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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v Joseph Sentore Coleman, Jr.
TrueAllele connects killer to clothing disguises
| Crime | On August 30, 2016, Christopher Wilkins was shot and killed in his bedroom during a robbery. |
| Evidence | A cut-off sweatshirt sleeve and baseball hat used as disguises were collected as physical evidence. |
| DNA | The Pennsylvania State Police crime lab developed DNA mixture data from the evidence items. |
| Match | The lab couldn’t interpret the mixtures because of stochastic effects in the amplified DNA. |
| TrueAllele | The computer connected the sweatshirt to Joseph Coleman with a match statistic of 468 octillion (29 zeros). The computer connected him with the hat at a match level of 4.3 septillion (24 zeros). |
| Cybergenetics | On February 12, 2020, DNA analyst Jennifer Bracamontes testified before a Lycoming County jury about the TrueAllele results. |
| Outcome | The next day, Mr. Coleman was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder, robbery, and weapons charges. He received a third life sentence. |
Media
- Man found guilty in double homicide case charged with another killing Penn Live
- Day 2 of trial goes through forensic evidence Williamsport Sun Gazette
- Williamsport man gets third life sentence after found guilty in 2016 drug-related killing Penn Live
- Man found guilty of murder, gets third life sentence Williamsport Sun Gazette