DNA evidence

June 17, 2022

Man Charged With Felony After Robbing Louis Vuitton Store

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A 19-year-old man and seven others are accused of forcing their way into a Louis Vuitton store and stealing an estimated $77,000 in merchandise. In this case, each of the bags had trackers in them, and police were able to recover the trackers along the interstate. From the trackers, they were able to recover a palm print along with “other evidence” that placed one suspect at the scene of the crime.

In terms of retail theft, the type of charge you face is related to the value of the merchandise. The law was updated in the past few years and now it is a felony to steal any merchandise valued at $1,000 or more. Prior to that, you only had to steal $150 worth of merchandise to qualify for a felony. However, due to inflation, the law was updated to reflect the minimal amount of buying power that $150 represents.

Those charged with felony retail theft can never expunge the offense from their record. Those charged with misdemeanor retail theft can. Hence, the stakes are quite high for 19-year-olds charged with retail theft. The state will still have to prove that the value of the stolen merchandise was greater than $1,000. Additionally, the palm print evidence may not be as strong as fingerprint evidence.

January 24, 2020

DNA Links Man to 12 Murders and Nine Rapes

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Bruce Lindahl has been linked to the 1976 murder of a Woodridge teenager and is a suspect in 12 murders and nine rapes. The one thing that Lindahl has going in his favor, however, is that he is already dead. Lindahl died in 1981 before DNA technology would be combined with databases to help route out serial murderers and rapists. To date, several tips have been phoned in concerning Lindahl, and more are expected.

Investigators believe that Lindahl committed at least nine murders and there is a high chance that he may be linked to three others. Of the rapes, several of his victims have died, but there are also some who are still alive.

The case of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer was cold for over 40 years before police used a “new kind of DNA analysis” to link Lindahl to the murder. This same method was used to identify the “Golden State Killer” who authorities believe is responsible for several murders and rapes in California.

January 31, 2018

DNA Transfer in Criminal Prosecutions

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Although DNA has become an important part of criminal prosecutions, there are many who really question whether it is a perfect source of evidence. Recently, the Daniel Holtzclaw case highlighted some of the problems that are associated with DNA evidence. In that case, an ex-cop was convicted of rape. The defense attorneys argued that the analysis of the DNA in the case was faulty.

It is imperative for DNA evidence to be handled, stored, transmitted, and analyzed correctly in order to avoid a mistrial. Sometimes, convictions are overturned based on faulty evidence of this kind due to bad science. The services of a police lab analyst are required in order to ensure that the results of the tests can be independently verified. If the case involves a law enforcement officer, an independent expert witness may be called to support the defense team.

Some of the Problems of DNA evidence