In June, 2023, Chapter 8: Forensic Use of DNA, was published, along with 27 other chapters, via Thomson-Reuters-WEST. The 3-volume reference set bears the title: “Litigator’s Handbook of Forensic Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology”. See link:
Among the other 27 excellent chapters, Chapter 6: The Forensic Autopsy, was authored by the worldwide recognized forensic pathologist, Dr. Werner U. Spitz. The 97-year old German-American authored the definitive book, within the field of forensic pathology, "Medicolegal Investigation of Death", for which the 1st Edition was released in 1993. Dr. Spitz is credited for his work on the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the deaths of Mary Jo Kopechne, and JonBenet Ramsey, and the trials of Casey Anthony, Phil Spector, and O.J. Simpson.
Over the course of eight challenging years of work, the Chapter 8 authors, Michael J. Spence, Ph.D., and Demosthenes Lorandos, Ph.D., completed their work. By November 2023, the initial printing of the 3-volume reference set was 100% sold out. In addition to ramping up publication of another round of this handbook, Thomson-Reuters-WEST is encouraging contributing authors to execute their chapter modifications/expansions for EDITION II of the reference set. This updated edition should be released sometime in the coming few years.
An EDITION II preview of Chapter 8: Forensic Use of DNA, is below:
The updated edition will expand this chapter from 55,000+ words, to over 70,000 words. One of the sections will be entitled: Treachery in our DNA labs: From incompetence to outright fraud. This section emphasizes how vital it is for us to recognize the ‘red flags’ associated with professional misconduct—at the hands of those occupying elevated positions of forensic DNA responsibility. In simpler terms, ...the forensic misuse of DNA. We have all seen such scenarios unfold, as follows:
· Ms. Jacqueline Blake, Federal Bureau of Investigation
· Ms. Sarah Blair, Orchid Cellmark
· Mr. Fred Zain, West Virginia State Police/Bexar County, Texas
· Mr. Stefan A. Long, working experiences described by Dr. Spence
·
Ms. Yvonne "Missy" Woods, Colorado Bureau of Investigation
· Dr. Pamela Fish, Chicago Police Department/Illinois State Police
· Ms. Joyce Gilchrist, Oklahoma City Police Department
One of the modified EDITION II, Chapter 8 sections will bear the title: Recent developments in the forensic use of DNA. In this section, detailed DNA case descriptions will include the following:
· State of California v. Lukis Anderson
· State of California v. Joseph DeAngelo
· State of Vermont v. John Grega
· State of Washington v. Clay Starbuck
· State of Wisconsin v. Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey
· State of Michigan v. Gary Leiterman
Please note that, in the coming months, a four-part series of articles will be posted here at DNA Technology and Our Criminal Justice System. The title of this series will be "Corruption: Forensic Misuse of DNA in the Labs and Courtrooms." The titles and dates of these articles are as follows: Part 1. "Las Cruces, New Mexico: Collapse of the Forensic Testing Laboratory" to be posted here in early May, 2024. Part 2. "NM-DPS Crime Lab: Misrepresentation of DNA Casework Contamination Errors" to be posted here in early June, 2024; Part 3. "Corruption in the El Paso County (Texas) District Attorney's Office" to be posted here in early July, 2024; Part 4. "Missy Woods: Forensic DNA Fraud in Colorado." to be posted in early August, 2024.
Posted by Michael J. Spence, Ph.D. on March 18, 2024; Edited on April 18, 2024.
