By Elisabeth Hulette The Virginian-Pilot September 29, 2014 VIRGINIA BEACH In August 1986, two girls got their truck stuck in the mud. They walked from the spot near North Witchduck Road to an apartment complex for help but found none. Instead, on their way back, they were gang-raped. Later they would tell police how three young men dragged them into the woods and forced them into vaginal, anal and oral sex, according to court documents. Officers collected evidence from the girls and searched for their attackers for nearly a year, but they came up empty. That was then. Today, advancements in DNA testing have prompted Virginia Beach police to systematically examine cold rape cases and resubmit evidence for testing with the latest methods. Their efforts are paying off: So far this year, 35 cases from the 1980s have been sent to Virginia's Department of Forensic Science, and nine have matched profiles in the state's DNA database. One of them is the 1986 rape. Clarence Carvell Speller, 50, of Portsmouth and Charles Williams Jr., 49, of Virginia Beach are now charged with rape and forcible sodomy. In August, Andrew S. Tarantole of Gloucester was charged in a 1985 rape, and in … Continue reading →

New South Wales police are collecting DNA samples from thousands of criminals with spent convictions to help solve cold cases and future crimes. Police are planning to take a further 2,000 samples over the next 12 months, adding to 1,000 already collected, to build a comprehensive DNA database. Civil liberties advocates have criticised the program for casting too wide a net and taking samples from people who were, in many cases, rehabilitated. David Porter from the Redfern Legal Centre, a state-wide service, said there had been a dramatic increase in the use of the practice throughout the year and public resources were being wasted. "These are people who aren't under suspicion of any crime," he said. "The police are taking the time to seek their DNA, we are taking our time to advise them in relation to it, the police are taking further time to lodge an application with the local court, the local court is taking time to hear that application. "I'm not sure what evil it is addressing." Officers have had the power to request DNA samples from past offenders for seven years, but the practice has been relatively rare until recently, when it was made a priority. … Continue reading →

KOH TAO: 200 samples have brought cops no closer to killers, writes Wassayos Ngamkham. As the number of DNA tests on suspects in the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao exceeds 200, doubts have been raised as to whether the tests are leading investigators any closer to the killers. On Thursday, investigators submitted a report to deputy police chief Pol Gen Somyot Pumpanmuang saying 209 DNA samples from 179 people, and other material evidence, had been collected for examination. The results are expected today. However, forensic experts and Royal Thai Police adviser Jarumporn Suramanee said DNA tests alone could not lead to a solution. He said the tests are just a way to solve the missing links of a murder case. "It [DNA examination] is just a piece of the jigsaw leading to the murderer," said Pol Gen Jarumporn. Police investigators can only see the whole picture of the crime if they piece together all the witness accounts, evidence and the environment where the killing took place. It is a task that requires keen observation and patience, he said. In his view, however, DNA tests of more than 200 samples were "too many", particularly when taking the cost … Continue reading →

This is a sampling from Bay Area News Group's Political Blotter blog. Read more and post comments at http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics. Sept. 23 Somebody note the date and time: Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, the conservative former gubernatorial candidate who spent much of the spring trashing Gov. Jerry Brown, just said something nice about ... Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown on Friday signed Donnelly's AB 1697, the DNA Protection Act, which prohibits using the state's criminal-justice DNA database from being used as a source of material for testing, research or experiments by any person, agency or entity seeking to find a causal link between genetics and behavior or health. "I would like to thank Governor Brown for standing with me once again to defend the civil liberties of all Californians," Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said in a news release. "California will continue to use DNA samples for forensics, missing persons, collecting evidence or other legal means. With AB1697 now law, we have prevented government from abusing our privacy. We have protected the civil rights of all Californians from this high tech tyranny." Donnelly said the new law is critical to protecting those who've been arrested from the government's genetic snooping. "Currently, the government of California has … Continue reading →

DNA tests are to be carried out to positively identify a body found in a car which burst into flames after crashing into a tree in Co Mayo in the early hours of yesterday morning. Firemen from Westport and Castlebar fought the blaze which followed the single vehicle impact near Fahy National School on the Castlebar to Newport (R311) road around 1.30 am. The car was well ablaze by the time fire crews arrived and there was nothing they could do to save the occupant. The vehicle was reduced to a charred shell in the inferno. There is no indication from gardai as to whether the body recovered was that of a male or female. The remains were taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar where a post mortem was being arranged today. A Garda spokesman in Westport said DNA tests will be required to positively identify the victim. Mayo chief fire officer, Seamus Murphy described the incident as most unusual and said the car involved had been burnt beyond all recognition. Gardai at Westport (098-25555) are appealing for witnesses. The Co Mayo crash was one of several over the weekend bringing to 141 the number of people killed on … Continue reading →