29-Feb-2024

TrueAllele helped convict Virginia child molester 12 years ago

In June 2011, Michael Gardner was arrested for sexually abusing two girls, ages 9 and 10, during his daughter's slumber party in Falls Church, Virginia. Critical evidence included DNA recovered from the victims' underpants and pajama pants. Manual analysis of the DNA mixture data failed to provide the match statistics needed for court.

But Cybergenetics transformed previously inconclusive DNA data into probative identification information. TrueAllele computation found DNA match statistics that implicated Gardner – 20 quadrillion for the underpants, and 3 thousand for the pajama pants. Dr. Mark Perlin of Cybergenetics testified at the Arlington trial about these DNA match statistics. Gardner was convicted on three counts of molestation. He received a 22-year prison sentence.

TrueAllele separates complex DNA mixtures, producing a genotype for each person whose DNA is in the mixture. Just like simple DNA evidence from one person. Easy to understand, and easy to teach to non-scientists. Dr. Perlin’s testimony showed how TrueAllele genotype separation – for the first time – made it easy to explain DNA mixtures and match statistics in court to a jury.