Suspect profile? Genetic Markers? Evidence Sample? Your DNA on a glove? Just a few of the terms thrown around in my riveting interview with Matt Speredelozzi, Deputy Public Defender for the County of Santa Barbara. Today we talk about how Matt overturned a case where a man was incarcerated for twenty years through new DNA evidence. Matt has worked in the field of criminal law since 2007 on major crimes cases including high stakes felony, carjacking, robbery, gang enhancements and white collar offenses. He has worked on this particular murder case for the last ten years.
In Jose’s case, his DNA was on a pair of gloves used in the crime but there was inconsistency on multiple markers and samples. He succinctly in less than twenty minutes walks us through the DNA process, convictions, and how unreliable witnesses play into the case, which is incredibly fascinating.
Jose is the first of 256 cases where people sat in jail over science that should have not been allowed to slip through the cracks. Matt sees this case as the gateway for many other innocent people to turn their conviction around.
If you want to geek out on science and crime, you are going to love Matt!
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Guilty or Not Guilty: A New Perspective on DNA