17-Oct-2017

Partly burned, bloody baseball bat still yields DNA for TrueAllele

Baton Rouge, LA

On February 19, 2011, firefighters found Southern University student Sheena Barnett (26) dead inside her burning, Baton Rouge apartment. Her head was severely beaten. Investigators recovered a bloody and partly-burned baseball bat from the scene.

The Louisiana State Police developed DNA data from the bat. They found the victim on the bloody bat barrel, but could draw no conclusions regarding the degraded mixture data on the bat handle. The lab submitted the questioned data for Cybergenetics TrueAllele® analysis.

The TrueAllele computer produced scientific results. It connected victim Barnett and suspect Timothy Washington to the bat handle, with some match statistics in the hundred thousands. On October 17, 2017, defendant Timothy Washington pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison.

• Woman beaten to death and duplex set on fire - WAFB
• Trial to begin in brutal 2011 beating death of Southern University student - The Advocate
• Manslaughter plea in 2011 baseball bat beating death brings 17 1/2-year prison term - The Advocate