TrueAllele solves 1963 Winnebago cold case using “inconclusive” DNA

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10-March-2016

Handprints in the morning dew links killers to crime

Ville Platte, LA

On July 22, 2013, gunshots rang out in a residential area of Ville Platte, LA. Suspects were seen fleeing the scene. Suffering multiple chest wounds, victim Joseph John (32) later died in the hospital.

Crime scene investigators saw shoeprints in the grass. On a fence post, two handprints disturbed the morning dew. The State Police crime laboratory found DNA mixtures in both handprints. Cybergenetics TrueAllele® separated the mixture data into genotypes. Comparison with suspects Hilton Wilson (35) and Reokenski Thomas (32) found DNA match statistics in the millions, linking both defendants to the fence.

Cybergenetics Dr. Mark Perlin testified in Ville Platte on March 10 about the TrueAllele handprint results. Following a six-day trial, Wilson and Thomas were both found guilty of first-degree murder. Assistant District Attorney Marcus Fontenot said TrueAllele was “crucial in obtaining the conviction.” The killers face mandatory life in prison without parole.

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