Evidence for murder : how physics convicted a killer

When Australian model Caroline Byrne’s crumpled body was discovered at the base of a cliff known as the Gap—a famous Sydney landmark and popular suicide spot—it was easy for both the public and police to assume her death was suicide. With no official crime scene established, no measurements or photographs taken into evidence, and no police logbooks recording the recovery of her body, Byrne's then-boyfriend Gordon Wood very nearly got away with murder—until forensic science conclusively proved that Caroline could not possibly have jumped. This gripping narrative provides a detailed account of the investigation from the forensic scientist who produced the crucial evidence that led to Wood’s conviction.

Rod Cross is a forensic scientist and former professor of physics at the University of Sydney where he worked in the plasma physics department. He is a consultant to Tennis Australia, the International Tennis Federation, and the New South Wales coroner and homicide squad.