ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York is again debating expanding its DNA database, this time to include samples from every person convicted of a crime. The debate pits what backers say is solid science and more solved cases against critics who raise the possibility of tainted evidence and a secret stash of information that favors prosecutors.

The scientist running New Yorks DNA crime laboratory said he cannot recall a single instance in 16 years when the lab produced bad genetic information that linked an innocent person to a crime. Instead, the work has helped police identify suspects in 12,000 cases, many of them previously unsolved, and exonerate 27 people wrongfully convicted.

Every step in the process is associated with scientific controls to assure the accuracy of the results, said Barry Duceman, a former Yale genetics researcher who was hired two decades ago to launch the state program. The lab repeatedly meets accreditation standards that require strict quality controls, he said.

Critics point to the potential for contaminated crime scene evidence and some processing errors in other states. They say the databank should at least be open to defense lawyers and at best be open to individuals who want to know if their DNA profiles are kept by police.

The problem, in my judgment, is that the library is secret, said Edward Blake, a genetic researcher who has produced DNA evidence that overturned several convictions. That secrecy of the contents of that library is contrary to the principles of a democratic society.

The Republican-controlled New York Senate recently approved and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is advocating the so-called clean bill to expand collections to lesser crimes, citing experience that shows many small-timers move on to robberies, rapes and murders that could be solved or prevented.

Since the addition of petit larceny to the databank more than five years ago, DNA collected from this minor crime produced leads in cases involving nearly 1,000 other crimes, including 53 murders.

(Page 2 of 3)

Pending legislation repeatedly passed by the Democrat-run Assembly would expand DNA collection while increasing database access. That bill also includes mandates to prevent coerced confessions and witness errors by requiring videotaped police interrogations and a system of looking at photo arrays where neither the officer nor the witness knows if the suspect is included, a technique known as double-blind.

Last year, both bills died with no negotiated compromise.

Continued here:
NY weighs expanding DNA bank to all criminals

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York is again debating expanding its DNA database, this time to include samples from every person convicted of a crime. The debate pits what backers say is solid science and more solved cases against critics who raise the possibility of tainted evidence and a secret stash of information that favors prosecutors.

The scientist running New York's DNA crime laboratory said he cannot recall a single instance in 16 years when the lab produced bad genetic information that linked an innocent person to a crime. Instead, the work has helped police identify suspects in 12,000 cases, many of them previously unsolved, and exonerate 27 people wrongfully convicted.

"Every step in the process is associated with scientific controls to assure the accuracy of the results," said Barry Duceman, a former Yale genetics researcher who was hired two decades ago to launch the state program. The lab repeatedly meets accreditation standards that require strict quality controls, he said.

Critics point to the potential for contaminated crime scene evidence and some processing errors in other states. They say the databank should at least be open to defense lawyers and at best be open to individuals who want to know if their DNA profiles are kept by police.

"The problem, in my judgment, is that the library is secret," said Edward Blake, a genetic researcher who has produced DNA evidence that overturned several convictions. "That secrecy of the contents of that library is contrary to the principles of a democratic society."

The Republican-controlled New York Senate recently approved and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is advocating the so-called clean bill to expand collections to lesser crimes, citing experience that shows many small-timers move on to robberies, rapes and murders that could be solved or prevented.

Since the addition of petit larceny to the databank more than five years ago, DNA collected from this minor crime produced leads in cases involving nearly 1,000 other crimes, including 53 murders.

Pending legislation repeatedly passed by the Democrat-run Assembly would expand DNA collection while increasing database access. That bill also includes mandates to prevent coerced confessions and witness errors by requiring videotaped police interrogations and a system of looking at photo arrays where neither the officer nor the witness knows if the suspect is included, a technique known as double-blind.

Last year, both bills died with no negotiated compromise.

Cuomo said last week he will consider changes to the clean bill, but only if they are strictly DNA-related, telling supportive prosecutors and police he is optimistic about getting that measure passed this year. He said he doesn't want the bill freighted with the other criminal justice issues.

View original post here:
Should all criminals go into DNA bank?

Published: 2:00 AM - 03/03/12

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to require DNA samples from people convicted of a broader range of offenses is a little closer to becoming law.

The state Senate has passed S 5560-A, a bill which mandates that people convicted of a felony under any New York law or any Penal Law misdemeanor (Class A and Class B) submit a DNA sample for the state databank.

The law wouldn't include youthful offenders or juvenile cases handled in Family Court. The estimated cost is $700,000 in 2012-2013 and $1.4 million annually.

The bill, which would expand the current requirement to collect DNA samples from people convicted of Penal Law felonies and any of 36 specified misdemeanors, must still pass in the Assembly.

Supporters of the measure as of this week that includes all 62 district attorneys, all 58 county sheriffs and more than 400 police chiefs as well as crime victim advocates note that DNA collected at crime scenes since New York's database started in 1999 has contributed to almost 2,900 convictions, as well as to the exonerations of 27 innocent people.

Crime survivors who've already gotten justice because of the DNA databank have spoken out for Cuomo's proposal, sharing heart-wrenching stories.

They include a mother whose 12-year-old daughter was raped in her bed by a stranger who broke into the family's home. The man went on to rape others, and was only caught a decade later, after he stole money from an employer and was required to give a DNA sample for the resulting petty larceny conviction.

The stats for petty larceny, added to DNA offenses in 2006, are worth noting: DNA samples from petty larceny convictions have been linked to 998 crimes, including 53 murders and 223 sexual assaults.

DNA hits have also helped solve local homicides. The 1986 slaying of John Roe in Bloomingburg, solved in 2004 by a cold hit; the murder of Town of Newburgh restaurateur Cosimo DiBrizzi was solved by a DNA match to a man who'd been convicted of grand larceny; the 1990 slaying of Elaine Ackerman in Deerpark, solved in 2009 after a match to a man who'd given a sample for an unrelated conviction.

Read the rest here:
Heather Yakin: DNA databank bill good move for justice

Published: March. 2, 2012 at 5:49 PM

BRISBANE, Australia, March 2 (UPI) -- Scientists say they are using cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology to protect living fossil trees in Fiji from the impact of climate change.

Peter Prentis from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, said the findings would enable researchers to understand how biological diversity is generated.

"Fiji is a hot spot for biodiversity," he said. "Most of the species that occur in Fiji aren't found anywhere else in the world."

Prentis is using DNA sequencing to study the genes of living fossil tree species, all either endangered or vulnerable, a university release said Friday.

Living fossil is a term for any living species appearing to be the same as a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives.

"With climate change these species are going to have to respond to increasingly changing environmental conditions and an increase in extreme events, such as cyclones," Prentis said.

"We don't know if these living fossil trees have the potential to adjust to these future environments."

The DNA research would compare the vulnerable or endangered tree species with ones more commonly found in Fiji, he said.

"We'll analyze each of the species pairs to find genes that have been important in the process of becoming unique. We're interested in how these rare species evolve," he said.

See original here:
'Living fossil' trees in DNA studies

Contemporary Art x Your DNA / Yonder is a group of scientists, artists, and all-around creative people.

Carlsbad, California (PRWEB) March 02, 2012

Yonders Niteo DNA art collection is a must-have for anyone wanting a significant, personalized work of art, said Andy Bass, one of Yonders founders. The abstract DNA patterns represent the deeper insight of who we are as individuals. The incorporation of neon gives the art an alluring presence in a room.

See the Niteo Collection at http://www.yonderbiology.com/DNA_art/niteo

The DNA code is unique to each individual. Yonder's scientists interpret the DNA code and the groups artists use the interpretation to create original works of art. Yonder has developed techniques to utilize any person's DNA from a simple cotton cheek swab. The DNA samples are processed in Yonders California laboratory, and original works of art are presented based on each individual's DNA code. Yonder provides a dedicated consultant for every project. Each customer receives a DNA Art Guide that describes the scientific meaning behind their individual art pieces.

About Yonder

Yonder biology is a DNA art company based in San Diego, California. We are scientists, artists, and all-around creative people. Yonder has developed a process to take any person's DNA via a cheek swab, process the DNA sample in our laboratory, and give an original art piece back that the person can hang on the wall, point to and say "That's Me!"

Everyone's DNA is entirely unique and holds the basic code of who we are as individuals. We understand the beauty in this genetic code and want to provide an artistic window for people to share their individuality with others.

Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yonderart

Follow us on Twitter: @yonderbiology

See the original post:
Yonder Launches Neon DNA Art Collection

DOGS in the Castletown area could be DNA tested as a way of combating the problem of fouling in public places.

Landward Caithness Highland councillor Robert Coghill told Castletown and District Community Council on Thursday night that an organisation called Green Paws carries out such tests and may be interested in undertaking a pilot project in the Far North.

The London-based company has developed technology to identify dog waste through the animal's DNA and has carried out testing in parts of Europe.

Mr Coghill, who had originally suggested the idea at a community council meeting at the end of last year, pointed out that DNA testing is carried out in countries such as Italy, Germany and the USA. He felt such an initiative could work in Castletown and other areas of the county where there are difficulties with dog mess.

Mr Coghill, a former NFU area president, said farm animals, including cattle and horses, have passports while sheep are double tagged to help with traceability. He suggested doing something similar with dogs to try and tackle the fouling problem.

Mr Coghill said all dogs could have the DNA test, which is not expensive. Such a move, he argued, would help trace offenders.

He stressed that not only is dog dirt unsightly on public paths and pavements but can be a health hazard to young children.

He acknowledged the majority of dog owners are responsible and it is a minority who cause the difficulty.

Community councillors, who have regularly complained about dog mess in public places, backed such a scheme and said it may help to solve what is an ongoing problem.

They said it could be the only way to deal with dog owners who do not clean up after their pets.

Read more here:
DNA testing could combat dog mess

Gov. Andrew Cuomos proposal to vastly expand the states DNA database to include samples from all convicts would mark the logical evolution of a tool that has helped solve crimes in New York and beyond even decades after their occurrence. It would be a wasted opportunity, however, to stop with that reform and not make other common-sense fixes to bolster the delivery of justice in our courts.

After aligning himself with a parade of prosecutors supporting his DNA legislation, the governor hinted at some compromise Wednesday, saying he was open to critics call for more DNA-related protections.

Democrats in the Assembly and civil rights groups have been pressing for more safeguards to ensure against wrongful convictions, and to ease access to the DNA database for those seeking to press their innocence.

Discussion of these added protections most certainly should be included in the debate over the Cuomo measure and be touted by the governor and state prosecutors as well; their obligation runs not only to crime victims, but also to ensuring that our criminal justice system is infused with fairness.

No less authority than the chief judge of New York, Jonathan Lippman, has identified related areas where that is not the case.

In his State of the Judiciary address last month, Lippman said preventing wrongful convictions had to be a part of any plan to expand the DNA database. At present, DNA samples are taken from those convicted of felonies and some misdemeanors, meaning about 48 percent of criminals give samples. Cuomos measure, while requiring samples from all convicts, would only deal with part of the justice equation.

Lippmans fixes would include giving convicted people greater access to DNA testing and clarifying the role of judges to order testing, rather than leaving prosecutors with so much discretion to order such testing. He also called for extending access to DNA testing to convicts who pleaded guilty to major crimes they later claim they did not commit a nod to the problem of false confessions. He also called for mandatory videotaping of interrogations and reforms related to the identification of defendants by eyewitnesses both areas subject to damning errors.

(Page 2 of 2)

The case of Jeffrey Deskovic, who served more than 15 years for a murder he did not commit, explains some of the Lippman reforms. Deskovic, who had confessed to the 1989 killing of Peekskill High classmate Angela Correa, was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2006, after spending more than 15 years behind bars. When he was released, Deskovic recounted how his plea for such testing had been summarily rejected by former Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Her successor, Janet DiFiore, later ordered the DNA testing. It identified someone else as Correas killer, a man already behind bars for a subsequent homicide.

We must tackle the source of wrongful convictions innocent people convicted of crimes they did not commit, said Judge Lippman, quoted in a New York Law Journal. He formed a permanent task force to address the problem of wrongful convictions a recommendation itself derived from an independent inquiry into the Deskovic case. When an innocent person is convicted of a crime, the individuals liberty is irretrievably and unjustly taken while the real perpetrator remains free to continue to prey on the public. Cuomo, the Senate, which has already passed the expanded DNA bill, and the Assembly have ample opportunity here to ensure more justice in New York.

Read the original here:
Editorial: Expanding DNA database isn't enough; access must grow, too

Newswise Rare genetic diseases, long overlooked because they affect relatively few people, are getting new attention. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are reaching out to patient advocacy groups and offering to decode the DNA of 99 patients with rare diseases to help find the genetic alterations responsible for their illnesses.

The patients DNA will be sequenced at the universitys Genomics and Pathology Services (GPS) at no cost to patients or the advocacy groups. The new effort is known as the Rare99X Clinical Exome Challenge.

The genomics revolution provides many of the tools that may unlock the secrets of rare diseases, says Jimmy Lin, PhD, research instructor in pathology and immunology. We are excited to form partnerships with patient advocacy groups to apply these technologies to advance clinical understanding of these diseases.

Collectively, an estimated 7,000 rare diseases affect some 25 million Americans. They range from Huntingtons disease, a neurodegenerative disorder diagnosed in adulthood, to Neimann-Pick, a metabolic disorder which can occur in infancy.

In recent years, advances in technology have made DNA sequencing cheaper, faster and more accurate. For patients with rare diseases, scientists now can use that technology to find the genetic error or errors that most likely caused their illness.

Many rare diseases are thought to be caused by genetic variations in the small portion of the DNA that codes for proteins, collectively known as the exome. This is the part of the DNA that will be sequenced.

By early last year, exome sequencing had already helped researchers identify the genetic causes for 39 rare diseases. Scientists think this is only the beginning.

Identifying and validating gene alterations linked to disease is now enabled by the advent of new sequencing methods that allow for highly sensitive analysis of the patients genetic makeup, says Karen Seibert, PhD, director of GPS and research professor of pathology and immunology.

GPS began accepting proposals for exome sequencing from patient advocacy groups on Feb. 29, which was designated as Rare Disease Day. Final selection of the projects will occur this summer. A panel of genetics experts will review the proposals to help GPS leaders choose the projects most likely to improve care of patients with rare diseases.

Lin is the founder of the Rare Genomics Institute, a nonprofit that designs personalized research studies for rare disease patients, connects them with the latest technology and top researchers and helps secure funding with an online platform. The institutes mission is to make gene sequencing and other advanced techniques accessible to patients with rare diseases. The institute is preparing online training sessions and other activities to help advocacy organizations create their proposals for the Rare99X Clinical Exome Challenge.

View post:
DNA to Be Sequenced for Patients with Rare Diseases

DNA evidence found at the scene of the murder of Brecon student Kirsty Jones in Thailand is 2000 is being compared against the DNA database in Thailand and certain categories of offenders in and around the Chiang Mai area.

The news comes following meetings held by Dyfed Powys detectives with the Thai Authorities last week. The Welsh detectives were pleased with the outcome of discussions and are hopeful that progress can be made.

Kirsty, 23 at the time, from Tredomen, was on a backpacking holiday when she was raped and strangled at a guesthouse in Thailand in 2000.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Wilkins said I am very encouraged by the content of the discussions with Police Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul, who is the Director of Transnational Crime for the Department of Special Investigations and the officer who is now leading the investigation.

"We had a full and frank discussion regarding the evidence and the ongoing case. This included a presentation from the investigation team on their ongoing lines of enquiry. It is clear that they have, and continue to place considerable importance on this investigation.

It has always been our view, based on the forensic evidence, that the focus of the investigation should be on identifying the donor of the DNA recovered from the scene which is of Thai origin, in particular, from the area of Chiang Mai.

A theory put forward by the original Thai investigation team was that the scene may have been contaminated following the murder of Kirsty Jones.

We have never been presented with any credible evidence or intelligence to support this theory. Colonel Songsak shares our view that whilst not impossible it is highly unlikely. Whether it belongs to the offender or anyone who may have assisted him, the answer rests in Chiang Mai.

We also discussed at length a programme of continued testing of male offenders against the available evidence. They have and will be making comparisons against the DNA database in Thailand and certain categories of offenders in and around the Chiang Mai area.

We have also offered assistance in relation to an appeal for information using the local media in the area and will explore the possibility and legality of offering a financial reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the offender.

Read the original:
DNA clue to Kirsty murder

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the Foley decision in a published opinion, establishing a statewide precedent for the computer interpretation of DNA evidence using Cybergenetics TrueAllele Casework technology. Former state trooper Kevin Foley had contested his first degree homicide conviction in the slaying of Blairsville dentist Dr. John Yelenic, where a small amount of DNA under the victim's fingernails was crucial evidence.

"I am pleased that TrueAllele can now help protect everyone in Pennsylvania from crime," says Dr. Mark Perlin, Cybergenetics Chief Scientific and Executive Officer. DNA evidence that human review finds "inconclusive" can often be solved using TrueAllele computer interpretation.

Much DNA evidence is mixed, degraded or low level, making it difficult or impossible for forensic analysts to interpret the data. TrueAllele applies the thoroughness and objectivity of modern computing to preserve far more DNA identification information.

TrueAllele DNA match results are presented in state, federal, military and foreign courts. The reliable technology gives unbiased answers, and is used by both the prosecution and defense in criminal cases.

Cybergenetics is the leading developer of computer systems that objectively interpret DNA evidence. Cybergenetics TrueAllele products infer genotypes and match them, extracting considerably more identification information from challenging data than other methods. The Pittsburgh-based company was founded in 1994, and is privately held. United States patents include 5,541,067, 5,580,728, 5,876,933, 6,054,268, 6,750,011 and 6,807,490.

Continued here:
Pennsylvania Precedent for Cybergenetics TrueAllele Computer Interpretation of DNA Evidence

PENZBERG, Germany, February 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

To ensure product safety, clearance of host-cell DNA is essential when manufacturing therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibody (mAB) drugs. Using the MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System from Roche, scientists have developed and validated an automated process for monitoring clearance of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell DNA during the capture and polishing steps when processing therapeutic proteins and mAB drugs (1).

Automated DNA monitoring during manufacturing eliminates the need to perform manual DNA extraction that can create analytics bottlenecks during process development and routine testing. Automated DNA isolation using Roche's MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System results in high DNA recovery rates and subsequent highly sensitive qPCR with the LightCycler 480 Real-Time PCR Instrument. MagNA Pure LC DNA purification eliminates: (a) Manual dilution of high-protein and high-DNA loads; (b) Manual acidic sample neutralization; and (c) Manual carrier RNA addition.

Roche has produced validation data comparing DNA extraction of manufacturing samples spiked with CHO DNA using Roche's MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System and competitive instrumentation. In contrast to the other instrumentation, the MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System did not require manual sample preprocessing, additional proteinase K pretreatment, sample neutralization and dilution, or carrier RNA. The MagNA Pure LC DNA System isolation was shown to require less hands-on time for higher performance than the competitive instrumentation. These findings indicate that MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System automated sample preparation can be productively used to reduce analytics bottlenecks during in-process development and quality control of therapeutic proteins and mAB drugs.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche's personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2011, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 42.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: http://www.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

MAGNA PURE und LIGHTCYCLER are trademarks of Roche.

All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For further information please contact:

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Roche´s MagNA Pure LC 2.0 System for Monitoring DNA in Therapeutic Proteins and Monoclonal Antibody Drugs

FLORENCE, Ky. - 9 News has learned that the much-anticipated results of DNA testing in the 9-month-old double murder case of an N.Ky. couple has been sent from the lab to the Boone County Sheriffs Office for examining.

Bill and Peggy Stephenson, both 74, of Florence, were found brutally murdered in May 2010 in their Florence condo by their daughter's husband.

Detectives and members of the Stephensons' family have been anxious for these results, which they hope will lead to a break in the case that has devastated the Florence community.

This is the first of three rounds of DNA testing that will be done. Investigators believe this round will most likely lead to a killer if they are able to find anything.

The Stephensons' daughter, Beth Victor, tells 9 News she is relieved to now have this evidence back from the lab, but only "cautiously optimistic" it will help bring answers after such a long and painful wait.

"It's been terrible on our family. It's just been horrible," said Victor.

The Stephensons were pillars of their community. They ran a truck stop ministry at Travel Centers of America in Florence. Bill led a service there every Sunday, and Peggy played the organ at the couple's Florence church. Why someone would kill them has baffled detectives for nine months.

The conversation that had to happen between Victor and her husband the day they were killed was more than Victor could talk about.

Victor says she and her siblings have met almost weekly, sometimes with detectives, to talk and support each other.

"I will say one thing, it's drawn us closer as a family, but I hate it's taken this to make us closer," said Victor.

Read the rest here:
DNA results in Stephenson murder case delivered to Boone County Sheriff's Office for examination

FLORENCE, Ky. - 9 News has learned that the much-anticipated results of DNA testing in the 9-month-old double murder case of an N.Ky. couple has been sent from the lab to the Boone County Sheriffs Office for examining.

Bill and Peggy Stephenson, both 74, of Florence, were found brutally murdered in May 2010 in their Florence condo.

Detectives and members of the Stephensons' family have been anxious for these results, which they hope will lead to a break in the case that has devastated the Florence community.

This is the first of three rounds of DNA testing that will be done. Investigators believe this round will most likely lead to a killer if they are able to find anything.

The Stephensons' daughter, Beth Victor, tells 9 News she is relieved to now have this evidence back from the lab, but is only "cautiously optimistic" it will help bring answers after such a long and painful wait.

"It's been terrible on our family. It's just been horrible," said Victor.

The Stephensons were pillars of their community. They ran a truck stop ministry at Travel Centers of America in Florence. Bill led a service there every Sunday, and Peggy played the organ at the couple's Florence church. Why someone would kill them has baffled detectives for nine months.

Victor's husband found the couple dead in their home. The conversation that had to happen between Victor and her husband that day was more than Victor could talk about.

Victor says she and her siblings have met almost weekly, sometimes with detectives, to talk and support each other.

"I will say one thing, it's drawn us closer as a family, but I hate it's taken this to make us closer," said Victor.

See the rest here:
DNA in N.Ky. double murder delivered

Published: Feb. 28, 2012 at 2:27 PM

WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The owners of an Ohio apartment complex said they are using DNA testing to determine the identities of residents who fail to clean up after their dogs.

Summit Management Services, which owns The Lakes of West Chester Village, said the "Poo Prints" DNA program will match dog droppings left on the property with DNA samples taken from residents' canines, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.

"With pet ownership comes responsibility, particularly in a community comprised of renters," property manager Jill Moorman wrote in a letter to residents. "Aside from garden variety noise complaints … another antagonizing issue has become a major factor for pet owners and non-pet owners alike -- dog waste."

Moorman said the dog poo will be sent to the BioPet Vet Lab in Knoxville, Tenn., for identification and the owners will then be fined $200 per violation.

"The 'Poo Prints' DNA program was of great interest because it scientifically identifies the responsible resident, with no guesswork," said Rick Nixon, vice president of Summit Management Services. "Clearly, we do not view dogs as culprits in the utilization of this program; rather, owners will be held accountable for their failure to comply."

Read the rest here:
Apartment complex testing DNA of dog poo

CINCINNATI - 9 News has learned  that as early as Wednesday detectives with the Boone County Sheriff's Office will have long-awaited DNA results back from the lab in the double murder case of Bill and Peggy Stephenson.

The husband and wife, both 74, of Florence, were pillars of their community. They ran a truck stop ministry at Travel Centers of America in Florence. Bill led a service there every Sunday, and Peggy played the organ at the couple's Florence church. Why someone would kill them has baffled detectives for nine months.

The Stephensons' daughter, Beth Victor, tells 9 News she is relieved to now have this evidence back from the lab, but only "cautiously optimistic" it will help bring answers after such a long and painful wait.

"It's been terrible on our family.  It's just been horrible," said Victor.

The Stephensons were found brutally murdered in May 2010 in their Florence condo by Victor's husband.

The conversation that had to happen between him and his wife that day was more than Victor could talk about.

Victor says she and her siblings have met almost weekly, sometimes with detectives, to talk and support each other.

"I will say one thing, it's drawn us closer as a family, but I hate it's taken this to make us closer," said Victor.

Victor says her family's "new normal" is the pain of loss and worrying the killer or killers might want to harm another member of the family.

"We live in fear every day, you know that they're watching us, windows, blinds stayed pulled in all of our houses. I don't go out at night a whole lot by myself," Victor said.

Victor says because the family doesn't know why the murders happened, they can't be sure they're safe.  

Investigators have not released whether anything was taken from their home, being very tight-lipped to protect their investigation.

Boone County sheriff's detectives have made no arrests despite interviewing hundreds of people in eight states, but all the while potentially key DNA evidence that could point to a killer or killers sat on a shelf, no one analyzing it for some six months.

"We understand that the family is very distressed, that the community has someone out and about and they'd like to know who did this. I am very concerned about the case," said Laura Sudkamp, who manages the six Kentucky State Police Forensic Laboratories that receive evidence from police agencies across the Commonwealth.

Sudkamp says Boone County wanted the Stephenson evidence handled by an analyst in the Northern Kentucky lab with whom the county had a longtime relationship, but that analyst had to take a leave that proved lengthy.

"They waited as long as they could. Then they went ahead and said 'send it to the central lab for it to get worked.'  We need results," said Sudkamp.

Sudkamp says an unexpected surge in cases has also kept the labs from speeding up the turn around of results.

"Officers are learning more and more about collecting DNA on the scene," said Sudkamp.
 
Sudkamp says the evidence load has more than doubled the past few years, keeping cases backlogged by four-to-six months despite a faster turn around rate.
   
She's now hiring three more analysts and is working on a grant to bring in robots, "to bring that down closer to 60-to-90 days, so that officers can actually use it as an investigative tool instead of just court purposes," said Sudkamp.

Sudkamp says if the state of Kentucky gave her $5 million, she could bring the wait time down to 30 days in the next year-and-a-half. That kind of priority would be up to lawmakers and taxpayers, she said.

Meantime DNA Supervisor Whitney Collins says she's been working nights and weekends on the Stephenson case since late December.

Boone County detectives are anxious to get the DNA evidence and hope it will help them solve the case, said spokesperson Tom Scheben. They will receive two more rounds of DNA evidence after this initial one as Collins keeps working on the case at the central lab.

Collins can't talk about what she may have found so far on the Stephenson case, but hopes it will help bring answers.

So do Beth Victor and her brothers, who remind the community they're offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

"We just want it solved, we just want to know who did it and why," said Victor.

Stay with 9 News and WCPO.com for the latest information on the DNA results as it becomes available.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Continued here:
DNA results in Stephenson murder case imminent

A Utica man has been accused of stealing a computer and jewelry from a New Hartford residence.

Nermin Velic, 22, was charged with felony burglary and grand larceny counts, town police said.

The burglary happened on Sept. 21 when the resident left his house for a short period of time, police said.

The stolen items were worth almost $7,000, police said.

The New Hartford Police Forensic Investigation Unit processed the scene and was able to locate possible DNA. The DNA was swabbed and sent to the New York State Forensic Investigation Center in Albany for analysis. 

A DNA profile was extracted from the evidence and placed into a Data Base which cross- references it with DNA from known providers. 

On Feb. 27, New Hartford police were notified that there was a positive identification from the DNA at the scene that matched Velic. 

Velic was found on Feb. 28 with the assistance of the Utica Police Burglary Unit. 

He was arraigned in the Town Of New Hartford  Court and was remanded to Oneida County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
 

See more here:
DNA match leads police to burglary suspect in N. Hartford

Enlarge Martin Kaste/NPR

A Washington State Patrol crime lab technician opens DNA sample cards containing cheek swabs sent from jails and prisons. If the state Legislature approves pre-conviction DNA sampling, the number of cards the lab processes could double.

Martin Kaste/NPR

A Washington State Patrol crime lab technician opens DNA sample cards containing cheek swabs sent from jails and prisons. If the state Legislature approves pre-conviction DNA sampling, the number of cards the lab processes could double.

Mandatory DNA collection is fast becoming routine in the American criminal justice system. In many jurisdictions, just being arrested can mean having to submit a genetic sample to the national database. Federal law enforcement and 26 states now permit various forms of pre-conviction DNA sampling and more states are poised to follow suit.

The state of Washington still waits until conviction before taking genetic samples. There, the Legislature's resistance to expanded "DNA typing" has traditionally come from self-described civil libertarians like Democratic Rep. Jeannie Darneille. In recent years, Darneille killed two bills that would have allowed sampling at arrest.

But this year, Darneille surprised other civil libertarians when she sponsored a bill that would allow police to sample DNA as soon as they arrest someone for certain serious felonies. Darneille says she changed her mind after hearing about a serial rapist in Tacoma who might have been caught earlier if his DNA had been sampled at arrest.

"Let's say the person goes in for that auto theft and they aren't actually convicted of that, but they've committed these prior offenses, and they're going to commit more," Darneille says. "There's a chance that we could stop them from doing those additional crimes in the future."

Building The Database

Collecting DNA samples after an arrest — rather than after a conviction — would likely double the number of genetic samples processed at Washington State Patrol crime labs like the one forensic scientist Natasha Pranger works in.

Like most states, Washington has gradually widened its mandatory DNA sampling — first, it was sex offenders, then convicts in general. Pranger says improved technology has made it possible to handle the growing volume.

"The program started in 1990 and everything was blood samples," she says. "We do not want to have to store all those blood samples in freezers — because that's where they were stored."

These days, samples come in on a paper card with dried smears of white gunk Q-tipped out of somebody's mouth. Pranger scans then punches the cards with a machine the size of a laser printer. The machines that do the actual DNA analysis are no bigger than an old photocopier.

Once that's done, the DNA markers are uploaded to the FBI's national database and the card goes into a file cabinet.

An Intrusive Thing?

Pranger's own DNA is also in the system, along with the DNA of each lab employee, frequent visitors and even janitors. They're all on file in case of cross-contamination so, around the lab, having your DNA in the database is no big deal. That's also the attitude of law enforcement.

Dan Satterberg, prosecuting attorney for King County, testified in January in favor of pre-conviction sampling.

"This is not an intrusive thing," he told a state legislative committee. "I don't know that a person has any more expectation of privacy in the DNA profile than they do in the whorls and loops and arches and ridges of your fingerprints."

But ACLU legislative director Shankar Narayan says, "DNA goes far beyond mere identification. It's actually a catalog of an individual's most private biological information."

To be clear, that biological information is not going into the FBI's database, known as CODIS. Those computers get only a tiny sampling of genetic information, usually consisting of 13 markers. The most you can do with a computer search is match one sample to another, determine the person's sex and sometimes point to possible relatives. For anything more detailed, you have to go back to the biological samples ?? the white gunk in the file cabinets. Still, Narayan says, when it comes to government databases, you have to worry about "mission creep" — the possibility that down the road the information could be used for something it wasn't originally intended for.

"If they are really serious about this being just about the 13 markers, then the biological sample should be destroyed once those 13 markers are uploaded," he says.

The Supreme Court has yet to make a definitive ruling on the issue. Some legal scholars say it qualifies as a search under the Fourth Amendment, and police should be required to get a warrant before they get out the cotton swabs. But others wonder whether it might be better just to put everybody in the database and be done with it.

"I'm very torn about whether that's the solution," says Erin Murphy, a DNA specialist at New York University Law School. "I prefer it ... [to] the road of mindless expansion that we seem to be on now. I think that if everyone were in it, it would be far more likely we would have better quality control and we would have better oversight and we would have better information about how the database is actually used.

"On the flip side, you know, it would be a massive shift in the relationship between the people of this country and their government."

For now, the growth of the national database is being limited by the states' lack of money.

Just last year, Maine passed a bill expanding the collection of DNA, but the law was never implemented; the Legislature just couldn't figure out how to pay for it.

And in Washington, Darneille's bill allowing DNA typing at arrest is on hold for now, as the Legislature struggles with a billion-dollar-plus revenue shortfall. But the budget woes won't last forever, and Darneille and other advocates promise to keep trying to expand the number of states that take DNA at arrest.

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Wash. Lawmakers Fight For DNA Sampling At Arrest

Published: Feb. 28, 2012 at 2:00 AM

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Childhood adversity might lead to DNA changes that increase the risk for psychiatric disorders, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Audrey Tyrka of Butler Hospital, an associate professor at Brown University in Providence, R.I., said multiple studies have established the association between childhood adversity, including parental loss and childhood maltreatment, and risk for psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.

"We need to understand the biology of this effect in order to develop better treatment and prevention programs," Tyrka said in a statement. "Our research group turned to the field of epigenetics to determine how environmental conditions in childhood can influence the biological stress response."

Epigenetics is the study of changes to the genome that do not alter the DNA sequence, but influence whether genes will be expressed, or "turned on," versus whether they will be silenced, Tyrka said.

Researchers looked at 99 healthy adults, some who had a history of parental loss or childhood maltreatment. DNA was extracted using a blood sample, and then analyzed to identify epigenetic changes to the glucocorticoid receptor.

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, found among adults with a history of childhood adversity -- maltreatment or parental loss -- there had been changes in the way the gene behaved.

"Our results suggest that exposure to stressful experiences during childhood may actually alter the programming of an individual's genome," Tyrka said. "This concept may have broad public health implications, because it linked childhood trauma with poor health outcomes."

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Child adversity may cause DNA changes

PERRY – Kenneth L. Knight, 52, pled guilty to the Feb. 18, 1988 murder of an Indiana woman after DNA linked him to the homicide. Leads into the murder of Sandra Espinoza, 22, dried up soon after her body was discovered dumped along US 27 in Perry, but the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office never stopped searching for her killer.

Taylor County Sherriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reexamined the case utilizing old crime scene evidence which resulted in a DNA hit linking Knight to the homicide in 2008. Knight, a truck driver, pled guilty to 2nd degree murder on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

“It feels good to get closure to such an old case,” said Taylor County Sheriff’s Office Captain Ron Rice. “Hopefully the victim’s family can now experience some level of peace.”

“This case is an example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together,” said Taylor County Sheriff L.E. “Bummy” Williams.

“Florida’s DNA database is an effective tool for law enforcement generating 3,600 hits last year alone,” said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey. “As DNA profile collections continue to expand the database, we will see more cold cases solved and contemporary crimes solved more quickly.”

Knight will be sentenced on March 20, 2012 and faces 23 years in prison. He is currently in the Taylor County Jail.

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DNA Solves Cold Case

Police have revealed that the notorious murders of two young Sydney girls half a century ago could be solved through improved DNA technology.

The girls, Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, were horribly killed at Wanda Beach and buried in shallow graves in the mid-1960s.

Dubbed the "Wanda Beach Murders", it is one of the thousands of cold cases - some decades old - that police now say they may be able to solve due to technological advances in DNA.

Police say a bloodstain has recently given a weak DNA match, but it will be several more years before the case could move forward.

On January 11, 1965, Marrianne and Christine were both stabbed, and Christine had her throat slashed.

In an ABC archive tape which was made in late January 1965, two weeks after the murders, an ABC reporter spoke to Detective Inspector Haynes, who was leading the investigation.

"We feel that this man is a compulsive killer who must stab and have sexual intercourse with his victim as an overall part of the act. We feel that if he is not caught soon he will act again," Mr Haynes said

When asked if he thinks he will ever catch the murderer, Mr Haynes replies: "We feel that we will eventually get this man."

But 47 years later, police are still hunting the killer.

Superintendent Mark Sweeney, who was a young boy when the girls were killed, is now a forensics police officer who is investigating the case.

"We had two young girls...who were victims of a homicide, that actually turned the psyche of Sydney on its head at the time," he said.

"Recently in the last 15 months a number of items have been examined arising from the Wanda beach murders."

One of those items was a pair of jeans worn by one of the two girls when they were killed.

There is a bloodstain on the front of those pants that did not yield any clues at the time.

Now a new DNA test of the bloodstain has given what is termed a "weak" identity clue.

"We understand that it is a male profile. But at this point in time, as I speak, we are unable to progress," Mr Sweeney said.

Police admit the current technology is not good enough to give a more specific identification, but they do know the girls were last seen with a teenage boy.

Bond University criminologist Wayne Petherick says some of the advances that have come about are in better machinery that can reproduce DNA.

"When you get a DNA sample, if that sample is small, you have to use a machine to effectively amplify the amount of DNA you have to test," he said.

He says time passing may help cold case policing in another way.

"After a period of time people might be more likely to come forward about the crime that's occurred," Mr Petherick said.

"For example, back in the day they might have been scared of the perpetrator - they knew who did it, but didn't want to say anything because of fear they themselves would get harmed.

"Perhaps the perpetrator's since died so they can come forward with information now so the crime can be closed...so some things just get better with time."

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DNA advances may solve brutal murders