Hundreds of Broward Cases in Doubt Over DNA Testing Problems, Expert's Suspension for Sexism, Racism

May 31, 2017 in Criminal Justice, Forensics, Investigation, Justice

The shots rang out before either cop could reach for his holster. The only thing the two Broward Sheriff's deputies could do was call for help. "We're shot!" came a voice over police radio. Then it was quiet.

When the bullets stopped flying that November night, Dep. Corey Carbocci lay bleeding on the pavement. Dep. Brian Tephford hung halfway out of his patrol car. Their red, white, and blue police lights were still flashing across the sprawling condo complex where a routine traffic stop had suddenly turned violent.

A swarm of police and first responders sped to Versailles Gardens, a cluster of buildings off McNab Road in the suburb of Tamarac. Screams came from the crowd that had formed near the deputies. Carbocci, 37, clutched his chest and leg as paramedics assessed his wounds. But Tephford wasn't moving. The 34-year-old father of three was soon pronounced dead.

Three suspected gunmen — Eloyn Ingraham, Bernard Forbes, and Andre Delancy — were caught the day after the November 11, 2006 attack, holed up in a room at a Dania Beach inn with two Glocks in the toilet tank and a Springfield Arms pistol under a bed. Prosecutors said ballistics, cellphone data, eyewitness accounts, and DNA evidence all linked the men to the crime.

Rapid DNA Legislation Passes Out of House Judiciary Committee

April 28, 2017 in Forensics, Criminal Justice, Investigation, Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Rapid DNA Act, introduced by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and is on its way to a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

If passed, the Rapid DNA Act would establish a system for the integration of Rapid DNA instruments for use by law enforcement to help reduce the DNA backlog. Unlike traditional DNA analysis, which can take weeks, Rapid DNA analysis permits processing of DNA samples in approximately 90 minutes or less.

This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way in which arrested individuals are enrolled in the criminal justice system, shorten the time required for their DNA to be linked to unsolved crimes, and expedite the exoneration of innocent suspects by giving law enforcement officials a new system that meets FBI quality assurance standards to compare DNA samples collected at the time of an arrest to profiles in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Congressman Sensenbrenner: “Today’s passage of the Rapid DNA Act out of the House Judiciary Committee is a promising development that brings us one step closer to safer communities throughout the nation. Rapid DNA technology is an effective tool for law enforcement that will help quickly identify arrestees and offenders, as well as reduce the overwhelming backlog in forensic DNA analysis. It will also make crime fighting efforts more efficient and help prevent future crimes from occurring, which saves time and taxpayer dollars. I look forward to this smart legislation moving forward to a vote on the House floor.”

DA Fighting for Twin’s DNA Test to Be Accepted in Trial

February 14, 2017 in Criminal Justice, Forensics, Investigation, Justice

New twin-splitting technology is being put to the test for the first time ever in a Hub courtroom this week, and Suffolk prosecutors hope the new-age science can finally help solve a pair of rapes that occurred nearly 15 years ago.

An old DNA test couldn’t separate the chief suspect in the case, Dwayne McNair, from his identical twin brother, Dwight McNair. That issue put Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley in a tight spot, and in 2014 he temporarily dropped charges stemming from a pair of 2004 rapes so he could see if a new test developed in Germany would work.

Prosecutors say it did, and that it conclusively shows that Dwayne McNair’s DNA was in a condom he allegedly used during the crime. That potentially damning piece of evidence only exists because a quick-thinking woman McNair is accused of raping kept the condom and brought it to authorities.

Roosevelt Glenn, who was convicted in a 1989 gang rape case, has been exonerated after serving 16 years in prison. Glenn and co-defendant Darryl Pinkins have had their convictions overturned through a new analysis of DNA evidence. Photo: Courtesy of… — Roosevelt Glenn, who was convicted in a 1989 gang rape case, has been exonerated after serving 16 years in prison. Glenn and co-defendant Darryl Pinkins have had their convictions overturned through a new analysis of DNA evidence. Photo: Courtesy of Greg Hampikian via Twitter

Man Exonerated Based on DNA Mixture After Serving 16 Years

February 08, 2017 in Forensics, Investigation, Justice, Criminal Justice

Two men who served decades behind bars for a brutal 1989 gang rape have both been released and exonerated, based on complex DNA mixture interpretation.

The rape charge and conviction of Roosevelt Glenn—which had kept him for in prison for 16 years—were tossed out last week by an Indiana Superior Court Judge.

“The court finds that newly discovered evidence exists which entitles Roosevelt Glenn to a new trial … The court finds the state is unable to retry Roosevelt Glenn,” ruled Honorable T. Edward Page on Jan. 30. “The court concludes that the criminal charges against Roosevelt Glenn … should be dismissed.”

http://www.forensicmag.com/news/2017/02/man-exonerated-based-dna-mixture-after-serving-16-years

Gill: How misuse of DNA evidence has led to miscarriages of justice

January 27, 2017 in Forensics, Investigation, Justice, Criminal Justice

DNA analysis has revolutionised forensic science; helping to catch prolific murderers and shining a light on miscarriages of justice that have seen innocent people wrongfully convicted of serious crimes. Such is the power of DNA to identify, convict, and exonerate, that many perceive it to be infallible. Yet DNA evidence has a number of limitations and the costs of not being aware of these can be huge.

As a forensic geneticist of 35 years standing, I have been very closely involved with every stage of the development of DNA profiling since its discovery in 1985. Yet over recent years, I have become particularly concerned with standards of practice and the court statements written by some forensic scientists.

PCAST Report Final Issued

September 20, 2016 in Forensics, Criminal Justice, Investigation, Justice

Report on Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods

On September 20, 2016, PCAST released a Report to the President on Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison

https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/pcast/docsreports

SelectaDNA makes debut at TN Subway Sub Location

May 11, 2015 in Investigation, Justice, Forensics, Criminal Justice

A Subway franchise in Knoxville, Tenn. is the first US business to arm itself with “intruder spray,” which tags would-be robbers with a product called SelectaDNA. According to the manufacturer, the solution contains “a unique DNA code which can be used to uniquely mark and trace both items of property and criminals.”

SelectaDNA’s US distributor, Johan Larsen, told the Knoxville News-Sentinel that the system is already being used in Australia and Europe. Successfully, at least according to company claims.

Anyone bold enough to ignore warning signs and break into (or bust out of) the sandwich shop will be coated in a fine mist of synthetic DNA. The spray is “traceable for weeks” and is “only visible with a glow under ultraviolet light,”

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