Reporter's notebook: Written in blood | Forensic Files

I'm Jim Axelrod, 48 Hours. What you see here is our setup for a blood spatter demonstration. Blood spatter is at the
heart of the case against Dr. Robert Nulander, a prominent doctor accused of murdering his wife. Dr. Nulander said he
found his wife Leslie in the shower of their home near Syracuse, New York in 2012. She was bleeding. Dr. Nulander
told police he moved his injured wife into the bedroom to perform CPR. Newlander's defense attorney said
Leslie's massive head injury was accidental, that she hit her head on this marble bench in the shower. But the
prosecution says the story doesn't add up, mainly because of the blood spatter found on items on her nightstand and on
the wall and ceiling to the right of her bed. Karen Green, a forensic scientist for the prosecution, says these specks
of blood were caused by blows. So, I'm going to pour some of our artificial blood here into my hand, and I'm going
to punch it. And she showed us how blood travels on impact. You can see where we set up our
cameras to record this experiment. We have slowed down the footage so you can see the blood
travel. The prosecution theory is Dr. Nulander beat his wife in the bedroom causing this blood spatter and then
delivered the fatal blow in the shower to make it look like an accident. But the defense suggests there may be more
innocent reasons for the blood spatter. Clearly for both sides, the story of what happened to Leslie Newlander that
terrible morning is written in blood.

CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod explains the science of blood spatter and how it may decide a man's fate. Watch "48 Hours: The Doctor's Daughter" Saturday, June 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Brief Summary

Dr. Robert Nulander faces murder charges for his wife's death, with blood spatter evidence central to the case.

Key points

Blood Spatter Evidence. Blood spatter is crucial in the murder case against Dr. Robert Nulander.

Episode quotes

The story of what happened to Leslie Newlander is written in blood.

Summary of the case against Dr. Nulander.

1:34WatchSep 30, 2015

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