Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Bulletin: Innocence Blog: Mixed DNA: Another huge challenge for Texas; Sorting through nearly 25,000 cases involving mixed DNA to determine if flawed guidelines led to any wrongful convictions. "As a result, 25,000 mixed cases dating back to 1999 are going to need to be reviewed to determine which of them resulted in convictions and whether they need to be retested using the new DNA testing method."


"According to an article in today’s Houston Press, the Texas Department of Public Safety recently identified nearly 25,000 cases involving mixed DNA that may require retesting and could eventually result in a wave of appeals. The impetus is a change in mixture interpretation guidelines that places stricter limitations on the conclusions that can be drawn from DNA mixtures.  Up until now, mixed DNA tests could produce very striking results that allowed experts and prosecutors to argue that the chances that a DNA profile belonged to any other individual beside the defendant were one in a million or more. But based on a new mixed-DNA testing guidelines, the odds are dramatically reduced—from one in many to one in less than 100, reports the Houston Press. As a result, 25,000 mixed cases dating back to 1999 are going to need to be reviewed to determine which of them resulted in convictions and whether they need to be retested using the new DNA testing method.   General Counsel at the Texas Forensic Science Commission, Lynn Robitaille Garcia, said figuring out a way to tackle evaluating the 25,000 cases will be daunting and costly. The commission will be asking the governor for financial assistance to complete the work.........In terms of cases currently pending trial, Jack Roady, the district attorney for Galveston County told the Houston Press that he has put a hold on all of the county’s mixed-DNA cases currently pending trial so that he can send them for retesting..........To read the entire story, go here."
http://www.innocenceproject.org/news-events-exonerations/thousands-of-texas-criminal-cases-may-need-dna-retesting