Put my 40 years of hands-on forensic evidence examination and 23 years of DNA analysis and consulting experience to work for you in understanding the evidence in your case. Whether you are a prosecutor or defense attorney, and particularly if you are confronted with a DNA report in which evidence results are weighed with seemingly-incomprehensible likelihood ratios, or are merely described and dismissed as "partial," "inconclusive," "too complex," or "not sufficient for interpretation," you need my help!
I have personally conducted over 150 post-conviction investigations and hundreds of expert peer reviews in cases from 36 US states. If you are in post-conviction litigation and your case includes conventional serological testing - particularly soluble ABO blood group analysis - you must have any available underlying data, reports, and trial transcripts reviewed for accuracy and appropriate interpretation, statistical analysis, and misleading testimony. Before the mid 1990's when conventional serological genetic testing was state of the art, flawed testing and testimony was as prevalent as flawed forensic hair comparison - which infected hundreds of cases all across the country.
Present Day DNA Analyses and Reporting Practices
Forensic genetic analysis has progressed to the point that minute amounts of human DNA - just a few cells - can produce a profile unique to a single person that has ever lived on the planet. This is because numerous short tandem repeat (STR) genes, each highly discriminating, can be amplified and genotyped simultaneously from the same starting DNA, even if that DNA is highly compromised. This technology has made virtually any substrate that might bear probative human biology a potential investigative lead or corroborating evidence. Computer-assisted profile sorting, or probabilistic genotyping, has revolutionized our ability to decipher likely contributors to complex mixtures that otherwise would be humanly impractical if not impossible. Because of these advances, the number of requests for this investigative assistance has exploded and created huge backlogs and heavy analyst caseloads. This in turn has led to limiting specimens, assembly-line examination and sampling, robotic DNA processing, and boilerplate reports, or what I refer to as "DNA analysis by rote." Sampling is often marginalized, recovered DNA is not optimized for amplification, and informative low-level data is often ignored - all in the name of efficiency and expedience.
My Background In Forensic Biology and Genetic Testing
I began examining and testing physical evidence for human body fluids in 1982 in the North Louisiana Crime lab in Shreveport. During my two years there I was trained to discriminate potential sources of evidentiary body fluids using conventional forensic serological procedures, the state-of-the-art at that time. Those genetic markers included ABO red cell and soluble blood group substances and the Multi-System polymorphic blood enzymes like PGM, EAP, and many other proteins. In 1984 I moved to the Oakland, CA Police Crime lab where I was mentored by Jan Bashinski, who became the first Director of California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services DNA laboratory in Berkeley, and later the state Bureau Chief. While in Oakland I implemented PCR-based DNA testing using the first-generation DQalpha gene immobilized probe technology and electrophoretic gel-based VNTR testing using the D1S80 gene.
I joined the San Francisco Police Department crime lab in 1996 where I implemented DQA1/PM, D1S80, and current state-of-the-art multiplexed Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genes using capillary electrophoresis.
In 1999 I joined Forensic Science Associates in Richmond, CA where I worked for 11 years with Dr. Ed Blake, the first forensic scientist to use PCR-based DNA analysis in the forensic arena. Dr. Blake collaborated directly with the inventors of PCR to adapt its sensitivity and discrimination advantages to forensic evidence. During my tenure at FSA I conducted PCR-based DNA investigations for law enforcement, defense, and civil clients, including numerous post-conviction investigations and reviews.
In 2011 FSA merged with Forensic Analytical Sciences, now Forensic Analytical Crime Lab, where I served as the Forensic Biology/DNA Analysis Unit supervisor and DNA Technical Leader through 2021, continuing to conduct DNA testing in law enforcement, defense, and civil investigations, and expert peer review of other-laboratory work-product.
