Opinion ID: 7089211
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Forensic Evidence

Text: {¶ 57} At the BCI laboratory, George Staley examined the SUV. Inside, he noted numerous reddish-brown stains around the driver's seat, including the steering wheel, floorboard, center console, door, and seatbelt. These tested positive in a presumptive test for blood. {¶ 58} Staley also examined the SUV's exterior, noting damage to the front bumper and front license-plate bracket. He swabbed the front bumper, grille,  radiator, and undercarriage. All tested positive in a presumptive test for blood; the swab from the radiator tested positive for human blood. Another BCI analyst later swabbed the front license plate, which had no blood on it, to test for the presence of skin cells. The swabs were later tested for DNA. DNA profiles of the substances found on the license plate, front bumper, radiator, and undercarriage were consistent with Mary's DNA. The expected frequency of occurrence of the DNA profile found on each item was as follows: 1 in 27.53 trillion for the DNA on the front of the license plate; 1 in 31.3 quadrillion for the DNA on the back of the license plate; and 1 in 4.348 quintillion for the DNA on each of the other items. {¶ 59} Staley collected a red fiber found on the undercarriage of the SUV. Daniel Davison, a forensic scientist in BCI's trace-evidence section, later compared the fiber to the red jacket Mary had been wearing. Davison observed that the fiber had the same color, appearance, and chemical composition as the jacket. He concluded that the fiber could have come from Mary's jacket. {¶ 60} Staley examined the boots that had been collected from Tench's home. Reddish-brown stains were visible on each boot. Staley tested the stains on the right boot, and they tested positive for blood in a presumptive test. In Staley's opinion, the stains on the boots were spatter stains, which meant that the boots were present at a spatter-producing event. The stained areas of the right boot were swabbed, and the swab was sent to BCI for DNA analysis. The DNA profile from the stain on the boot was consistent with Mary's DNA. Only 1 in 4.388 quadrillion persons would match the DNA profile of the substance on the boot. (Earth's population is under 8 billion.) Tench was excluded as a possible source of the substance on the boot. {¶ 61} The substance collected from the sidewalk in front of the Tench house was also tested. It yielded a DNA profile consistent with Mary's. Tench was excluded as a possible source.  {¶ 62} FBI forensic examiner Diana Wright is a chemist specializing in analysis of paint, tape, and polymers. Wright examined the loop of duct tape that had been around Mary's neck in order to identify its manufacturer. After observing and documenting a number of the tape's features, she entered the data into the FBI's tape-manufacturer database, which she testified is quite comprehensive of tapes made in North America. {¶ 63} Wright concluded that the tape from around Mary's neck was most consistent with Nashua brand duct tape, made by Berry Plastics, and could be product number 309, 394, or 398. Of the four principal duct-tape manufacturers in the United States, Wright was able to rule out all but Berry Plastics. She could not say where the tape had been sold, but she noted that Nashua tape is sold predominantly at Home Depot.  {¶ 64} A United States Secret Service agent specializing in computer forensics examined the hard drive of the Dell computer seized from the basement of the Tench house. He testified that someone using that computer had typed the phrase kill someone without getting caught into the Google search engine, although he could not determine when this was done. The last shutdown date on the computer was April 11, 2013. {¶ 65} The agent also examined the hard drive of the Hewlett-Packard computer found in Mary's room. He found temporary files cached in the operating system that contained images from Google Maps. The images include the general area where Mary's body was found. Most of these images were accessed shortly after 2:00 p.m. on November 11, 2013; a few were accessed at 8:57 a.m. on November 12, 2013.