Colorado DNA data manipulation leads to 10-year prison sentence

A former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic analyst, Yvonne “Missy” Woods, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to perjury, attempting to influence a public servant, forgery and cybercrime for manipulating DNA data. The misconduct prompted prosecutors to review hundreds of cases, vacating at least one murder conviction and raising questions about other homicide, sexual assault and robbery prosecutions. Woods admitted altering data to conceal tampering and deleting information showing testing issues, and she resigned in 2023. The incident has spurred lab reforms costing more than $11 million as authorities work to restore public trust; some cases may be retried, including a vacated murder conviction and related prosecutions.