The criminal always returns, etc. [Archive]

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sackett

8th October 2003, 12:56 PM

If any forum anywhere can find the answer to my question, it's JREF.

I want to know who first said, "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." I ask because this choice tidbit of nonsense appears to be accepted as an established truth throughout the Western world.

It does real harm, too. I once sat on a jury trying a man for carjacking. The prosecutor had only a weak case -- almost no case at all, in fact -- but got great mileage out of confidently declaring that "the criminal ALWAYS" etc. I sat in that jury-room for two and a half days, trying to make those eleven fools see that this was rubbish -- excuse me, my eleven fellow citizens, who were plenty ready to send a poor wretch to the joint on the strength of that doofus assertion.

Was it Conan Doyle? Did he put that into the mouth of Sherlock Holmes? Or was it somebody more obscure?

Andonyx

8th October 2003, 01:07 PM

You've probably had trouble finding it because the phrase is "The Murderer always returns to the scene of the crime."

And it is from a Cary Grant Movie called Big Brown Eyes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027357/

The exchange goes like this:

Eve: (Stops for half a second.)
Hiya Myrtle, remember me?
Myrtle: Well, if it isn't the big newspaper woman!
What're you doin here?
Eve: A murderer always returns to the scene of his crime.
I'm gonna get a haircut.
(Begins to move on.)
Myrtle: Say, listen, are you still stuck on that big, handsome cop?
Eve: (Says over her shoulder.)
With all my heart.
And he's gonna be in here in a few minutes.
See ya later.
(Continues to the left.)

http://www.carygrant.net/bigbrowneyes/browndialog6.html

Grammatron

8th October 2003, 01:08 PM

Originally posted by sackett
If any forum anywhere can find the answer to my question, it's JREF.

I want to know who first said, "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." I ask because this choice tidbit of nonsense appears to be accepted as an established truth throughout the Western world.

It does real harm, too. I once sat on a jury trying a man for carjacking. The prosecutor had only a weak case -- almost no case at all, in fact -- but got great mileage out of confidently declaring that "the criminal ALWAYS" etc. I sat in that jury-room for two and a half days, trying to make those eleven fools see that this was rubbish -- excuse me, my eleven fellow citizens, who were plenty ready to send a poor wretch to the joint on the strength of that doofus assertion.

Was it Conan Doyle? Did he put that into the mouth of Sherlock Holmes? Or was it somebody more obscure?

As far as I know, it was Conan Doyle who wrote it in one of his Sherlock Holmes novels.

Andonyx

8th October 2003, 01:22 PM

Originally posted by Grammatron

As far as I know, it was Conan Doyle who wrote it in one of his Sherlock Holmes novels.

I don't believe that's the case.

While it would seem probable that even the Cary Grant movie was referencing an earlier establishment of that folk wisdom, a search for Sherlock, or Doyle along with those words turns up nothing.

sackett

8th October 2003, 01:25 PM

Was it Conan Doyle? Then that explains it: plenty too much peoples think Sherlock Holmes really lived and was an infallible detective. But I still would like to have a reference to cite when battling in vain against die Dummheit.

Or maybe I shouldn't try. That dumbass sentence has become an Accepted Truth, and woe to him who tries to call it bulltucker.

Andonyx

8th October 2003, 01:29 PM

Originally posted by sackett
Was it Conan Doyle? Then that explains it: plenty too much peoples think Sherlock Holmes really lived and was an infallible detective. But I still would like to have a reference to cite when battling in vain against die Dummheit.

Or maybe I shouldn't try. That dumbass sentence has become an Accepted Truth, and woe to him who tries to call it bulltucker.

Again, I'm pretty sure it was NOT Conan Doyle, and we can at least say it did appear in the Cary Grant Movie.

While it may have come earlier I have at least one more reference to the Grant movie, since I knew that phrase from an episode of Mash in Which Hawkeye quotes the movie.

Brown

8th October 2003, 01:49 PM

Some criminals do return to the scene of the crime. Arsonists, for example, almost always want to watch the results of their "work." In Iowa, various landmarks associated with "The Bridges of Madison County" are being torched: some covered bridges have been destroyed by fire and someone recently tried to burn down the house used in the movie. It is extremely likely that the firebug who set these fires was near the scene, watching.

Some robbers (including some carjackers) habitually return to the scene of previous robberies. They "reason" that they were successful in a previous robbery, so why not try robbing at the same place again?

Some really stupid criminals are creatures of habit. For example, I was something of a witness in a matter in which a criminal stole about $100 from a bank. When the police officer heard about it, he immediately said "I'll bet he's gone to Oklahoma." And the officer was right! The law enforcement personnel found the perpetrator easily in Oklahoma. (It turns out that this criminal, and members of his family, habitually committed crimes, then would flee to a relative's home in Oklahoma. This particular criminal adhered to the same pattern.)

The adage "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime" is not true as a general matter, however. You cannot convict a person solely on that basis. Nevertheless, it is usually permissible to show a pattern of past conduct by the defendant, and that the present charged crime "fits" his M.O. In addition, there typically should be other evidence linking the defendant to the crime.

Nikk

8th October 2003, 03:01 PM