Fast Times at Lake County Crime Laboratory

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Virgil Ross Doyle
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To keep pace with its surging caseload, the Crime Laboratory has recently added a new, high-tech instrument that will significantly reduce the processing time of DNA samples.

1 WINTER 2017 THE CRIMESCENE NEWSLETTER OF THE LAKE COUNTY CRIME LABORATORY Fast Times at Lake County Crime Laboratory BY ROBERT SBERNA The Lake County Crime Laboratory has seen a dramatic increase in DNA submissions over the past several years. To keep pace with its surging caseload, the Crime Laboratory has recently added a new, high-tech instrument that will significantly reduce the processing time of DNA samples. Acquired in mid-2016, the 3500 Genetic Analyzer enables the processing of eight DNA samples simultaneously. With the Crime Laboratory s previous equipment, scientists could only process one sample at a time. The ability to produce DNA data more rapidly is particularly important in time-sensitive situations, said Karen Zavarella, Ph.D., a Crime Laboratory forensic analyst. For example, if (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3) The Faster 3500 Genetic Analyzer Lambert: It s All in the Genes BY ROBERT SBERNA Advances in technology have invested today s forensic scientists with a multitude of sophisticated instruments and methods for collecting and analyzing evidence. But sometimes a scientist s most important tools are distinctly low-tech. When processing a crime scene, for example, gut instinct can be an invaluable asset. On Jan. 11, 2014, when crime scene investigators from the Lake County Crime Laboratory were called to a suspected homicide in Madison Township, one of the analysts noticed that the victim s pants seemed slightly askew. The analyst s intuition and diligence led to the discovery of key evidence that helped identify the killer. The victim, John, had been found on the floor of his apartment by his landlady (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5) PAGE 1

THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 Frequently Asked Questions Q: How does a law enforcement agency retrieve results from evidence submitted to the Lake County Crime Laboratory?

2 THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 Frequently Asked Questions Q: How does a law enforcement agency retrieve results from evidence submitted to the Lake County Crime Laboratory? A: In August of 2011 the Crime Laboratory implemented an on-line system that allows user agencies to view and print laboratory reports. This system, iresults, is an Internet-based reporting system that provides secure 24/7 access to view the test results on evidence submitted to the Crime Laboratory. iresults is an automated way to provide our user agencies with information about the evidence they have submitted, without having to contact the Crime Laboratory. Each user agency must be assigned an administrative profile in the iresults system. Once the initial profile is created an agency may designate as many representative(s) as they would like to use the iresults system. When an agency representative logs into the system, using their secure login and password, they will be able to check the current status of the evidence as it progresses through the laboratory or obtain a copy of the final report. Agency requests can be searched using date submitted, date released, agency case number, individual name, or request type. Request status is listed as In Progress from the time the evidence is received in the Laboratory until the request is completed. Once the request has been released, the status changes to Completed. The user may click the Completed link to open the Laboratory report in Adobe Reader where the user may print or download a copy of the report. The web address for iresults is labreports.lakecountyohio.gov. iresults data is updated each evening to incorporate any changes made during the work day. If a user experiences issues with logging into iresults, or they need assistance retrieving a report they can contact iresults support at iresultssupport@lakecountyohio.gov, or Lindsay Evans, IT Director at PAGE 2

Fast Times at Lake County Crime Laboratory prosecutors are waiting on DNA results for a homicide or sexual assault case, we will now be able to produce the results substantially faster, she said.

3 Fast Times at Lake County Crime Laboratory prosecutors are waiting on DNA results for a homicide or sexual assault case, we will now be able to produce the results substantially faster, she said. The 3500 Genetic Analyzer processes DNA samples through capillary electrophoresis, a method that has become the industry standard for DNA sequencing and fragment analysis. LeAnne Suchanek, Assistant Laboratory Director and DNA Technical Manager at the Crime Laboratory added that the new instrument draws less electrical power and is more energy efficient than previous DNA processing units. Suchanek said the new instrument is the latest and greatest DNA processing unit available. By increasing our DNA processing speed, we are working smarter, she said. We can now analyze a full set of DNA samples in 12 hours or less. It used to take us three days to run a full set of samples. Ultimately, the reduced turnaround time for analyzing DNA evidence means that investigators can tie suspects to crimes more quickly, while potentially eliminating others. In the mid-90s, it took several days to produce data because there were so many different steps involved, said Dr. Zavarella, who joined the Crime Laboratory in Previously, she worked in the Cleveland Police Forensic Laboratory from 1997 to In the 1990s, we also required a greater quantity of biological evidence to work with. The processes would often require blood samples or semen stains the size of a quarter. With DNA technology evolving rapidly over the past 15 years, the quantity of DNA required for analysis has Inside the 3500 Genetic Analyzer. Continued from Page 1 been markedly reduced. Today, scientists can obtain a DNA profile from a speck of blood barely visible to the naked eye. And the advent of touch DNA has made it possible to obtain a DNA profile from as few as five or six skin cells left at a crime scene or on an object. In order to analyze the microscopic amount of DNA extracted from skin cells, scientists use a technique known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the DNA into millions of copies. The enhanced sensitivity of forensic chemistries and instruments has greatly expanded the scope of DNA testing. Law enforcement agencies now rely on touch DNA testing to help solve a wide range of cases, including property crimes such as burglaries and auto thefts. In fact, touch DNA evidence now comprises 90 percent of the DNA submissions to the Crime Laboratory. The instrument is producing a larger amount of data, and it s up to the forensic scientists to make the DNA comparisons and draw the conclusions, Dr. Zavarella said. We can now put eight DNA samples on to run and get answers in the same time that it previously took for one sample. Suchanek and Dr. Zavarella both credit the Crime Laboratory s productivity, while noting that workloads will continue to spike upwards. In 2016, for example, the number of DNA cases submitted for analysis increased 117 percent over the previous year s submissions. The Lake County community can be certain that we are striving to meet the growing demand for forensic services. Our new DNA processing instrument will help us to be even more productive, said Suchanek, who came to the Crime Laboratory in 2015 after working 14 years at a regional crime laboratory in Southwest Louisiana. In 2010, Suchanek was certified as a technical assessor for the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB- International), the nation s primary certifying body for crime labs. In her role as an assessor, she has reviewed forensic instruments and procedures at laboratories throughout the United States. In her expert view, she gives a thumbs-up to the 3500 Genetic Analyzer. This equipment exceeds the standards set forth by the forensic field, she said. The community has our assurance that we are producing the most reliable data possible. THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 PAGE 3

4 THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 Hitting it Out of the Park Forensic DNA technology has come a long way since its inception in the mid 1980 s. Along with the ability to decipher a DNA profile from a minute amount of biological evidence, is the ability to make many of these elucidated profiles useful in criminal investigations. An unknown DNA profile without a known standard for comparison is of very little use. The FBI created a software system called the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which houses these unknown forensic DNA profiles along with known offender and arrestee DNA profiles. This index of DNA profiles is continually searched for matches between profiles with every new entry. If a potential match is identified it generates an investigative lead for a law enforcement agency in a criminal case. CODIS allows forensic laboratories to link crime scenes together as well as link potential suspects to a crime scene. The CODIS index houses DNA profiles from all 50 states from over 190 public law enforcement laboratories. The Lake County Crime Laboratory is an active participant in CODIS. Weekly hits have enabled our laboratory to assist our local agencies in hundreds of cases over the years. The Crime Laboratory not only examines biological evidence from violent crimes, but from non-violent crimes as well, such as property thefts and criminal drug investigations. Many of these non-violent crimes involve touch DNA evidence (DNA from the collection of skin cells on evidence), which is an added tool our Laboratory provides to Lake County residents. Touch DNA evidence from non-violent crimes is not accepted in most of the state laboratories. The ability of our Laboratory to process this type of evidence has assisted agencies in solving property crimes and hopefully easing the distress of Lake County citizens affected by these invasive crimes. Since January 2016, our Laboratory has had more than 80 CODIS hits, 40% of which were generated from touch DNA evidence. A rash of auto break-ins and thefts occurred over the past several months in multiple Lake County municipalities. The Laboratory was able to link a single perpetrator to many of these crimes spanning multiple cities. Samples provided that linked the perpetrator to these crimes included swabs from various areas of the vehicles (door handle, gearshift, and steering wheel), a water bottle left behind at one of the scenes, and a swab from a window screen which was removed to gain access to a garage. This individual is now suspected to be connected to upwards of 50 break-ins in Lake County alone. A private residence in Concord Township and a business in Perry Township were broken into by an unknown perpetrator who appeared to use a rock and a brick to gain access to each of the premises. A case to Model of DNA Double Helix case hit was made from DNA evidence collected off of a brick and a rock recovered at each of the crime scenes. Although these cases have not been linked to an identified individual we now know both crimes were committed by the same person. Our Laboratory has placed this individual s DNA profile into CODIS and it is likely that it is only a matter of time before the perpetrator is caught. In a Painesville case, a victim s vehicle had a brick thrown through the rear window resulting in the generation of a DNA profile from the piece of brick recovered from inside the damaged vehicle. This unknown profile was submitted into CODIS which produced a hit within days to give the agency the name of a potential suspect in the case. In Willoughby, a young woman was attacked outside of her residence by an unknown female. The victim recovered a false nail entangled in her hair that had fallen off during the altercation. The DNA profile obtained from this fingernail resulted in a CODIS hit. Sometimes years pass (CONTINUED ON PAGE 8) PAGE 4

5 Lambert: It s All in the Genes who was responding to a complaint about a loud radio playing in the rental unit. John s face, head and neck were covered in dried blood, and there were bruises on his neck. An autopsy found that John had died from strangulation and blunt force trauma. He had been dead about 36 hours. Detectives from the Madison Township Police Department learned that John s neighbors had heard him arguing in his apartment on the evening of Jan. 9, 2014 with Marvin Lambert Jr., who was also a tenant in the complex. Family members of John, 46, and Lambert, 24, reported that the two men were close friends, but seemed to have a turbulent relationship. John, who suffered from a mental illness, was described by neighbors as a quiet, gentle soul. Neither Lambert nor John was employed or owned a car. John depended on his mother for occasional spending money. When police questioned Lambert, he made several contradictory statements about his whereabouts during the presumed time of John s death. Although police believed that Lambert was a likely suspect in the murder, he steadfastly denied any involvement. In recent years, forensic science has become an integral component of nearly every homicide investigation. But in John s case, which lacked direct witnesses or a Blood-stained boots found near John s body containing Lambert s DNA. suspect s confession, the work of the Lake County Crime Laboratory would be particularly important. As detectives tracked the activities of Lambert and John in the days leading up to the homicide, Crime Continued from Page 1 Laboratory Director Linda Erdei and forensic analysts Dr. Karen Zavarella and Ray Jorz meticulously canvassed John s one-room apartment. Dr. Zavarella and Erdei collected blood samples and photographed blood spatter, while Jorz collected hair and other trace evidence samples. Cell phones belonging to John and Lambert were turned over to Jamie Walsh, the Crime Laboratory s digital evidence examiner. Walsh found that Lambert had made dozens of calls and text messages in the hours after John was murdered, despite Lambert claiming that he was asleep at that time. The phone records revealed that Lambert had asked a friend to drive him to Painesville to buy marihuana on the night of Jan. 9. Police theorized that he used money stolen from John, who had received $50 from his mother the day before. When police searched John s apartment, they found less than $1. Based on physical evidence collected by the Crime Laboratory and Madison Township Police, Lambert was arrested on Feb. 8, 2014 and charged with John s murder. He was indicted by a Lake County grand jury three days later. Lambert initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but eventually dropped the insanity plea and stood trial in August At trial, Dave Green, a Crime Laboratory trace evidence examiner, testified that he analyzed hair fragments that were stuck to dried blood in John s palm. Green told jurors that the hair fragments exhibited consistent microscopic characteristics with hair samples taken from Lambert. Dr. Zavarella then took the witness stand and explained that she tested 33 items for nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both parents and is unique to each individual, except for identical twins. Among the items she tested were a pair of blood-stained boots that were found near John s body. Dr. Zavarella said DNA recovered from the boots matched samples taken from John and Lambert. She also testified that the underside of John s fingernails were swabbed and found to contain Lambert s DNA. That was significant. It s fairly unusual to find an identifiable foreign DNA profile (another person s DNA) under someone s fingernails, said Dr. Zavarella, who holds a doctorate in molecular biology. It suggests a more intimate type of contact between John and Lambert. I am not able to say (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 PAGE 5

Zavarella stated that she had been curious about the unusual positioning of John s pants.

6 THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 Lambert: It s All in the Genes Continued from Page 5 John s jeans from which Lambert s DNA was recovered. whether the contact was violent in nature, but it does indicate there was more than casual contact. During her testimony, Dr. Zavarella stated that she had been curious about the unusual positioning of John s pants. At the crime scene, it struck me that his jeans were not in the natural position of an individual who had fallen to the floor, she said. The leg seams were twisted, with his belt and zipper skewed to the right. It appeared that someone had grabbed his pants to move him after he had fallen. It made me feel that I had to swab for touch DNA from that area. Dr. Zavarella s intuition proved correct. The swab from John s pants contained a mixture of two DNA profiles a major contribution from John and a minor contribution from Lambert. At trial, Lake County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Condon highlighted Dr. Zavarella s findings, telling jurors that her DNA analysis pointed to Lambert s guilt. Condon noted that the probability of a randomly selected individual unrelated to Lambert being the source of the minor DNA profile on the jeans would be 1 in billion and under the victim s nails would be 1 in 487 million. Lambert s six-day trial ended with a guilty verdict. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 15 years. Reflecting on the case, Dr. Zavarella said the Crime Laboratory had a significant role in bringing John s killer to justice. This was a team effort by us that involved multiple forensic disciplines, including Crime Scene Analysis, Fingerprints, Trace Evidence, DNA Analysis and Digital Evidence. We brought all of our experience, knowledge and instincts to the investigation. This case illustrated that no two crime scenes are alike, and no two pieces of evidence are alike. Finding Lambert s DNA profile in the DNA mixture on John s jeans was a key discovery, she said. But she added that the mixture required very careful analysis to decipher its contributors. In recent years, forensic DNA testing has become extremely sensitive, a technological development that has far-reaching implications. The good news is that only a few human cells are needed to obtain DNA information that can identify perpetrators. However, the greater sensitivity also increases the possibility that evidence can contain the DNA of people not associated with the crime under investigation. When that occurs, police can end up following false leads. While she has adapted to the rapid advances in DNA analysis, especially in the area of testing sensitivity, Dr. Zavarella said she is always cognizant of the potential for inadvertent or erroneous identifications of suspects. My approach to testing evidence and evaluating DNA profiles has always mandated careful scrutiny, she explained. But now with the extreme sensitivity of the testing, I have a whole new appreciation for the precautions I must take while examining evidence and interpreting complicated DNA mixtures. After being found guilty of Murder, Lambert was sentenced to serve a prison term of life with parole eligibility after 15 years. PAGE 6

7 PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT To: Law Enforcement Personnel, First Responders, Judges, Police Prosecutors & Law Directors Lake County, OH From: Douglas E. Rohde, M.S. Supervisor of Chemistry & Toxicology Lake County Crime Laboratory Subject: Handling of Powder Evidence THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 Date: November 14, 2016 The US heroin epidemic has become more dangerous in recent months with the introduction of a number of extremely potent drugs known as synthetic opioid analogs. Two of the most potent analogs, Carfentanil and 3- Methyl Fentanyl, have now been identified in Lake County in at least a dozen cases since September of this year. These two fentanyl analogs are 6,000 to 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 60 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin. Carfentanil and 3-Methyl Fentanyl generally appear in powder form and may be indistinguishable from typical heroin or cocaine submissions. These particular fentanyl analogs present a serious danger to law enforcement, first responder and laboratory personnel. Exposure can occur by absorption through the skin through direct contact or accidental inhalation of airborne powder. I recommend the following procedures be implemented when handling all powder evidence: -Use gloves at all times when handling powders. -Use N95 Respirators at all times when handling powders. The N95 respirator is the most common particu late filtering face mask respirator and is designed to filter at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) airborne particles. -Powders should be placed in sealable plastic bags and then placed in another sealable plastic bag im medately upon seizure. -The use of canines in drug detection of powders should cease immediately. -The use of field presumptive test kits (NIK) on powders should cease immediately. -Officers should have several Narcan kits available in the event of accidental exposure to one of these high potency powders. Carfentanil and 3-Methyl Fentanyl may require several doses of Narcan in order to block the effects of these drugs. -I repeat - several doses of Narcan may need to be administered to prevent coma or death in the case of accidental exposure. I encourage you to contact me at any time if you have questions regarding this memo. Doug Rohde Lab phone number: PAGE 7

THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 LAKE COUNTY CRIME LABORATORY 235 Fairgrounds Road Painesville, OH 44077 (440) 350-2793 fax (440) 350-2731 An ASCLD/LAB-International Accredited Testing Laboratory since

8 THE CRIMESCEN E WINTER 2017 LAKE COUNTY CRIME LABORATORY 235 Fairgrounds Road Painesville, OH (440) fax (440) An ASCLD/LAB-International Accredited Testing Laboratory since 2009 An ASCLD/LAB-Legacy Accredited Testing Laboratory Hitting it Out of the Park Continued from Page 4 before a forensic unknown profile in CODIS matches to another profile in the system. For example, a cigarette butt left behind at an Eastlake crime scene in 2014, recently hit to a suspect, demonstrating the utility of this continuous search engine of CODIS. Other examples of evidence that have resulted in CODIS hits in the laboratory include weapons (firearms and knives), clothing left behind during a burglary, digital scales, plastic baggies, syringes and prescription bottles in controlled substances cases, and tools such as screwdrivers and crowbars which may have been used to unlawfully gain access to homes, businesses or vehicles. The DNA section has encountered a dramatic increase in the submission of evidence for DNA testing. This has equated to over 220 CODIS DNA profile entries for this year to date, which is almost a 120% increase over the number of profiles submitted in the entire 2015 year. Astute evidence collection by investigators is one of the most important factors in obtaining DNA evidence. Police departments have responded well to the training offered by our Laboratory as is evidenced by the dramatic increase in the number of CODIS eligible profiles the DNA analysts are developing. With every entry into CODIS, the chance of solving crime increases. The CRIMESCENE A quarterly publication of the Office of the Lake County Prosecuting Attorney, For questions, comments, or to receive an electronic copy of this newsletter, please contact us at: (440) or CrimeLabNews@lakecountyohio.gov 2017 PAGE 8

LeAnne Suchanek: The Lab s Latest CODIS Hit

WINTER 2016 THE CRIMESCENE NEWSLETTER OF THE LAKE COUNTY CRIME LABORATORY LeAnne Suchanek: The Lab s Latest CODIS Hit BY ROBERT SBERNA For 14 years, LeAnne Suchanek was a key member of a crime laboratory