Opinion ID: 2044218
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testing Flaws

Text: Defendant presents several arguments as to why the tests in this case should have been inadmissible. For example, defendant contends that mishandling of the evidence contaminated the samples and led to faulty results, the results from testing the shoe cannot be valid, the police lab failed to conduct proper controls during the testing, and the police lab was not accredited. Defendant's contention is that these flaws in the present case made the PM and D1S80 tests unreliable and, thus, inadmissible as evidence. While a case may exist wherein substantial irregularities [in the testing procedures] would be a basis for prohibiting admission of test results, in general, any irregularities go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility. Davidson v. State, 580 N.E.2d 238, 243 (Ind.1991); see Beasley, 102 F.3d at 1448; Begley, 956 S.W.2d at 478; Sok, 683 N.E.2d at 682-83. As we will discuss in the following paragraphs, the trial court did not commit an abuse of discretion by admitting the evidence and letting the jury determine the weight of the evidence. First, defendant argues that the likelihood of contamination due to improper collection and handling makes the evidence inadmissible. As defendant rightly notes, the PCR method amplifies whatever DNA exists in the sample. Defendant's concern is that, due to improper handling of the evidence (for example people touching the towel and shoe without gloves), there is a chance that the handlers may have transferred some of their own DNA to the evidence and, thus, contaminated the evidence. Two of the State's experts agreed that contamination can be a problem in some situations, for example if someone sneezed onto the sample. However, they also testified that simply breathing on or touching the sample is unlikely to have much of an impact because the DNA present in the sample will overpower the small amount of contamination. Furthermore, the experts testified that the test results showed no evidence of any contamination. Any concerns that exist in this respect go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility. Second, defendant argues that the test on the shoe cannot be valid. Specifically, defendant contends that the test was done on a leather portion of the shoe, and leather acts as an inhibitor which prohibits obtaining interpretable results. However, the record shows that the results in question were obtained from a piece of thread, not from any leather portion of the shoe. Thus, this argument is without merit. Third, defendant argues that the police lab failed to conduct control tests on the samples. Specifically, defendant contends that the lab failed to do a test on the background material in order to determine its DNA and that the lab failed to do two gel control tests. [4] However, the record shows that these tests are not absolutely necessary unless the original tests show mixed or incomplete results. Any concerns in this respect go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility. Fourth, defendant argues that the Indiana State Police laboratory lacks accreditation, and that this affects the reliability and admissibility of the evidence. However, the lab was accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors in 1990. Furthermore, the lab runs its tests under controlled conditions, follows specific protocols, and conducts quality testing on the kits and the analysts. Any concerns in this respect go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility.