TrueAllele solves 1963 Winnebago cold case using “inconclusive” DNA

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State of South Carolina v Ja'quard Aiken

TrueAllele helps connect suspect to shotgun shells

Crime On December 12, 2012, 19-year old Cesar Reyna-Reyna was shot in front of his Marshland Road home. Later that night, he was pronounced dead in the hospital.
Evidence The murder weapon, a shotgun, was recovered from a wooded area close to the crime scene.
DNA The Beaufort County forensic lab developed DNA data from shells within the shotgun. The DNA was found to contain a mixture of at least two people.
Match Due to the complexity of the mixture data, the lab was unable to draw conclusions based on their DNA analysis.
TrueAllele On the same data, the computer separated the mixture data to find that Ja'quard Aiken matched the shotgun DNA with statistics in the billions and trillions.
Cybergenetics    On October 28, 2015, Dr. Mark Perlin testified at a Daubert hearing, and then before a Beaufort County jury.
Outcome The defense sucessfully argued that DNA itself does not prove guilt, allowing Aiken to be declared not guilty.
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