The Blairsville slaying and the dawn of DNA computing

Perlin, M.W. "The Blairsville slaying and the dawn of DNA computing," in Death Needs Answers: The Cold-Blooded Murder of Dr. John Yelenic, A. Niapas, Ed., New Kensington, PA: Grelin Press, 2013.

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The chapter manuscript can be downloaded here.

Abstract

Commonwealth v. Foley was a landmark case in the history of DNA evidence. It was the first time that an advanced statistical computing method for interpreting DNA mixtures was ever:

1. used as evidence for a criminal case;
2. admitted into evidence after an admissibility challenge;
3. introduced as evidence in a trial;
4. upheld as reliable evidence by an appellate court; and
5. established as a statewide precedent.

Dr. John Yelenic was brutally and tragically murdered, but the trial that convicted his killer bequeathed to society a powerful truth-seeking technology for bringing criminals to justice.

Table of Contents

Murder
Computer
DNA
Mixtures
Law
Challenge
Reliability
Admissibility
Trial
Verdict
Appeal
Impact