Opinion ID: 853075
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Victim's Sample

Text: Troxell asserts error in the chain of custody of the victim's sample from the rape kit before it was placed in police custody. Troxell contends that because the DNA found at the crime scene must exclude the victim to be probative, the victim's DNA from the rape kit was subject to the same chain of custody required for the defendant's DNA. Whatever the merits of his challenge to the chain of custody, any error in the chain of custody of the victim's DNA was harmless. Troxell's DNA, not the victim's, supported Troxell's conviction. The identification of the perpetrator, not the victim, was the significance of this evidence. Any chain of custody issues related to the victim's DNA are irrelevant, as long as Troxell's own DNA was properly admitted and established to be from the crime scene.