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HW2: CONTINUED

(exercises)

Claim/Evidence/Warrant

&

Questions on Suspect Identities

All assignments for this course are listed on the day assigned, not the day due. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due by blackboard by class time

 


WORTH: 15% of semester grade

A FRITZ SUGGESTION: At 15% of your semester grade, this is the single most important homework of the course. It's worth 15% not because it's long (it's not actually that long) but because the assignment helps you develop a skill you will use for the rest of the semester and I want you to give the homework the care and attention that it merits.



CAN THIS BE TURNED IN LATE?: NO

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE (5% penalty if you do not).

All files should be saved on your computer as: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein were to submit assignment number 2, the file name would be:

hussein_sa_2.doc

THIS IS ASSIGNMENT 2

 

Exercise 1 of HW2:

 

On an otherwise uneventful Thursday afternoon police heard a shot inside Ernie’s Lunchroom, rushed in, and found the scene shown below.

They identified the body as that of a prominent racketeer named Fannin. Ernie, who is both the owner and only employee, had only one fact to tell: the murderer had leaned against the wall while firing at point-blank range. The imprint of his hand is in clear view. The cash register has just been rung up at $8.75.

This is a difficult case. Your must attempt to determine which of the people in the lunchroom killed Fannin. You will have to observe the details carefully. There is enough evidence to help you explain most of what happened. In working out the solution, consider the following thought questions.

You do NOT have to answer these questions for the homework; the simply prepare you for the long-answer question below--which you DO have to answer.

Thought Questions:

  1. With what hand did the shooter fire the gun? What is the evidence? What is the warrant?

  2. Did customers B, C, and D know each other? What are the evidence and warrants?

  3. How do the three customers differ in their habits or ways of doing things? What is the evidence and what is the warrant?

  4. When a person runs, do they leave footprints of their ENTIRE foot or just the front portion of their foot?

  5. Which set of footprints are Ernie’s? What is the evidence? What is the warrant?

  6. To whom do the set of footprints marked X belong? How do you know?

 

Once you have thought about the questions above, answer the question below in a paragraph of well-written prose (be sure to identify your claim, evidence, and warrants by placing a (CL) before the claim, an (EV) before your points of evidence and a (WA) before each of your warrants):

Who killed Fannin and how do you know from the evidence?

 

click here to continue to the Exercise 2 on the reading