William James Cobb, Thesis Supervisor Christopher Gervais Reed, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Crime novel forensic science
Abstract:
In this project, I used the knowledge of forensic science and criminalistics that I have learned while at the Pennsylvania State University to write a crime novel that involves the following case: in 2018, a college student was shot twice and left for dead in the middle of campus on a Friday night. A bold robbery occurred at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Forensic science and police resources came up empty-handed, and both cases went cold quickly. They were left unsolved for decades.
Fifty years later, technology and science have opened up new opportunities for exploring cold cases. At the FBI’s Historical Crimes Division, Agent Idris Hart opens up the cold case of Marjorie Horner, murdered on her college campus in 2018, and is quickly drawn into a twisted web of stalking, robbery, and murder. Using virtual reality and faithful forensic science, Agent Hart strives to discover the truth behind Marjorie’s murder—and realizes there might be more to her story than what meets the eye.
