{"id":2033,"date":"2025-03-23T22:21:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T22:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/?page_id=2033"},"modified":"2025-05-12T22:40:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T22:40:00","slug":"the_perfect_murder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/the_perfect_murder\/","title":{"rendered":"El crimen perfecto"},"content":{"rendered":"
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El crimen perfecto<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Is modern forensic technology making it impossible\nfor someone to get away with murder?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Los escritores de novela negra suelen atribuir a sus criminales demasiada clase e inteligencia. La raz\u00f3n es evidente: para que una historia tenga tensi\u00f3n, el protagonista debe enfrentarse a un adversario digno de sus habilidades para combatir el crimen y resolver misterios. Idealmente, el villano deber\u00eda ser un cerebro criminal: endemoniadamente listo, peligroso y lleno de recursos. Al fin y al cabo, no habr\u00eda mucha historia si el malo fuera un idiota que cometiese suficientes errores y dejase tantas pistas como para que lo atrapasen en el primer cap\u00edtulo.<\/p>

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In reality, most criminals \u2013 or at least most of the criminals who end up in the dock \u2013 are not very bright. In many cases they turn to crime precisely because they lack the necessary intellectual wherewithal and self-discipline to make a living by legitimate means. Around 50% of convicted criminals reoffend within a year of being released from prison. Or, to be more precise, around 50% are caught reoffending, which tells us as much about their intelligence as it does about their morals. Not surprisingly, then, most crimes are messy and either unplanned or badly planned. This is particularly true of murders. A junkie desperate for money to buy drugs holds up a liquor store and ends up shooting the owner. A married couple have a quarrel which escalates until one of the pair picks up a kitchen knife and stabs the other to death. A man gets into a fight with his neighbour over a TV set that\u2019s too loud, and, in a fit of rage, one of them batters the other to death with a baseball bat.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Los cad\u00e1veres de las v\u00edctimas de asesinato, por muy cuidadosamente que se oculten, tienen una inquietante tendencia a reaparecer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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La mayor\u00eda de los asesinatos son s\u00f3rdidos y no premeditados, y no hace falta una gran capacidad de deducci\u00f3n para averiguar qu\u00e9 ha pasado o qui\u00e9n ha sido el responsable. En jerga legal, son casos claros. Invariablemente, la \u00fanica discusi\u00f3n gira en torno al grado de intencionalidad.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"\"Las personas que cometen asesinatos no premeditados (homicidio en segundo grado, en Estados Unidos, o en algunos casos homicidio voluntario) suelen intentar ocultar las pruebas del crimen: abandonan el cuerpo en alg\u00fan lugar donde creen que no ser\u00e1 descubierto, se deshacen del arma homicida y limpian manchas de sangre y otras evidencias incriminatorias. Casi siempre est\u00e1n perdiendo el tiempo. Los cad\u00e1veres tienen una extra\u00f1a costumbre de aparecer, por muy bien escondidos que est\u00e9n; y con el abanico de t\u00e9cnicas forenses sofisticadas de que disponen hoy los investigadores \u2014an\u00e1lisis de huellas dactilares, an\u00e1lisis de ADN, an\u00e1lisis de fibras, espectroscop\u00eda vibracional, c\u00e1maras de seguridad, perros rastreadores, entre otras\u2014, la mayor\u00eda de los asesinos improvisados podr\u00edan ahorrarse el esfuerzo y dejar directamente su tarjeta de visita en la escena del crimen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Hasta hace relativamente poco, lo \u00fanico que realmente deb\u00eda preocupar a alguien que planeaba cometer un asesinato era no dejar huellas dactilares en la escena, y ese riesgo se evitaba f\u00e1cilmente usando guantes. Hoy en d\u00eda, quien pretenda cometer un asesinato debe sortear un campo minado de pruebas potenciales y riesgos si quiere tener alguna posibilidad de no ser descubierto. Debe evitar ser captado por c\u00e1maras de vigilancia mientras se desplaza hacia o desde el lugar del crimen (lo que implica esquivar autopistas, gasolineras, tiendas, cajeros autom\u00e1ticos y otros lugares donde probablemente haya c\u00e1maras activas). Tiene que recordar apagar su tel\u00e9fono m\u00f3vil, y asegurarse de que el coche que conduce no lleva instalado un dispositivo antirrobo con localizador GPS. En la escena del crimen, debe extremar el cuidado para no dejar ADN \u2014incluidos saliva, sangre, cabellos, etc.\u2014 ni fibras de ning\u00fan tipo que puedan ser rastreadas hasta \u00e9l o ella. Esto es mucho m\u00e1s dif\u00edcil de lo que parece. Una sola pesta\u00f1a basta para enviar a alguien a prisi\u00f3n de por vida. Tambi\u00e9n hay que preocuparse por las huellas de neum\u00e1ticos, el an\u00e1lisis bal\u00edstico y los residuos de p\u00f3lvora (si se ha utilizado un arma de fuego), las manchas de sangre, incluso las im\u00e1genes satelitales (que pueden servir, por ejemplo, para demostrar que el coche del sospechoso no estaba donde \u00e9l afirma en el momento del crimen), y, por supuesto, todav\u00eda hay que evitar dejar huellas dactilares en la escena.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"\"Whereas previously the police apprehended criminals by following their physical trail, they are now just as likely to catch them by following their digital trail. It is virtually impossible now for a person to go anywhere, or carry out a transaction of any kind, without leaving a permanent electronic record of their movements. Every phone call and text message is logged. Every item purchased in a shop has a bar code which can be used to discover when and where the item was bought, and every receipt is time and date stamped. Every visit to a bar, a restaurant, a bank \u2013 or just about any place of business \u2013 is routinely recorded on CCTV. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, and increasingly they are being used in conjunction with facial and car license plate recognition systems. The days when a murder suspect could claim that they were in a different town at the time the murder was committed are over.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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More than one third of murder victims are killed by members of their own family, by spouses, or by close acquaintances. But very few of these murders are premeditated or carefully-planned. Most are the result of domestic arguments that escalated out of control. The ones that are planned usually have financial gain as the motive.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"\"It is, in many ways, easier for someone to get away with murdering a member of their own family than it is to murder a stranger. Not only do they have access to their intended victim, but they also possess intimate knowledge of their habits, daily routines, and medical histories\u2014crucial information that makes it far easier to stage a death as an accident, suicide, or natural cause. For instance, if the victim has a known history of severe depression, few will question a death that presents as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Similarly, if the deceased is elderly and had a weak heart or some other serious condition, little suspicion will arise if they are found lifeless in bed\u2014especially considering that many poisons leave no trace unless the examiner knows precisely what to test for, and that is only if the death is even flagged as suspicious. Often, the decision to refer a death for investigation lies with the attending doctor\u2014frequently the family physician\u2014who may have no training in identifying subtle signs of foul play. Once the death certificate is signed, the body can be cremated, and with it any potential forensic evidence.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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However, for all this apparent ease, it would still take an exceptionally clever and calculating person to murder someone close to them\u2014especially someone from whose death they stand to profit\u2014without leaving behind any incriminating trace. They would need to construct a meticulous plan that accounted for every detail: access, motive, opportunity, and the manipulation of post-mortem appearances. Yet the more elaborate the plan, the more vulnerable it becomes to disruption. The downside of murdering a family member, from the killer\u2019s point of view, is that if murder is suspected, the number of possible suspects is likely to be limited to just a few people. If suspicion does arise, the killer\u2019s intimate connection to the victim makes them one of the first to fall under scrutiny.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Fictional detectives usually have no trouble at all finding proof that a person was murdered, and did not commit suicide or die in an accident, but in reality it is often impossible to determine the manner of death, as distinct from the medical cause of death. It may be possible to ascertain that a person found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs died from a broken neck or a fatal head injury, but finding evidence which can be used to determine whether they fell down the stairs or were pushed is a very different matter. Suicides and accidental deaths are always looked at closely, of course, but unless there are suspicious circumstances, they are unlikely to receive more than routine and cursory attention.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Un \u00faltimo punto (\u00bfo deber\u00eda decir \"una cosa m\u00e1s\"?). La calidad de la representaci\u00f3n legal de un acusado puede marcar toda la diferencia entre ser condenado o absuelto. Un buen abogado \u2014que invariablemente significa un abogado caro\u2014 puede convencer al jurado de que emita un veredicto de no culpable, incluso cuando las pruebas que apuntan a la culpabilidad del acusado parecen abrumadoras. La mayor\u00eda de los sospechosos de asesinato hacen declaraciones autoincriminatorias a la polic\u00eda antes de ver a un abogado, y es m\u00e1s probable que sean condenados por sus propias palabras que por las pruebas encontradas en la escena del crimen. As\u00ed que, aunque en teor\u00eda las mismas leyes se apliquen por igual a ricos y pobres, la tasa de condenas \u2014especialmente por asesinato\u2014 es notablemente menor entre quienes pueden costearse una defensa legal de primer nivel. De hecho, cuanto m\u00e1s rica es una persona, menos probable es que sea arrestada, enfrentada a cargos penales, declarada culpable, condenada a prisi\u00f3n o que se le deniegue la libertad condicional. Este proceso de cribado significa que una persona adinerada tiene entre tres y cuatro veces m\u00e1s probabilidades de salirse con la suya en un caso de asesinato que una persona pobre.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Adaptado de Detr\u00e1s del cord\u00f3n policial <\/em>\u00a9 2025 Zak Martin<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Perfect Murder Is modern forensic technology making it impossible for someone to get away with murder? Crime fiction writers give their criminals far too much credit for class and intelligence. The reason is obvious. In order for a story to have tension, the hero has to be up against an adversary who is worthy…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2033","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2033"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4137,"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2033\/revisions\/4137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakmartin.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}