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Suspected Mishandling of DNA Tests Puts Cases on Hold in Fort Worth, Texas
by Michael Berk
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office has put 117 criminal cases on hold in response to suspected misconduct involving DNA testing by a Fort Worth forensic scientist.
On February 27, 2019, Amanda Schaffner’s supervisor at the crime lab noticed that there was no digital record of a ...
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Using Technology to Erase Old Pot Convictions is the Buzz in Los Angeles, by Douglas Ankney
- Criticizing Cops is a Criminal Act in Many States, by Edward Lyon
- Illinois Data Collection Law Set to Expire; Collected Data Reveal Police Target Black and Latino Drivers, by Douglas Ankney
- The Many Pitfalls Associated With Police Lineups, by Edward Lyon
- Tennessee Legislature’s Investigation Finds Inadequate Supervision of Private Probation, by Derek Gilna
- If You’re Unlucky or Black, Your Prison Sentence Could Be 63 Percent Longer, by Douglas Ankney
- Prosecutors Regret Man’s Wrongful Conviction in 1983 Florida Rape and Murder
- New York Court of Appeals: Jury Trial Right Attaches to Deportable Crimes Punishable by Less Than Six Months in Jail, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit: Habeas Petitioner Need Only Show That IAC Claims Are Substantial to Excuse Procedural Default Under Martinez, by Chad Marks
- Pennsylvania Governor Signs Into Law New Bills to Help Convicts, Extends Postconviction Filing Time Limits
- Don’t Shoot the Dogs: The Growing Epidemic of Cops Shooting Family Dogs, by John W. Whitehead
- Dallas County Judge’s ‘Blank Check’ Warrant Questioned; Case Dismissed, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit: Washington State Accomplice Liability Drug Offenses Not ACCA Predicates, by Mark Wilson
- McDNA: The DNA Testing Equivalent to Fast Food, by Edward Lyon
- Kansas Supreme Court Overturns Sentence for Vindictiveness, by Anthony Accurso
- Eighth Circuit: Misprision of Felony Conviction of Participant in Underlying Felony Violates Fifth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- DEA Used Decades of Warrantless Phone Data in Building Parallel Construction Cases, by Steve Horn
- Sixth Circuit Holds IAC When Counsel Fails to Warn of Possibility of Deportation as Result of Plea Bargain, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Supreme Court: State Prohibited From Introducing Breath Test Refusal as Evidence of DUI, by Mark Wilson
- Intoxicated Driving Convictions for Non-Drinking Drivers, by Edward Lyon
- Appointed Defense Lawyers, Public Defenders: Overworked, Underpaid, Ineffective, by Edward Lyon
- Supreme Court of Delaware: Lawyer’s Mere Presence the Day of Trial Violates Sixth Amendment Under Cronic Standard, by Chad Marks
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Kentucky Supreme Court’s Ruling That Defendant-Lawyers Are Never Without Counsel and Not Entitled to Faretta Hearing, by Dale Chappell
- NJ Supreme Court: Failure to Advise Suspect of Pending Charges Before Waiver of Right Against Self-Incrimination Requires Suppression of Statements, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit Vacates Revocation Sentence for Improperly Considering Rehabilitation, by Anthony Accurso
- Eighth Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Conditions Prohibiting Alcohol Consumption and Setting Curfew Not Contained in Plea Agreement, by Matthew Clarke
- Knowing Sexual Offense Facts Important; Paying Attention to Them Critical, by Sandy Rozek
- Second Circuit Rules 68-Month Delay Violates Speedy Trial Clause, by Douglas Ankney
- Pennsylvania District Court Explores the Growing Conflict Between Federal Laws, Which Still Prohibit the Use of Any Amounts of Marijuana, and State Laws, Which Increasingly Authorize the Use of Medical Marijuana and Decriminalize the Use of Small Amounts, by Punch & Jurists
- When Prosecuting Crimes by Police, Feds Appear to Move Slowly, by Edward Lyon
- Unreasonable Delay in Obtaining Search Warrant after Lawful Seizure Requires Suppression of Evidence, Announces Georgia Supreme Court, by Douglas Ankney
- Fourth Circuit: 9-Year Increase in Guidelines Range Due to Misclassification as Career Offender Warrants § 2241 Petition to Be Heard on Merits When § 2255 Relief Unavailable, by David Reutter
- Georgia Supreme Court Says Visually Impaired Defendant Entitled to Appointment of a Reader, by Douglas Ankney
- The Holloway Doctrine and First Step Act: Federal Judge Issues Order Urging Government to Dismiss One of Two 18 U.S.C. §924(c) Stacking Convictions, by Chad Marks
- Portion of Illinois Sex Offender Law is Unconstitutional, by Douglas Ankney
- Third Circuit: Reason for Continuance Must be Given to Exclude Delay from 70-Day Limit of Speedy Trial Act or Dismissal of Indictment, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit: FBI’s Ruse Claiming National Emergency to Obtain Consent to Search Held Unlawful, by Douglas Ankney
- Illinois Supreme Court: Warrantless Dog Sniff of Apartment Front Door in Locked Building Violates Fourth Amendment, by David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Rules District Court Must Provide Individualized Rationale When Denying Motion for Sentence Reduction, by Douglas Ankney
- Suspected Mishandling of DNA Tests Puts Cases on Hold in Fort Worth, Texas, by Michael Berk
- Misconduct by prosecutors is rampant — how do we deter it?, by Mike Fawer
- Nebraska’s Beatrice Six Will Collect $28.1 Million Jury Award, by Edward Lyon
- Connecticut Supreme Court Rejects Davis and Announces State Constitution Requires Police to Clarify Ambiguous Request for Counsel Before Continuing Interrogation, by Douglas Ankney
- Habeas Hints: Discovery on Habeas Corpus, by Tara Hoveland, Kent Russell
- Flipping the Bird, Even Toward a Cop, Is a Constitutionally Protected Right, by Douglas Ankney
- Prosecutors Dropping Child Porn Charges After Software Tools Are Questioned, by Jack Gillum
More from Michael Berk:
- Kansas Supreme Court: Claim of Illegal Sentence Raised for First Time on Appeal Entitled to Merits Review, March 18, 2020
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces New Test in Comparing Out-of-State Priors for Sentence Enhancement for Repeat Sex Offenders, Feb. 19, 2020
- Tenth Circuit: ‘Relevant Background Law’ Trumps Unclear Record in Granting § 2255 Relief From Johnson Error, Nov. 18, 2019
- Ninth Circuit: Drug Quantity in PSR Adopted by Sentencing Court not Binding in § 3582(c)(2) Sentence Reduction Proceedings, Oct. 16, 2019
- Arrest for Shouting ‘F—k You’ to Arkansas Trooper Violates First and Fourth Amendments Rights, Eighth Circuit Rules, Sept. 17, 2019
- Change to New York Misdemeanor Definition May Benefit Non-Citizens, Aug. 19, 2019
- Eighth Circuit Overlooks Procedural Default, Orders Immediate Release From Excessive ACCA Sentence Based on Prior Sex Offense, July 17, 2019
- Fifth Circuit: Plain Error Requiring Resentencing Where Court Didn’t Give Defendant Chance to Speak at Sentencing Hearing and Prospective Allocution Provided Added Details to Lead Reasonable Judge to Reconsider Harsh Sentence, July 16, 2019
- ‘DNA Mixtures,’ ‘Touch DNA,’ and Software-Enhanced Forensic DNA Analysis, July 16, 2019
- Suspected Mishandling of DNA Tests Puts Cases on Hold in Fort Worth, Texas, May 15, 2019
More from these topics:
- Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings, Feb. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, DNA Evidence/Testing.
- Study Reveals Best DNA Recovery Spots on Drug Baggies, Feb. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, War on Drugs, DNA Evidence/Testing.
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation Admits Over 1,000 Cases Affected by DNA Test Misconduct, Feb. 1, 2025. Judicial Misconduct, DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Forensic Sciences.
- Seeking Justice for Two: The DNA Scandal That Shook a Community, Jan. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence/Testing.
- Touch-Transfer DNA Remains Misunderstood and Still Poses High Risk of Wrongful Conviction, Dec. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, DNA Evidence/Testing.
- DNA on Fired Cartridge Casings: Promising Advances to Link Suspects to Crime Scenes, Dec. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples.
- False Confessions and Wrongful Convictions: Known Causes and Steps to Eliminate Them, Dec. 1, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Wrongful Conviction, False Statements/Perjury, False Exculpatory Statements.
- SCOTUS Stays Texas Execution With 20 Minutes to Spare, Nov. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Death Penalty/Death Row, Stays, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- New Research Method Leads to Better Touch DNA Recovery and Development of Genetic Profiles, Oct. 1, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science.
- Texas Man Exonerated by DNA Evidence After 25 Years of Maintaining His Innocence, Aug. 1, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Wrongful Conviction, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Innocence Protection Act.