The difference between the innocent and the guilty can be down to a single strand of DNA: a smudged fingerprint, a drop of blood or even saliva left in a chew gum. A crime scene is fragile and it is difficult to find, collect and interpret evidence. High-profile cases and television shows such as Bones and CSI have been instrumental in raising public awareness of the importance of forensic science and its role in criminal investigations. Since its first appearance in a United States courtroom in 1987, DNA analysis has made monumental progress in convicting or acquitting suspects, as well as exonerating prisoners wrongly convicted of crimes. Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, recreates the 1959 murder of four members of the Clutter family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial and execution of the killers. Due to the basic technology and lack of tools at the time, the investigation documented by Capote is limited and with so few clues, seemingly impossible to solve. The evolution of forensic science has had an immense influence on criminal investigation: with its simple power to convict or exonerate, it has shaped and forever changed the justice system. DNA profiling or testing is a main component of forensic science; Originally known as DNA fingerprinting, this type of analysis has helped acquit or convict suspects in many violent crimes. In its early days, DNA profiling was developed as a method to determine paternity; he first appeared in court in 1986 in England in a rape and murder case in which DNA had been used to verify a confession. DNA profiling reached the US courts soon after, in 1987. (Calandro, Cormier, Reeder). In the first years following these groundbreaking cases, DNA evidence...... middle of paper ......progress regarding human decomposition was almost non-existent. Only recently has a method been developed to determine time of death. This method analyzes tissue samples from a victim's organs and measures the amount of various "time decay chemicals"; the sample is then compared to a standard tissue sample during a particular post-mortem period. This method has the ability to determine the time of death “plus or minus twelve hours” (Roach 62). Whatever the case, forensics has significantly changed criminal investigation. From computer technology to fingerprint analysis, forensics has played a key role in thousands of cases. The partnership between law and forensic science has changed the justice system like no other investigative tool: the information provided by this technology is decisive for both exonerations and convictions..