Examining DNA evidence: TrueAllele® case studies

B. Pujols, "Examining DNA evidence: TrueAllele case studies", Legal Medicine & Forensic Science, Duquesne University Law School, Pittsburgh, PA, 19-Mar-2020.

Talk

PowerPoint presentation of Beatriz Pujols' talk.

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Abstract

DNA evidence collected from a crime scene may contain information for a criminal investigation. When DNA analysis works, it could provide an important link between a suspect and the evidence. However, human DNA interpretation is limited by commonly encountered factors such as mixtures. Technology allows a human analyst to collect more identification information from evidence that would be deemed inconclusive using other methods.

A crime in Allegheny County was solved using such technology, TrueAllele® Casework. The powerful technology connected a bloodstain from a cashbox to a suspect in a homicide. In another case from West Virginia, TrueAllele excluded a defendant from sexual assault evidence. This talk describes how the computer arrived at its conclusions, and the impact of the results at trial. Direct and cross-examination is discussed, as well as the importance of validation as a basis for any scientific method used in a courtroom.