DNA evidence is a crucial piece of information in a criminal case. DNA evidence is regularly used in criminal cases and is often used as evidence in court, sometimes being the dealbreaker for if someone goes to jail or not. Although DNA is reliable, there are cases where DNA has been tampered with, contaminated, or lost, sometimes wrongly accusing someone who is innocent. Although the use of DNA is still fairly new, it has quickly become the best and most reliable source of evidence in criminal cases. But just how reliable is DNA really?
DNA evidence is reliable in most cases, but what about the cases where it is not? In such cases, the innocent get convicted, and sometimes the sentence can greatly affect their life. Whether it is from going …show more content…
A woman was raped by two men in her apartment on October 2, 1977. By October 7, 1977, Lawrence McKinney had been accused and he was charged with the assault. McKinney was convicted on June 22, 1978 and was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Post-conviction, Massey McCluskey’s law firm represented McKinney in seeking exoneration. Tests of biological stains from the victim’s bed linen revealed strains from three people - none of which were McKinney. On June 30, 2009, his conviction was vacated and his charges were dismissed, and he was released on July 20, 2009. McKinney spent thirty-one years, nine months, eighteen days, and twelve hours in jail - all for a crime he did not do. His case is a prime example of what can happen when evidence is not used and prioritized …show more content…
There are thousands of possibilities when it comes to how DNA evidence can be compromised. THe collection of DNA at crime scenes can be crucial, and requires many steps for it to not be contaminated or accidentally tampered with. Evidence needs to be properly stored and labeled, but there are instances where it can be put somewhere and forgotten - such as the 1998 case previously mentioned.
One of the most famous cases of DNA being compromised are the Phantom of Heilbronn cases - often referred to the “Woman Without a Face”. The Phantom of Heilbronn was believed to be a serial killer, whose DNA was found at crime scenes in Austria, France, and Germany from 1993 to 2009. Investigations concluded that the “Phantom” criminal didn’t exist - because the DNA on the cotton swabs were from a woman making the swabs in a factory. Although the cotton swabs were sterile, they were not certified for human DNA collection.
The cotton swabs were used by many police departments and were found to have been contaminated before shipping. All of the contaminated swabs came from the same factory, which employs several Eastern European women who fit the type of DNA found on the swabs. In this case, although it was an accident, it is a prime example of how using contaminated tools can further contaminate evidence, completely steering a case off
DNA evidence is reliable in most cases, but what about the cases where it is not? In such cases, the innocent get convicted, and sometimes the sentence can greatly affect their life. Whether it is from going …show more content…
A woman was raped by two men in her apartment on October 2, 1977. By October 7, 1977, Lawrence McKinney had been accused and he was charged with the assault. McKinney was convicted on June 22, 1978 and was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Post-conviction, Massey McCluskey’s law firm represented McKinney in seeking exoneration. Tests of biological stains from the victim’s bed linen revealed strains from three people - none of which were McKinney. On June 30, 2009, his conviction was vacated and his charges were dismissed, and he was released on July 20, 2009. McKinney spent thirty-one years, nine months, eighteen days, and twelve hours in jail - all for a crime he did not do. His case is a prime example of what can happen when evidence is not used and prioritized …show more content…
There are thousands of possibilities when it comes to how DNA evidence can be compromised. THe collection of DNA at crime scenes can be crucial, and requires many steps for it to not be contaminated or accidentally tampered with. Evidence needs to be properly stored and labeled, but there are instances where it can be put somewhere and forgotten - such as the 1998 case previously mentioned.
One of the most famous cases of DNA being compromised are the Phantom of Heilbronn cases - often referred to the “Woman Without a Face”. The Phantom of Heilbronn was believed to be a serial killer, whose DNA was found at crime scenes in Austria, France, and Germany from 1993 to 2009. Investigations concluded that the “Phantom” criminal didn’t exist - because the DNA on the cotton swabs were from a woman making the swabs in a factory. Although the cotton swabs were sterile, they were not certified for human DNA collection.
The cotton swabs were used by many police departments and were found to have been contaminated before shipping. All of the contaminated swabs came from the same factory, which employs several Eastern European women who fit the type of DNA found on the swabs. In this case, although it was an accident, it is a prime example of how using contaminated tools can further contaminate evidence, completely steering a case off