FORENSIC SCIENCE
The Pennsylvania State University
Eberly College of Science
Whitmore Lab
University Park, PA 16802
FRNSC 200
First Officer’s Report: Officer Leonardo Zellweger
February 3, 2010
Scene Overview
At 3:00 pm on the above date, this officer received a call from the dispatcher to proceed to Spruce
Cottage on the Penn State campus. When this officer arrived, he met Mrs. Paul McCartney, the neighbor
across the path, who said that she had heard shouting in the afternoon. She happened to glance out the
window a few minutes after the shouting stopped and saw what she thought was a young female leaving the
house through the front door. The woman was carrying a brown brief case. She wasn’t certain that the woman
had actually been in the house, but she thought she most probably had been. She didn’t recognize the woman.
Apparently, earlier in the afternoon a red Audi TT was parked on the street next to the house. When this
officer arrived, the Audi was gone.
This officer entered the house and saw a male deceased lying in a pool of blood between two rooms,
the room closest to the front door is a fireplace room. Blood was seen on the floor in the fireplace room and
bloody footprints leading toward the deceased. Bloody footprints were leading from the deceased toward the
rear exit door. A bloody hand print was seen on the floor near the pool of blood in the fireplace room. Judging
from the size of the hand, it is smaller that the deceased’s which also had blood on it. From a visual
inspection, the same size hand print was seen on the door jam at what seems to be the point of egress.
Other observations show that the window in the fireplace room was open. An inspection outside the
window shows the presence of impressed footprints in dirt apparently leading from the front sidewalk of the
house. Dust prints were also seen leading into the house through the front door. A visual inspection seems to
indicate that the sole of these matches the impression prints outside the window. At the apparent egress point,
there are footprints in dirt leading away from the back door of the residence.
An inspection of the remainder of the house shows a semi automatic and dynamite in the kitchen. A
knife is lying on the floor in the living room. There appears to be blood on it. A revolver was lying on a chair
in the sunroom. Although the deceased is has apparently been stabbed, though no wounds are readily
apparent, and there is a small pool of blood on the floor in the fireplace and apparent impact spatter on the
floor near the feet of the deceased, there does not appear to have been a drawn-out struggle in either the
fireplace or the living rooms.
An inspection of the outside of the house did not reveal tire tracks in the roadway next to the house.
Deceased
Mrs. McCartney did not know the deceased. She said that he had moved into the house approximately
6 months earlier, and she’d seen men and women coming and going during that period. She thought he
worked for the city, but wasn’t certain. One woman in particular, a tall blond, was a frequent visitor. Mrs.
McCartney did not know the woman. She stated categorically that the woman she saw leaving the front of the
house earlier in the day was not the same woman.
An inspection of the deceased’s wallet showed him to be a Mr. Bradley Pitt. Mr. Pitt was apparently
34 years old. An employment ID showed that he worked for the Department of Public Works for the Borough
of State College, PA. A phone call to the DOP confirmed this. Apparently, Mr. Pitt had been working in the
DOP for approximately one year, having come to State College from New York City, and had a stellar
employment record with only one blemish. Apparently, Mr. Pitt was drunk at an employee holiday party and
punched one of his coworkers, a Jason Sandborn, who is also a local musician. Police records indicate that
there are no arrests or outstanding warrants for Mr. Pitt. Mr. Sandborn has a history of drunken and disorderly
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FORENSIC SCIENCE
The Pennsylvania State University
Eberly College of Science
Whitmore Lab
University Park, PA 16802
conduct and driving recklessly. He was also arrested and for carrying an unregistered pistol. He also had the
reputation for having a foul temper when he was drunk. Mr. Sandborn has an Audi TT registered in his name,
which he said was stolen two weeks ago. A check of police records showed not report of a stolen vehicle
matching that description or one filed by Pitt. Mr. Pitt does not own a vehicle.
Interview with Jason Sandborn
Mr. Sandborn acknowledged having an argument with Mr. Pitt at the DOP party, saying that it was
over a woman, Reese DiCaprio. According to Sandborn, DiCaprio was his date for the party, and Pitt was
making being physically aggressive with her. When Sandborn told Pitt to stay away from DiCaprio, Pitt
slugged Sandborn. He hasn’t seen DiCaprio since the party. He gave this officer DiCaprio’s phone number
and address.
Interview with Reese DiCaprio
Ms. DiCaprio indicated that there was a fight at the party and that Sandborn was being rude and
inappropriate with her. She said the Sandborn was trying to protect her. She and Sandborn began seeing each
other but weren’t officially dating. She seemed surprised to learn that Sandborn had been murdered. She said
that their relationship was mostly about sex, and she did not know if Sandborn was seeing other women. She
also said the Sandborn had been acting strange for the past couple of weeks, saying disparaging things about
the United States government and the President in particular. She also said that he had been frequenting a
local bar that had, what she called, anti-American patrons. The last time she had seen Sandborn, he was
unpacking something that appeared to her like sticks of dynamite, although she really wasn’t sure. She said
that the name of the bar was called the Down Under.
Interview with Down Under bartender, Nick Cage
Mr. Cage recognized a photo of Sandborn. He also recognized a photo of DiCaprio and Pitt, whom he
said also were frequent patrons with Mr. Sandborn. He indicated that Sandborn, DiCaprio and Pitt would meet
with two other people, usually on Monday evenings when business was slow, and sit in a corner of the room.
He did not know the name of the man, who appeared Middle Eastern. He said he always brought a woman
with him, who was a tall Caucasian blond. The last time the group met, was the day before. He said that there
had been a heated discussion and that Sandborn left angrily. The other two, Pitt and DiCaprio, remained,
leaving approximately an hour later. After Pitt and DiCaprio left, the Middle Eastern man and the woman
seemed to be arguing, but he couldn’t be certain. It was, he thought, an animated conversation regardless.
This officer gave Mr. Cage his card and asked to be called if either the Middle Eastern man or the
woman came into the bar.
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