Opinion ID: 1844705
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: denial of motion to suppress hair and fiber evidence

Text: At trial, hair and fiber evidence was introduced which strongly linked Kinney to Cindy Miller's Oldsmobile. Three types of fibers found on Kinney's clothing matched fibers from the car's trunk. Severed hairs from Kinney's head were also located in the trunk. An FBI expert testified that it is an extremely strong association between the trunk of this car and the victim, in my opinion, the probability or chance that the victim was not in the trunk of this car is extremely small. Miller contends that the chain of custody was inadequate, as clothing from Kinney's body was exposed on a roof-top to dry, unattended. We disagree. Unlike the situation in State v. Herman, 253 N.W.2d 454 (S.D.1977), where a bag of marijuana was ruled inadmissible due to an unexplained break in the chain of custody, with no testimony as to its safekeeping, there is no such break here. The hair and fiber seized, although not initially analyzed, was sufficiently accounted for during the chain of custody. Concerning the period it was exposed, testimony about the possibility of contamination, backed by testing, was presented to the trial court. No evidence of tampering and little likelihood of access by others was attested to. The trial court has great discretion in regard to the competency of chain of custody evidence. State v. Moves Camp, 286 N.W.2d 333 (S.D.1979). Where relatively indistinguishable items susceptible to alteration by mistaken substitution or tampering are offered into evidence, a chain of custody must be shown with sufficient completeness to make it improbable that the original item has been tampered with or altered. State v. Decker, 317 N.W.2d 138, 141 (S.D.1982); State v. Robinette, 270 N.W.2d 573 (S.D.1978). The State must show with reasonable probability that no tampering or substitution has occurred, but it need not negate every possibility of tampering or substitution. Decker, 317 N.W.2d at 141. Mere speculation is insufficient to establish a break in a chain of custody. People v. LeMasters, 666 P.2d 573, 577 (Colo.App.1983).