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Condom Evidence Helped Secure a Rape and Murder Conviction

Case summary

An 83-year-old woman was raped and murdered. The crime lab used TrueAllele to connect condoms recovered from the scene to suspect Tyrone Harvin. TrueAllele was admitted as evidence following a defense challenge to the technology’s reliability. The jury convicted Harvin of rape and murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

What the lab report said

  • The crime laboratory used their in-house TrueAllele system to interpret the DNA data. The key issue was whether TrueAllele was reliable and admissible.

Why this mattered for the investigation

  • Condom evidence can be highly probative in a sexual assault case, but only if the DNA results are reliable and survive challenge in court.

What was submitted

  • The crime laboratory used TrueAlle to interpret their own electronic DNA data files
  • The case proceeded using the lab’s TrueAllele interpretation through trial and appeal

What changed after TrueAllele interpretation

  • TrueAllele connected the condoms from the scene to Harvin, giving the prosecution DNA evidence it could use at trial.

Outcome

  • The jury convicted Harvin of rape and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. Following an appeal, the Maryland Appellate Court affirmed TrueAllele’s admissibility. Then, the Maryland Supreme Court denied Harvin's petition for writ of certiorari. TrueAllele legal precedent is established throughout Maryland.

Case Takeaways

If your sexual assault case includes condom evidence:

  1. Request the electronic DNA data files (.fsa or .hid) for the key items and reference profiles, including allelic ladder files.
  2. Request a Free TrueAllele Screening.
  3. If screening results are helpful, request a court-ready case report. Court support is available for admissibility challenges.

For more information on what to request from the lab, see the Sending Cases for TrueAllele Processing page.

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We don’t retest physical evidence items. We interpret the electronic DNA data a lab already generated.