Mr. Ronald L. Kelly

Ron Kelly, FBI Laboratory, Quantico, Virginia, USA

Ronald Kelly, R Mothershead, FBI

Basic Explosives Analysis Course , By Ronald L. Kelly

This two day workshop is designed to introduce the forensic chemist to the basic concepts of the forensic identification of explosives. A series of presentations will acquaint the attendees with the basic chemistry of explosives and review analytical techniques used in the identification of common explosive materials. Specific topics will include types of explosives, instrumental techniques, analytical schemes, propellant analysis, improvised explosives, field detection of explosives, and case studies of bombings.

Ronald L. Kelly Forensic Chemist Explosives Unit
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Mr. Kelly is a 1977 graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, with a B. S. Degree in Chemistry. He joined the FBI Laboratory in 1978 and has specialized in the forensic analysis of evidence from fire and explosion scenes. Additionally, he has been involved in the fire service as a member of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad, Prince George's County, Maryland since 1977. He is currently coordinating forensic courses at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia in Fire Debris Analysis for chemists.

Mr. Kelly has been involved in many major case investigations, which include the Trade Center Bombing, the Branch Davidian siege at Waco, Texas, the Oklahoma City bombing, the crash of TWA 800, the bombings in Atlanta (1996 Olympics), the embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salam, Tanzania, Unabomber case, and Bali, Indonesia bombings.

Mr. Kelly is presently assigned to the Explosives Unit of the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, VA where forensic analyses are conducted on evidence submitted by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies from fire and explosion scenes. He supervises the fire debris analysis cases and has testified numerous times in Federal, State, and local courts.

Mr. Kelly has published work and presented papers on the topics of fire debris analysis, the forensic analysis of explosives, and fire and explosion scene investigations. In addition to the courses he coordinates at the FBI Academy, his duties have also included the training of chemists, police officers and investigators from many foreign countries.

Mr. Kelly is currently qualified as a fire investigator, fire officer, fire service instructor and forensic chemist. He is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Technical Working Group on Fires and Explosions (TWGFEX), and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists (MAAFS).

Ronald Kelly, of the Explosives Unit at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, VA, explained how stable isotope analysis was used to show that explosives concealed in shoes worn by Saajid Badat came from the same source as the explosives in the shoes worn by Richard Reid, the convicted "Shoe Bomber".

Ronald Kelly DC

Fire Marshal's Association of North American
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Ronald L. Kelly

Wilson said the fragment was recovered by FBI examiner Ron Kelly in a parking lot across the street from the federal building two days after the bombing.

Wilson said the fragment was recovered by FBI examiner Ron Kelly in a parking lot across the street from the federal building two days after the bombing.

Ronald Kelly did not follow proper procedure when examining the evidence in this case, and that may have affected his results.IG Report, 296.The incomplete procedure Kelly did follow was improperly permitted, or ignored, by members of the FBI crime lab:

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"We conclude that Kelly did not violate any FBI policies or procedures through his work on the case.His identification of smokeless powder appears to be technically correct and is supported by his notes and analytical data.We also conclude that Martz did not violate any FBI policy in assigning Kelly to work on the case."
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This matter was brought to Whitehurst's attention by an FBI agent examiner of forensic evidence who felt very strongly that Kelly should not have been working on this evidence.
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The scientist was very angry that chemist Ron Kelly had been allowed to touch the evidence in this matter.
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Had Whitehurst not come forward with this issue to the IG, that case's defendant would be denied information that the FBI's two top experts in explosives and explosives residue analysis felt that Kelly's reported opinion is flawed.
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Kelly was not qualified to analyze any other materials that he might have missed in that explosive mixture.
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CTU Examiner Ronald Kelly

"For further information concerning the FBI's information, please contact Ron Kelly, FBI, Beaumont, TX, at 401-832-8571, or the US Attorney's Office, Beaumont, TX at 409-839-2538."

In a letter to the OIG dated April 8 , 1995 , Whitehurst alleged that CTU examiner Ronald Kelly , without being properly qualified , had prepared a report that identified smokeless powder in a pipe bomb sent to a federal judge.Whitehurst further contended that the analysis in the case was flawed because it did not determine if materials other than smokeless powder were present in the bomb.He also suggested that Roger Martz , as chief of the CTU , violated FBI policies by assigning the case to Kelly.

To investigate the allegations , we reviewed the Laboratory report and Kelly's notes and other work papers.We also interviewed Kelly , Roger Martz , Steven Burmeister , and Robert Heckman.
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We conclude that Kelly did not violate any FBI policies or procedures through his work on the case.His identification of smokeless powder appears to be technically correct and is supported by his notes and analytical data.We also conclude that Martz did not violate any FBI policy in assigning Kelly to work on the case.
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Ronald Kelly became qualified as a forensic chemist examiner in the FBI Laboratory in February 1995.Before then , he had worked in the CTU since September 1978 as a physical science technician.Because Kelly is not an FBI agent , he was not eligible to become an examiner until relatively recently.Kelly told us that his particular expertise is in arson and fire examinations.He also has worked on the analysis of smokeless powders since 1985.During 1995 , he was training to become qualified as an explosives residue examiner.

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Roger Martz , chief of the CTU , recalled assigning the case to Ronald Kelly because Burmeister was unavailable.
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Kelly did not think there was anything unusual about the analysis in the case , as he had previously worked on many smokeless powder cases.Heckman , Kelly stated , asked him only to identify , by brand name if possible , the suspected smokeless powder in the device.
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Accordingly , Kelly did not understand Heckman to have requested a comprehensive analysis of the materials to determine if substances other than smokeless powder may have been present.
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On receiving the evidence , Kelly followed the CTU's written protocol for the identification of smokeless powders.Initially , he examined the samples with a microscope and measured and otherwise noted the physical characteristics of the powder , which in this case included the presence of yellow dots.Kelly then prepared an extraction with methylene chloride and conducted an analysis on the Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer.The results indicated that particular samples were double base smokeless powder.He also confirmed the presence of nitrocellulose , a component of smokeless powder , in one sample through the use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

Based on his examination of the evidence , Kelly prepared dictation for a Laboratory report dated March 18 , 1995.That report notes that , A [ s ] pecimens Q1 , Q2 , Q4 , and Q7 were identified as double base smokeless powders suitable for future comparison.After performing some additional work on the GC/MS , Kelly prepared a second dictation on April 6 , 1995 , noting that the identified specimens were Aphysically and chemically consistent with Hi-Skor 700-x smokeless powder.

No suspect was identified in the Shaw case.We understand that no further analytical work has been done by the Laboratory since April 1995.

III. Analysis of Whitehurst's Allegations

Whitehurst contends that Kelly should not have examined the evidence because Kelly had not been qualified as an examiner of explosives residue.Whitehurst also maintains that the analysis was flawed because it may have overlooked certain materials present in addition to smokeless powders.Finally , he suggests that Roger Martz violated Laboratory policies in assigning the case to Kelly.Whitehurst did not work on the Shaw case himself , and he did not discuss any of his concerns with either Kelly or Heckman.

We do not find that Kelly performed the analysis without qualifications then required within the Laboratory.Kelly became qualified as an examiner in forensic chemistry in February 1995.Forensic chemist examiners in the CTU had been analyzing smokeless powders since the 1980s.When Kelly worked on the Shaw case , there was no stated FBI policy that the analysis of smokeless powders had to be done by explosives residue examiners as distinct from forensic chemists such as Kelly.

Nor do we find that Martz violated any Laboratory policies in assigning the case to Kelly.
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Kelly , when interviewed in December 1995 , said he understood the explosives residue protocol to apply to the examination of residues from exploded devices.Kelly maintained that the smokeless powder protocol would be sufficient in particular cases , such as Shaw , where the auxiliary examiner is asked merely to identify smokeless powder.
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In analyzing the smokeless powder in the Shaw case , Kelly did examine the material with a microscope.He told us that he did not observe anything other than the particles of what appeared to be smokeless powder.It is conceivable , however , that some other inorganic materials were present which , if not identified in the microscopic examination , might also have escaped detection through the GC/MS and FTIR analyses that Kelly performed.

On a related point , we think the Shaw case suggests a general need to clarify the respective roles of the CTU examiner , in this case Kelly , and the EU examiner in identifying procedures to followed.Kelly recalled that he understood Heckman to have requested only a confirmation that smokeless powder was present and a possible identification of its manufacturer.
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We conclude that Kelly did not violate FBI policies by his work on the Shaw case.Nor do we find that Martz violated any policy by assigning Kelly to work on the case.