge's efforts worthwhile. This meant that Tapp was cleared of any wrongdoing.

 

Reaction

This cold case gained attention as an illustration of how family searching might lead to the identification of a suspect through the use of DNA testing seeking relatives. The case illustrates how non-criminal genetic archives are employed in criminal cases and the disagreements on the propriety of their usage, with erroneous charges and the eventual conviction gained through family research. Officials said the success of the Angie Dodge case investigation will increase the prevalence of familial searching in similar criminal investigations, albeit this is not the first instance to adopt this strategy. When it comes to how this case will ultimately affect people's attitudes and behavior around family tree searches, the jury is yet out. The Idaho Innocence Project is using cutting-edge technology to improve the state's justice system.

What a tragedy that men wronged by the state will never get back the years they have lost. And the detectives who threatened Trapp will likely only receive a reprimand. The 'eye for an eye' idea suggests that if a prosecutor or investigator intentionally employs coercion to obtain a guilty conviction, that individual should be required to make restitution in an amount equal to the social cost borne by the victims of the crime. If the police simply followed the evidence instead of employing terrorist tactics, perhaps more murders could be solved. The only way for humanity to overcome this atrocity is for its members to show resilience and do the right thing by never confessing to crimes they never committed. The general public needs to toughen up and take a stronger stand. Just because something is easy to do does not mean you should stop trying. It is my sincere hope that I would be able to maintain my honesty if I were in Trapp's position and faced with the same pressure to lie. But under those circumstances, I can understand why things happened the way they did. We hope that when the going gets tough, everyone will do the right thing. Still, we cannot deny the prevalence of fear in society and must acknowledge its pervasiveness.