Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/558bv.pdf
Page Number: 285.0

124 

McDANIEL  v.  BROWN 

Per Curiam 

rape kit.  The State’s expert, Renee Romero, tested the for­
mer and determined that the DNA matched Troy’s and that 
the  probability  another  person  from  the  general  population 
would  share  the  same  DNA  (the  “random  match  probabil­
ity”) was only 1 in 3 million.  Troy’s counsel did not call his 
own DNA expert at trial, although he consulted with an ex­
pert  in  advance  who  found  no  problems  with  Romero’s  test 
procedures.  At  some  time  before  sentencing,  Troy’s  family 
had  additional  DNA  testing  done.  That  testing  showed 
semen taken from the rape kit matched Troy’s DNA, with a 
random match probability of 1 in 10,000. 

The jury found Troy guilty of sexual assault and sentenced 
him to life with the possibility of parole after 10 years.2  On 
direct appeal, the Nevada  Supreme Court considered Troy’s 
claim that his conviction was not supported by sufﬁcient evi­
dence, analyzing “whether the  jury, acting reasonably, could 
have  been  convinced  of  [Troy’s]  guilt  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt.”  Brown v.  Nevada, 113 Nev. 275, 285, 934 P. 2d 235, 
241 (1997) (per curiam).  The court rejected the claim, sum­
marizing the evidence of guilt as follows: 

“Testimony indicated that Troy left the bar around 12:15 
a.m., that Troy lived relatively close to the bar, and that 
Troy  lived  very  close  to  Jane  Doe.  Troy  had  enough 

2 Under  Nevada  law  at  the  time  of  the  trial,  the  jury,  rather  than  the 
judge,  imposed  the  sentence  for  a  sexual  assault  crime  if  it  found  the 
assault  resulted  in  substantial  bodily  harm.  Nev.  Rev.  Stat.  Ann. 
§ 200.366(3)  (Michie  1992).  For  an  assault  resulting  in  substantial  bodily 
harm,  the  jury  had  the  option  of  sentencing  Troy  to  life  without  the  pos­
sibility  of  parole  or  to  life  with  eligibility  for  parole  after  10  years. 
§ 200.366(2)(a).  The  jury  elected  the  more  lenient  sentence.  The  judge 
sentenced  Troy  to  life  with  the  possibility  of  parole  after  10  years  on  a 
second  count  of  sexual  assault,  to  run  consecutively.  The  Nevada  Su­
preme  Court  reversed  Troy’s  conviction  for  one  count  of  child  abuse  on 
double  jeopardy  grounds,  and  ordered  resentencing  on  the  second  sexual 
assault  count.  Brown  v.  Nevada,  113  Nev.  275,  934  P.  2d  235  (1997)  (per 
curiam).  On  resentencing,  the  judge  imposed  the  same  sentence  as 
before.