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People of California v Daniel Carrillo
Homicide: Victim excluded from knife evidence in murder case
| Crime | In October 2016, 18-year-old Kirk Kimberly went missing. After two weeks, a groundskeeper found his body, with multiple stab wounds, buried on Sonoma State University grounds. In March 2020, police arrested Daniel Carrillo for the murder. |
| Evidence | Police collected the knife used as the potential murder weapon from the suspect when he was detained. |
| DNA | A private laboratory developed DNA data from the knife. |
| Match | Using a combined match statistic calculation, the lab reported that DNA from both Mr. Kimberly and Mr. Carrillo was present in the knife evidence with a strong statistic. |
| TrueAllele | Comparing a separated evidence genotype to each reference, TrueAllele calculated individual match statistics for each individual. The match statistic between the knife and Mr. Carrillo was 70.7 million. The match statistic between the knife and Mr. Kimberly was one over 24.6 billion, a statistical exclusion. |
| Cybergenetics | On January 27, 2025, Cybergenetics casework supervisor Bill Allan testified in Carrillo’s retrial before a Sonoma County jury about the TrueAllele DNA results. |
| Outcome | On February 11, 2025, the jury convicted Mr. Carrillo of murder. The conviction carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. |
Media
- Man is accused in fatal stabbing of teen and burying him in a shallow grave - Los Angeles Times
- Murder suspect in custody - Sonoma State Star
- Teenager's Cold Case Death Solved In Northern California - CBS News 13
- Judge rules Rohnert Park homicide suspect will be charged as adult - The Press Democrat
- Long-awaited trial begins in 2016 killing of Cotati man found buried on SSU property - The Press Democrat
- DNA lab error in Rohnert Park killing prompts mistrial. Inaccuracy could upend hundreds of other cases - The Press Democrat
- Retrial begins in Rohnert Park killing after mistrial over DNA error - The Press Democrat
- Former classmate found guilty of murder in 2016 killing of Cotati teen in retrial - The Press Democrat