Abstract
We report the case of a suspect (Suspect-3) who was convicted (and later exonerated) of participating in the multiple-attacker rape of two women. The forensic evidence against him was his inclusion in a 17-marker Y-STR mixture isolated from semen on one victim’s clothing. The DNA inclusion produced a match statistic with a combined probability of inclusion of 1 in 741, and a Likelihood Ratio of 3296. While the defense team was told that Suspect-3 was included in the semen DNA mixture, they were not told that all of the Y-STR alleles could also be explained by just the other two accused attackers’ haplotypes. Suspect-3 was subsequently freed after the Taiwan Association for Innocence requested re-examination of the incriminating mixed DNA sample. The Criminal Investigation Bureau was then able to exclude him using an extended set of Y-STR markers (23 loci), leading to his exoneration.
Original language | American English |
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Journal | Forensic Science International: Genetics |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 7 Aug 2017 |
Keywords
- DNA mixture
- Y-STR
- coincidental inclusion
- complex DNA
- exoneration
- innocence
EGS Disciplines
- Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
- Forensic Science and Technology