"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
http://www.innocenceproject.org/news-events-exonerations/thousands-of-texas-criminal-cases-may-need-dna-retesting
