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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Kareef Easington
TrueAllele connects suspect to double homicide of mother and daughter
| Crime | On February 15, 2023, detectives found the bodies of Megan Campbell and her 7-year-old daughter Lyla in their barricaded apartment. They both had been shot in the head at close range, and detectives noticed signs of a struggle. |
| Evidence | Investigators collected a pistol, two dumbbells used to barricade the door, swabs of an overturned chair, a coat, and a t-shirt as evidence. |
| DNA | The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office Crime Laboratory produced DNA data from the evidence items. |
| Match | The crime lab reported that the DNA data were uninterpretable and no comparisons could be made to any reference profile. |
| TrueAllele | On the same DNA data, the TrueAllele computer separated out the evidence mixture contributors including those of mother and daughter. The separated evidence contributors were then compared with reference profiles from the victims and suspect Kareef Easington. The suspect’s DNA was found on all of the evidence items with match statistics ranging from 1.16 trillion to 2.05 decillion (a 1 followed by 33 zeros). |
| Cybergenetics | On April 15, 2024, Cybergenetics analyst Jennifer Bracamontes testified before an Allegheny County jury about the TrueAllele DNA results. |
| Outcome | On April 16, 2024, the jury found Mr. Easington guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The verdict calls for a mandatory penalty of life in prison without parole. The judge will sentence Easington on July 11, 2024. |
Media
- Mother, 7-year-old daughter shot, killed in Swissvale; Police looking to talk with cousin of victims - WPXI News
- Mother, young daughter found shot to death in apparent Swissvale double homicide - KDKA News
- Police look to question housemate of woman, child fatally shot in Swissvale- TRIBLive
- Man charged in connection with killings of woman, 7-year-old in Swissvale - TRIBLive
- Kareef Easington, wanted in Swissvale double homicide, taken into custody - KDKA News
- Man accused of killing mother, daughter in Swissvale appears in court - KDKA News
- Trial begins for man accused of killing Swissvale mother and 7-year-old daughter - TRIBLive
- Trial in killing of Swissvale mom, daughter focuses on voice ID of accused shooter - TRIBLive
- 'He did it, and I knew he did it.' Jury finds man guilty of killing Swissvale mom, daughter - TRIBLive
- Man found guilty in fatal shooting of Swissvale mother, 7-year-old daughter - WPXI News
- Man convicted of murdering mom and 7-year-old daughter in Swissvale - KDKA News