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Beginning
DNA was first introduced as a form of evidence in the United States court system in 1986. DNA is any form of hair, blood, skin, saliva, and semen. It was first used for a case that took place in England when sadly two young girls were raped and murdered. The use of DNA as evidence luckily was able to link back to the suspect who was later caught.
[Timetoast] (https://nij.ojp.gov/nij-hosted-online-training-courses/what-every-first-responding-officer-should-know-about-dna/dna-evidence-overview#0-0 -
OJ Simpson
DNA is extremely helpful but may not be the answer for every case. The OJ Simpson case is a significant case that people still talk about today, it consisted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald. His blood was found at the crime scene on the rear gate of the residence. However, that did not solve the case and OJ Simpson was later acquitted and found not guilty. -
1996
A significant case that DNA evidence had a huge part is the State of California v. Parker. (1996) Gerald Parker who was already in prison for raping a child in 1980, was then charged with the rape and murder of five women between 1978-1979. DNA samples that were found on the crime scene linked back to the same person for four of the cases. He then confessed to those as well as another crime that Kevin Green had been wrongly convicted for.[Timetoast](same link but it says description too long) -
Earl Washington Jr
DNA is just as helpful with proving innocence as it is with proving those guilty. Those who are wrongfully convicted and sent to prison can be released if DNA shows there is no match. Earl Washington Jr was convicted in 1984 for rape and murder and was sentenced the death penalty. In 1993 there was some doubt and questions about if he was guilty. Eventually, 7 years later DNA testing was performed and ultimately he was cleared from the crime and released in 2000. -
Marion Crofts
Marion Crofts was a 14-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in 1981. The killer left traces of DNA on her body but police didn't have the technology at the time to identify him, it went unsolved for 21 years until advances in DNA testing allowed them to obtain a full DNA profile but there were no matches. In 2001 a man named Tony Jasinskyj was arrested, they took his DNA and his profile matched with Marions murder. He was later convicted of rape and murder in 2002 and received life in prison