Tag: dna
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Colorado Supreme Court concerned about police overreach in interrogations
Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared hesitant on Tuesday to endorse the ability of police to interrogate a suspect after they have obtained a court order authorizing only the collection of physical evidence. Under Colorado’s criminal rules, law enforcement may obtain an order for “nontestimonial identification,” allowing them to pursue a person’s fingerprints, blood specimen,…
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Missy Woods pleads not guilty; trial set for fall
The former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA expert charged with more than 100 felonies entered a plea of not guilty to all of them Wednesday in a packed Jefferson County courtroom. The plea was entered by her defense attorney Tom Ward. Yvonne Woods, who goes by the name Missy, was the state’s former top DNA…
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Former CBI DNA expert Missy Woods plea delayed again
The case against Yvonne Woods, the state’s former top DNA scientist at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s forensic lab, was pushed back again Tuesday with an arraignment for her to enter a plea now scheduled for Feb. 11. The court case will have stretched a year next month. Woods, who goes by Missy, is at…
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Technical reviews of disgraced CBI forensic scientist’s work lasted just minutes multiple times
Lawyers for Michael Clark, a man who was convicted for murder largely in part to Missy Woods’ DNA testimony, sued to get access to CBI documentation on technical reviews of Woods work from around the time period of Clark’s case.
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Colorado Supreme Court weighs whether Douglas County judge has authority over Missy Woods records
The state Supreme Court will decide whether a Douglas County judge has the authority to compel the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to release data related to the misconduct of a disgraced DNA analyst whose work affected numerous criminal cases. Yvonne “Missy” Woods was criminally charged in Jefferson County on Jan. 22 with 102 felony counts…
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Colorado Supreme Court accepts cases on DNA exoneration, medical negligence, online reviews
The Colorado Supreme Court announced this month it will hear appeals in four cases, including one that questions the level of detail a convicted defendant must provide when asserting the existence of DNA evidence that could exonerate him. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to take up an appeal. The justices…
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Appeals court reverses Adams County attempted murder conviction due to experts’ improper testimony
Colorado’s second-highest court last month overturned a man’s attempted murder conviction because prosecutors failed to establish a chain of custody for the defendant’s DNA and fingerprint evidence that allegedly tied him to the crime. Jurors heard from two forensic analysts who matched Julian Vigil to the gun that was used to shoot the victim in…
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Boulder man’s attempted sex assault convictions overturned due to detectives’ actions
A Boulder man will receive a new trial after Colorado’s second-highest court determined last month that a pair of detectives improperly detained and interrogated him about an attempted sex assault instead of simply collecting his DNA as a court authorized them to do. Angel Adrian Castro-Velasquez is serving 18 years to life in prison on…
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Colorado Springs police arrest man for sexual assault allegedly committed in 2001: Arrest affidavit
Colorado Springs police have arrested a man in a sexual assault that happened more than 20 years ago. Kenneth Hettle, 41, is being charged with sexual assault with a weapon, according to his arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette. The crime occurred about 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 10, 2001, when officers responded to a call…
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State crime lab debacle had earlier warnings of misconduct from ‘golden child’ DNA scientist
State crime lab employees for years repeatedly tried to warn their superiors at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation that Yvonne “Missy” Woods had become a rogue employee who was cutting corners. But officials failed to respond forcefully until last year, when an intern at the lab found new anomalies, an internal affairs investigation found. The…