All articles tagged with #dna evidence
Rhode Island authorities arrested 61-year-old William Morton on Tuesday for the 1985 murder of 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell. Investigators identified Morton after collecting DNA from a water bottle he discarded at a rock concert in August. The case, which had been unsolved for 41 years, was reopened in 2023 using advanced forensic testing. Morton has been charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty.
Frederick Tanzer, a former physician, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for lying to federal agents after DNA evidence identified him as the perpetrator of a 1989 rape in Cincinnati. Although investigators confirmed his guilt through a discarded coffee cup, prosecutors could not charge him for the assault due to expired state statutes of limitations. The case highlights the legal barriers survivors face when time limits bar prosecution, even when modern forensic technology solves decades-old crimes. Tanzer pleaded guilty to false statements after being tricked into denying the attack, while the victim, Dana Beatty, continues to advocate for eliminating such time limits.
Douglas Carter, 71, was released on bail from Utah County Jail on September 28, 2026, after spending 41 years in prison, including decades on death row, for the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen. Judge Derek Pullan granted release after new DNA testing excluded Carter from crime scene samples and prosecutors dropped the death penalty. Carter faces strict bail conditions, including a GPS monitor and curfew, while his attorneys call for the case to be dismissed. The victim's family opposes the release, arguing the DNA exclusion does not prove innocence.
A Utah judge ordered the release of Douglas Carter on bail after he spent 41 years in prison, including decades on death row, for the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen. The decision followed new DNA testing that excluded Carter from crime scene samples and prosecutors withdrawing their request for the death penalty. Carter, now 71, faces strict bail conditions, including a GPS monitor and curfew, while the victim's family opposes his release. His attorneys argue he is innocent and call for the case to be dismissed, citing evidence of police misconduct and coerced confessions.
Douglas Carter, 71, was released on bail from Utah County Jail on Sept. 28, 2026, after spending 41 years in prison, including decades on death row, for the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen. Judge Derek Pullan granted release after new DNA tests excluded Carter from crime scene samples and prosecutors dropped the death penalty. Carter faces strict bail conditions, including a GPS monitor and curfew, while his attorneys call for the case to be dismissed. The victim's family opposes the release, arguing the DNA exclusion does not prove innocence.
A Utah judge ordered the release of Douglas Carter on bail after he spent 41 years in prison, including decades on death row, for the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen. The decision followed new DNA testing that excluded Carter from crime scene samples and prosecutors withdrawing their request for the death penalty. Carter, now 71, faces strict bail conditions, including a GPS monitor and curfew, while the victim's family opposes his release. His attorneys argue he is innocent and call for the case to be dismissed, citing evidence of police misconduct and coerced confessions.
A final pretrial hearing is set ahead of the murder trial for UNC student Faith Hedgepeth. Prosecutors and defense will argue one last pretrial motion, with the state seeking to block the defense from suggesting another suspect unless supported by evidence. Miguel Salguero-Olivares, linked to Hedgepeth by DNA, faces murder plus first-degree burglary, rape and sexual-offense charges. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 28 in Durham County and is expected to last several weeks.
DNA evidence linked Baltimore City officer Daniel Oxendine to an on-duty rape in Edgewood after he drove a woman from Baltimore City to Harford County, where the assault occurred. He faces multiple charges including first- and second-degree rape, burglary with intent to commit rape, misconduct in office, and two counts related to a law enforcement officer engaging in a sexual act with a victim of an investigation. Oxendine remains jailed pending a bond hearing, with Baltimore Police Department cooperating as investigators review for possible additional offenses.
An 81-year-old man admitted at the opening of his Koblenz trial to sexually assaulting and killing American tourist Amy Lopez in 1994. Prosecutors say he killed her in a treacherous, base-motive act to satisfy sexual urges after luring her to a secluded room in the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress; her body was later found by children. The cold case was solved years later through new DNA analysis linking the attacker to evidence on the victim. He was arrested in February and is in pretrial detention; eight trial days are planned with a verdict expected in September.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says the Nancy Guthrie disappearance remains an active investigation and he’s optimistic it will be resolved, citing DNA evidence from multiple labs and an ongoing FBI-led inquiry into a kidnapping-for-ransom scenario; Savannah Guthrie has issued a new plea for information and the family is offering a $1 million reward, while authorities stress that no lead is too small and urge anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Prosecutors at a preliminary hearing in the D4VD case disclosed recovered text messages between David Burke (D4VD) and Celeste Rivas Hernandez showing she had an abortion in January 2024 when she was 13, as part of a broader case accusing Burke of murdering and dismembering her in 2025. The messages, along with testimony describing alleged child-sex-abuse material and extensive autopsy-DNA evidence, are used to argue the case should proceed to trial, while Burke’s defense raises questions about the circumstances surrounding the death.
Ahmad Alsaqer, the suspect in New York mom Jamey Carney's murder, had his Irish passport returned after being granted subsidiary protection, enabling him to flee toward Turkey as investigators fear they may not be able to charge him due to DNA traces at Carney's home. Authorities are also probing his contacts across the Middle East for help.
Prosecutors in Provo, Utah, continue a weeklong preliminary hearing in the Charlie Kirk assassination, aiming to move toward trial with the death penalty on the table, while defense lawyers challenge the FBI DNA analysis linking Tyler Robinson to the suspected murder weapon; investigators testified the towel with DNA matched two people—Robinson and his roommate Lance Twiggs—raising questions about the analyst’s conclusions, and prosecutors argue the findings are reliable enough for trial. Surveillance footage shown at the hearing placed Robinson on campus with Kirk’s staff before the shooting and later returning in different clothes to shoot from a rooftop; a judge provisionally admitted a Turning Point USA statement as relevant, and the hearing continues Wednesday.
Prosecutors in Provo, Utah, presented DNA evidence at Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing linking him to the murder weapon used in Charlie Kirk’s death: Robinson’s DNA was the majority donor on a towel and screwdriver found near a sniper perch, with Lance Twiggs’ DNA also present; FBI analyst Amanda Bakker testified to the mixed DNA results, Twiggs is cooperating and not yet charged, and authorities pointed to surveillance footage and a handwritten confession note as corroboration as they pursue probable cause for trial on aggravated murder with potential death-penalty exposure.
Prosecutors began presenting the case against 23-year-old Tyler Robinson for the killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, with DNA tying him to the weapon and an alleged confession in a roommate’s note. The hearing aims to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial and whether the death penalty could be pursued if convicted. Kirk’s family attended the proceedings, and testimony from a former UVU police officer marked the opening of the five-day hearing.