Riverhead, New York
—
Evidence derived from cutting-edge DNA technology that prosecutors say factors straight at Rex Heuermann being the Gilgo Beach serial killer might be admissible at his trial, a Suffolk County choose dominated Wednesday.
The determination by Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Timothy Mazzei is a vital win for prosecutors and a blow for the protection crew that challenged the validity of one of these technology that specializes in extracting nuclear DNA from broken or hard-to-get samples, similar to rootless hair.
It was a lot of these particular person stray hairs that had been discovered on six of the seven victims prosecutors say Heuermann killed, in response to court docket information. Heuermann is charged with homicide in the deaths of the seven ladies and has pleaded not responsible.
Heuermann’s protection legal professional Michael Brown had argued the DNA technology, referred to as entire genome sequencing, has not but been broadly accepted by the scientific group and due to this fact shouldn’t be permitted. He stated he plans to argue the validity of the technology earlier than a jury.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have argued one of these DNA extraction has been utilized by native legislation enforcement, the FBI and even protection attorneys elsewhere in the nation, in response to court docket information.
“The science was on our side and that’s why we won,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney stated after the court docket deemed the technology admissible.
Tierney thanked his crew and professional witnesses, saying he’s “very thankful that this result is behind us.”
Heuermann is due again in court docket for a standing convention listening to September 23. “We’re fast reaching the pretrial stage and we’re hurdling towards the trial stage,” the district legal professional stated.
The DNA analysis in the case was carried out by California-based Astrea Forensics, an organization that specializes in entire genome sequencing.
Whole genome sequencing is “a method that attempts to read nearly all of a person’s DNA, covering the entire genetic code of about 3 billion bases,” or letters, stated Daniele Podini, an affiliate professor at George Washington University.
The key distinction, Podini stated, is typical testing gives a restricted DNA “fingerprint,” like a barcode on a grocery store product, whereas entire genome sequencing (WGS) provides a full genetic “blueprint” with way more detailed insights.
Though the kind of evaluation has “not yet been subject to an admissibility hearing in the State of New York,” prosecutors stated in their argument to the choose earlier this yr, the approach is usually used throughout quite a few scientific and forensic fields, together with virology, well being care and felony justice — and by legislation enforcement, prosecutors and protection attorneys.
New applied sciences are all the time up for examination earlier than turning into routine, stated Nathan Lents, a professor of biology on the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“Forensic methods are subject to intense legal scrutiny before they are accepted as common practice, and that’s what we are seeing here,” Lents stated. “This is the normal way that new techniques are introduced into the legal forensic toolkit, in test cases with a great deal of scrutiny and expert testimony.”
“This decision and this litigation marks a significant step in forensic DNA analysis,” Tierney stated following the choose’s ruling Wednesday. “This is where we’re headed in the science.”