QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Jeanne Segil of the Korey Wise Innocence Project stated that the bill is crucial in providing relief to defendants who may have been wrongfully convicted due to Woods' misconduct and in preventing future scandals. "The DNA results in Missy Woods' cases cannot be trusted, and as a result, the convictions cannot be trusted," she said. "The laboratory misconduct here calls into question the DNA results in potentially thousands of cases. The ripple effects of this kind of misconduct are overwhelming. The victims in these cases may have their lives upended by this news." Official misconduct significantly erodes the public's trust in the criminal justice system, Segil added. While most victims and defendants are not yet aware whether Woods handled their case, Segil's colleague Jud Lohnes said the defendants that are aware of such knowledge have been "left out in the cold" by CBI. He said the bureau had denied them access to key reports and data on their cases, deeming them confidential."
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QUOTE TWO OF THE DAY: ""This is a bill that we really shouldn't be bringing, but unfortunately, we have to bring this type of legislation forward because a situation has been exposed that requires action," Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, said."
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The scandal arose out of the work of former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods, who faces charges of mishandling DNA evidence in hundreds of cases over her 29-year career. CBI is in the process of re-testing over 800 of Woods' cases — the bureau expects the tests to cost about $7.5 million. Woods is facing 102 criminal charges, including cybercrime, perjury in the first degree, forgery, and attempt to influence a public servant."
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STORY: "Colorado legislation aimed at preventing future DNA testing misconduct passes committee," by Reporter Marissa Ventrelli published by Colorado Politics on March 27, 2025.
GIST: "A panel of House of lawmakers unanimously advanced a measure drafted in response to the DNA testing scandal at Colorado's crime laboratory.
The bill would create a duty to report misconduct by crime lab employees and require crime lab directors to investigate the report and review the accused employee's record within 91 days and notify district attorneys handling cases in which wrongful action was detected.
In cases where district attorneys are informed about an alleged wrongful action, they are required to notify both the defendant and the victim in each instance where the accused employee was involved.
The bill also aims to establish a right to counsel for defendants who have been convicted due to mishandled laboratory evidence, as well as the right to investigate and request discovery related to misconduct and seek post-conviction relief.
"This is a bill that we really shouldn't be bringing, but unfortunately, we have to bring this type of legislation forward because a situation has been exposed that requires action," Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, said.
Soper introduced the bill, alongside Reps. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, and Sens. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock.
The scandal arose out of the work of former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods, who faces charges of mishandling DNA evidence in hundreds of cases over her 29-year career.
CBI is in the process of re-testing over 800 of Woods' cases — the bureau expects the tests to cost about $7.5 million. Woods is facing 102 criminal charges, including cybercrime, perjury in the first degree, forgery, and attempt to influence a public servant.
Zokaie called the scandal "a clear example of intentional misconduct."
"This scandal has impacted victims and defendants, and this bill is coming to you in response to that as a chance to repair the harm that was caused by Missy Woods' actions and to also make sure that harm doesn't happen again, and if there were to be intentional misconduct going forward that we have a mechanism to respond to that," she said.
Jeanne Segil of the Korey Wise Innocence Project stated that the bill is crucial in providing relief to defendants who may have been wrongfully convicted due to Woods' misconduct and in preventing future scandals.
"The DNA results in Missy Woods' cases cannot be trusted, and as a result, the convictions cannot be trusted," she said. "The laboratory misconduct here calls into question the DNA results in potentially thousands of cases. The ripple effects of this kind of misconduct are overwhelming. The victims in these cases may have their lives upended by this news."
Official misconduct significantly erodes the public's trust in the criminal justice system, Segil added. While most victims and defendants are not yet aware whether Woods handled their case, Segil's colleague Jud Lohnes said the defendants that are aware of such knowledge have been "left out in the cold" by CBI. He said the bureau had denied them access to key reports and data on their cases, deeming them confidential.
Lynn Noesner of the Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel pointed to the Colorado Supreme Court's recent ruling that defendants have constitutional rights, including due process, in post-conviction proceedings. However, the state's rules around post-conviction proceedings are "sadly deficient" at ensuring defendants' right to counsel and due process.
Defendants face "tremendous challenges" to seeking post-conviction relief, she said, as they have no automatic right to counsel. This means they are often forced to prepare an initial motion on their own, rarely with the adequate legal knowledge to do so correctly.
"This is a heavy, insurmountable burden for incarcerated defendants," Noesner said, adding that they recently witnessed a court deny counsel for a defendant in a case handled by Missy Woods based on "procedural mistakes."
"This bill allows for broader access to discovery materials, ensuring transparency and accountability in forensic investigations," said Noesner. "By ensuring the right to counsel and discovery, this critical bill provides much-needed due process and integrity in cases where convictions may rest on fraudulent science."
Lohnes of the Korey Wise Innocence Project said Colorado is not the first state to experience the DNA scandal — similar incidents have occurred in Texas, Massachusetts, and Virginia, each of which has had to take action to remedy the damage caused by its own crime labs.
"With this bill, Colorado can repair the damage caused by Missy Woods, restore faith in laboratory casework, and become a national leader in ensuring justice for all," he said.
All 11 members of the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill, which was then referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Denver, criticized the CBI for failing to take full accountability for what happened.
"I just think there's so much disconnect here on something and somebody in an agency actually taking accountability for what has been happening, and I hope that by the time this bill is done, by the time we continue to get those updates on the dashboards for where they are on the DNA kits, by the time we go through the budget, hopefully before the end of session, I will actually see somebody fully taking responsibility for what is happening," she said.
Rep. Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver, called the bill "exactly the kind of law that we should be passing."
"We didn't just go in and fix a Missy Woods problem, we fixed the systemic problem that will not bring us back here again, at least that's my hope," she said.
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
