David Dittos Homicide - Case Study Example

?Investigative Section: David Ditto’s Homicide Case Investigative Section: David Ditto’s Homicide Case Background Information: David Patrick Ditto, a 44 year old man living in Mira Mesa, San Diego, was charged for having committed the crime of homicide against his wife, who died due to being beaten up and strangled after having suffered traumatic physical injuries on her body because of the same. According to the facts of the case as per David Ditto, his wife Karina, 38 years of age at the time of death, had gone upstairs to make use of the bathroom on the night of 11th March 2011. He stated that he heard a loud screech from the cat following several thuds on the stairs after which he found his wife lying on the floor because of having ‘fallen down’. Shortly before 1 am in the wee hours of the morning, the paramedics and firefighters were at the place of residence in order to help the situation after 911 was called by the husband, however, they found a completely different situation at hand. The paramedics performed necessary procedures including a CPR on Karina while they waited to reach the hospital and put her on life support for the next two days. Her critical condition was enough to alert the investigative department that the death was not a normal accident but an intended one. As per the account of prosecutor Claudine Ruiz, Karina Ditto was found to be covered in a pool of blood, unusual for a mere fall down the stairs. Furthermore, there was a gash on the back of her head as well as injuries suffered on her forehead, especially noticeable near the right temple. Not only the wife, but the husband David was also found to have severe scratches and minor injuries on his face which were thought to have occurred because of the victim fighting back in self-defense, noticing which one of the firefighters made the call to the police, concerned that the situation was more than a mere domestic injury. Investigation was conducted on the body of the victim after she was immediately taken to the hospital; there, the nurses have reported that many bruises and injuries were witnessed on the victim’s body and had caused detrimental effects on the physical health of the victim. According to them, Karina had bruises on her lip, scalp, jaw, tongue, chin, shoulders, arms, legs, and even had a fractured rib, giving proof that she had been manhandled extremely painfully. After having conducted a comprehensive research on the life of the Ditto couple, it was found that they had been married for a period of 16 years and that their life together had been so rocky that the wife, Karina, was on the verge of separating herself from her husband. The cause of death for Karina finally was a brain injury because of the lack of oxygen in her body, due to all the injuries that she had suffered, and not in fact a mere fall from the stairs; she was taken off life support after two days of being kept in the hospital and declared dead. The Ditto family also had two children and it was stated by the attorney Claudine Ruiz that David Ditto beat his wife again and again, kicked, stomped and choked her within the confines of their home, while the two children were sleeping upstairs. Ditto has been described as a control freak by the prosecutors meaning that he liked controlling everything within the power of his reach, especially his wife and children. He did not let them live as they pleased and posed restrictions on the kind of lifestyle that they lead. All these aspects had lead Karina Ditto to have the desire to break away from the marriage as they had been facing issues for over two years. In 2010 November, Karina had discussed separation with her husband and at the time, he applied for a life insurance policy on behalf of his wife, in case she suffered an accident, giving enough evidence that he was still trying to clutch onto her life. This was probably done so that he could have access to the money after she was dead and gone and he would have made her death look like an accident that occurred by falling off the stairs. This goes to show the kind of love or affection that he had for his wife, absolutely negligent in amount, and how much he preferred wealth over the life of someone close to him. The bruises on the body are enough evidence that the victim was killed; however the only challenge faced by the investigation group was proving that it was the husband that had injured her, beaten her up and lead to her untimely death. According to an interview conducted with Claudine Ruiz, she stated that the husband was extremely violent and vehemently beat the wife up on a regular basis because the bruises and injuries cannot have occurred because of a one-time violent situation. "He pressed against her neck, hard until she fell unconscious and she went limp," she said. On the other hand, the attorney representing David, Keith Rutman, stated the obvious; that Ditto was not at fault, the couple had patched up the differences among themselves and that the wife died because of an unfortunate fall from the stairs. He also stated that he was sorry for the children and their father being put through such an allegation at such a difficult time in their lives, and that when the victim fell, she fell unconscious in her husband’s arms and that is how he had his hands covered in blood as well as the scratches on his face as she was trying to flail her arms and save herself. This however, is a very likely story on part of the defendant and according to proper investigations conducted, has been ruled out as David has been charged with first degree murder as well as 25 years in prison for committing the crime. This is because the injuries that his wife had suffered were extremely fatal and no accident could have caused them. It was later noted that the attorney for David had been asked to leave because the investigation conducted within the case pointed to David being responsible for the entire incident, single handed. As per an interview conducted with District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, it was states that the husband slammed his wife’s head on the floor and assaulted her till she was in immense pain. He kicked her repeatedly, and all these actions were conducted on a regular basis, inflicting extreme trauma upon her body and mind. It was surprising to note that the other members of the Ditto family, especially David’s step father, were absolutely appalled by the decision taken by the court regarding the imprisonment of David Ditto because he believed his son to be innocent and even went on to insult the court when the decision was announced. An autopsy however was conducted on the body of the victim after her death and it concluded that she had been brutally beaten during many situations because of which her impending death was long overdue. It was a miracle that she had been able to survive for so long after having suffered the kind of injuries that she underwent. Any investigative officer needs to rely not only on his instinct but also on his observation; in this case, it was the paramedics, fire-fighters and nurses that had subsequently discovered the bruises on Karina’s body before the police reached the scene of the crime. Their observations regarding the type of bruises and injuries as well as the scene within the house at the time of the homicide helped a great deal in understanding the case and arriving at a conclusion. The suspicion of the police, courts, as well as the media lay completely on the husband because only he could have conducted such a ruthless crime; the police had all the proof that they needed; a life insurance policy applied for right after Karina asked for a divorce, the scene of the crime where she lay in a pool of her own blood, the call made to the paramedics after she had passed unconscious, the marks on her body etc. All of these pieces of evidence pointed to David Ditto having committed the crime for money and relief from the bond of marriage, while making it look as if an accident had occurred; furthermore, he even went on to force his children to take his side and tell the authorities that they were saddened by the unfortunate passing away of their mother, just like their father was. This entire episode was a cover up in order to hide the fact that he had indeed committed the murder however it had resulted in a homicide, or attempted murder. This entire ‘accident’ was completely forged on part of David Ditto in order to make use of gains; he had been regarded as a control freak and his traits display how he had tried to desperately control the entire situation and pleaded not guilty when the injuries suffered by his wife clearly indicated his direct involvement in the matter. References Blauer, P. (n.d.). Mira Mesa Man Convicted of First-degree Murder in Wife's Death. KFMB Channel 8 - Cbs8.com. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.cbs8.com/story/15790046/mira-mesa-man-convicted-of-first-degree-murder-in-wifes-death Husband Denies Killing His Wife. (n.d.). NBC San Diego. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/In-Laws-Believe-Husbands-Deadly-Fall-Story--118462534.html Man Who Said Wife Fell down Stairs Guilty of Murder. (n.d.). Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-verdicts-reached-in-trial-of-david-ditto-accused-wife-killer-20111024,0,7335974.story Sentencing Delayed For Man Guilty Of Wife's Death. (n.d.). San Diego News Story. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from http://www.10news.com/news/30122237/detail.html Read More