Author Topic: Attorneys continue reviewing cases possibly tainted by APD’s DNA lab  (Read 556 times)

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Online Elderberry

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Austin American Statesman By Taylor Goldenstein 9/11/2018

Of first 39 cases to be reviewed, more than a quarter could return to court, defense attorneys say.

As defense attorneys and prosecutors sift through cases potentially tainted by problems uncovered at the Austin Police Department’s now-shuttered DNA lab, they are sending cases to outside experts to review DNA analysis when it was critical to the outcomes.

Of the first 39 cases reviewed, at least a quarter needed more study and could see a new day in court, a top lawyer researching the cases told the American-Statesman on Tuesday.

“Our goal is that we do a thorough job of investigation and prepare cases for litigation where we deem it to be warranted,” said Lindsay Bellinger, interim director and attorney with the Capital Area Private Defender Service, a nonprofit indigent defense agency contracted by Travis County to conduct legal case reviews. “And, of course, to get justice for the folks who are impacted by it.”

Bellinger joined officials from the Travis County district attorney’s office and the Police Department on Tuesday to update the Travis County Commissioners Court about their efforts.

The quarter of the cases that the defender service is reviewing came back with results that could be beneficial to the defendants’ cases, such as a previous DNA result not excluding a person that came back inconclusive, Bellinger said. In such cases, defense attorneys could pursue negotiations with the district attorney’s office — for example, to discuss a reduced sentence — or to pursue new litigation.

The Police Department’s DNA lab shut down in 2016 after a state audit found problems with the handling and analysis of evidence. In March 2017, Austin officials moved to open a DNA lab managed by the Texas Department of Public Safety at the Police Department facility through a five-year agreement. The city also has contracted with three private labs for services.

More: https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/attorneys-continue-reviewing-cases-possibly-tainted-apd-dna-lab/7li5ocRWbmYXizoV144bdN/