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Questions About the Testing Methods Used by an Expert Must Be Substantial to Justify the Exclusion of Those Results

October 6, 2010

Today, the Indiana Court of Appeals addressed the admissibility of DNA evidence under Evid. R. 702 in Kennedy v. State, 934 N.E.2d 779 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010), Case No. 89A04-0907-CR-380. That decision is in a criminal case and deals with criminal issues that are, frankly, not the focus of our efforts. However, the way that the Court dealt with the admissibility of the DNA evidence under the Rules of Evidence is universally applicable.

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In this case, Kennedy was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. When investigating the case, the State began conducting DNA testing on an item of evidence used in the robbery. Indiana State Police ("ISP") lab DNA analyst Nicole Keeling first analyzed a swab from the asphalt to determine what DNA alleles were present at each of fifteen different loci used in making DNA identifications. She then compared those loci and their alleles to a sample of the victim's DNA, identified that the victim was the source of the major DNA profile found on the item to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, but also indicated that there were extra alleles found on the item, not consistent with the victim's DNA profile, that led her to believe there was a minor contributor of a different DNA profile on the item. The State then compared Kennedy's DNA to that on the item and Keeling concluded that Kennedy "cannot be excluded as a possible contributor of the additional alleles" found on the item.

Kennedy moved to exclude Keeling's conclusions regarding the DNA evidence because the manner in which Keeling had conducted her analysis did not comport with accepted scientific principles. The trial court denied that motion and the evidence was admitted at trial over Kennedy's objections. At trial, Kennedy presented as a witness Ranajit Chakraborty, a nationally-recognized DNA analysis expert who expressed strong disagreement with the manner in which Keeling conducted parts of her testing. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found that Kennedy was guilty and he appealed.

On appeal, the court first dealt with an argument about the admission of this evidence on procedural grounds for alleged violation of discovery rules. After concluding that Kennedy was not prejudiced by the alleged late disclosure, the Court turned to whether the trial court erred in concluding that Keeling's test results were sufficiently scientifically reliable to be admissible.

Although he was arguing that the evidence should be excluded, Kennedy conceded that Keeling was qualified as an expert in the field of DNA forensic analysis and that the lab at which the testing was performed is properly accredited and has adopted scientifically acceptable methods for DNA testing. The Court then noted that Keeling utilized a testing method that had passed general muster in Indiana for scientific reliability and admissibility in evidence at trial. Therefore, the Court's analysis focused on whether there were substantial irregularities in the testing process used by Keeling.

After describing, in detail, the nature of the dispute about the testing process used by Keeling, the Court concluded that the trial court did not err in admitting the evidence.

Kennedy is challenging the very highly technical details of how Keeling conducted her testing. We believe this is the very reason the rules of evidence provide for expert witness testimony. The details of how DNA testing is conducted are beyond the ready grasp of laypersons, or judges and lawyers for that matter. Furthermore, DNA testing is not always a black-and-white science. Keeling, whom Kennedy recognizes as a qualified expert in this field, testified that DNA analysts almost always have to exercise some degree of discretion in testing. Chakraborty also agreed that trained and qualified DNA analysts can have reasonable disagreements regarding proper test results. We believe this clearly is a case where the dispute between Keeling and Chakraborty regarding the precise details of her testing methods goes to the weight of her results, not their admissibility. Kennedy was permitted to and in fact did present to the jury a detailed critique of Keeling's methods. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the results into evidence.

The Court's decision in this case further helps define the bar that counsel must reach in order to exclude the testing results of a qualified expert using an approved testing process. Any irregularities in the testing procedure used must be substantial and the opponent of that evidence must be able to clearly demonstrate this to the Court. The failure to do so will mean that the evidence will still get to the jury.

Lessons:

A litigant who is challenging the conclusions of a qualified, scientific expert who used approved testing procedures must demonstrate that there were substantial irregularities with the testing procedure used in this case, which makes the results unreliable.

Brad A. Catlin
Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC
Learn more about Brad and contact us
Download a copy of this article here

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