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Jen Mular
Mr. Hull
Honors English II

DNA Testing in Cases

Physical evidence does not forget... It cannot perjure itself Only its
interpretation can err. Only human failure can diminish its value Paul L Kirk (Kalka
23). In 2014, there was an estimated 1,165,400 violent crimes. These crimes include
murders, nonnegligent homicide, rapes, robberies, and assaults. (2014 Crime in the
United States). DNA is the building block of all life and is useful for identifying criminals.
There are many types of DNA testing that vary in costs and efficiency. DNA testing is
only useful if it can be applicable in the real world. DNA testing is vital to solving crimes
and bringing people to justice.
In the first place, DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is the instruction manual that
determines a living things genetic makeup which is everything an organism is. DNA is
found in the nucleus of a cell. It is unique to each person (except in the case of identical
twins). A persons DNA is half from one parent and the half from the other. This is how
traits are passed down. DNA is composed of nucleotides which are made of three parts:
a sugar group, a phosphate group, and nitrogen bases (Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)).
Information is stored in these nitrous chemical bases. The bases are adenine, thymine,
guanine, and cytosine. When the two strands pair up, the bases are what links them
together. Adenine pairs with thymine, while cytosine pairs with thymine (Hunter 26). The
sequence of how these bases occur account for different traits. One sequence is called

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a gene. Packed genes bundled tightly together are chromosomes, which humans have
23 pairs of (Marzilli 12-13).
Correspondingly, people leave trails of their passing every day on insignificant
things. At crime scenes, it is of the utmost importance that one can detect where to find
evidence. Many bodily fluids are found in what some would consider trash. Saliva from
cigarette butts is a common example. If someone were to break glass with their hands
and managed to cut themselves and bleed, then the blood could be taken from the
glass and analyzed. Many criminals wear gloves when committing a crime, believing
that they wont be caught. Some will foolishly leave their gloves at the scene of the
crime allowing the gloves to be reversed and fingerprints to be clearly seen. Fingerprints
can also be found on the surface of doorknobs and tables. In rape cases if a male
perpetrator didnt use a condom then the semen could be collected and tested. Hair as
well can be identified to a person if it was pulled from the root (Hunter 15 and 27).
Likewise, blood is a major component in determining if one is guilty of a crime or
not. Blood testing is not as accurate as other methods and cant pinpoint suspects. It is,
however, useful for ruling out groups or individuals. There are four blood types: A, B,
AB, and O. A persons blood consists of a type, and either a positive or negative. One
can be positive (symbolized by +) if they have a specific protein, and negative
(symbolized by -) if not. Individuals can have only one type of blood cell. This means if
A+ blood is found at a crime scene (and suspected to be the murderers) then the crime
couldnt have been committed by someone with B- type blood. Blood consists of three
parts: plasma, red blood cells, and white blood cells. Plasma is the liquid the cells float
in. It contains proteins, nutrients, and any waste made from the cells. Red blood cells

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are what gives blood its color. They help bring oxygen to lungs. They also have no DNA.
White blood cells are part of your immune system and help get rid of diseases. White
blood cells have a nucleus and with it nuclear DNA. This DNA is what gets tested
(Hunter 18-20).
In reality, there are three main types of DNA testing: RFLP, STR, and
Mitochondrial DNA testing. RFLP, better known as Restriction Fragment Length
Polymorphism Testing. It can only work when huge amounts of DNA is available. The
DNA must be fresh and not too degraded or been subjected to warm conditions. The
testing is a long and tedious test that can take months. It involves attaching a
radioactive molecule to DNA. This causes problems as it is a dangerous workspace that
some scientists are reluctant to work in (Kafka 19-20). There are four basic steps to
RFLP testing. Step one is that a short sequence strand is cut from a sample with a
restriction enzyme. The next step involves the cut DNA to be placed in a tray with
agarose gel which can appear sponge-like spouting pores (Riley). A small electrical
current is passed through the gel which then allows pieces to move. The smaller pieces
move quickly to the bottom while the bigger pieces stay near the top. This allows the
DNA pieces to be sorted by size (Hunter 27). A replica is then made to trap the DNA. A
probe binds the DNA to the substance. The sizes of the target DNA are then measured
and put into a database (Riley).
Another type of testing is STR, also called Short Tandem Repeat. STR is what
describes a short repeating sequence of DNA. The sequences are normally two to five
base pairs long and can occur up to 10 times in a single strand of DNA. (Riley). It is the
most popular method as its results are accurate and less expensive. This testing

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involves using the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to make copies of DNA strands.
The polymerase enzyme creates a chain reaction to produce many identical copies of a
piece of DNA (Kafka 22). It is useful to help find disease mutations within a person.
There are 13 main regions to look at to figure out a genetic profile of a person. Rarely
do people have the same common 13 regions as the chances are one in a billion. First
the DNA is extracted from the cell and certain regions are duplicated to find how many
sequences of a certain chain there are. Dyes are often added to distinguish between
sequences to be understood visually in court (Murnaghan).
In contrast, next type of testing is Mitochondrial DNA testing. Mitochondrial DNA
is found in the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell). It is passed down
generations maternally, strictly passed down from mothers. It generally stays the same
(except in the case of mutations). This type of testing is similar to blood testing in that
its nearly impossible to pinpoint people. It can, however, rule out a family as well as
include. The downside to this testing is that it is one of the most time consuming and
expensive tests (Hunter 31-34). Mitochondrial DNA (or mtDNA) is divided into three
regions a coding region and two hypervariable regions. Common mtDNA tests use
regions of the hypervariable regions. Usually, a mother-daughter relation would match
all three regions with some base variations. Over time, this DNA can change but can still
trace back to relatives within the last 125 years (Handy).
On the other hand, DNA testing is only useful if it can be used in the world. A
common use is to solve murders. In 1998, a 10-year-old Anna Palmer was attacked and
killed in front of her own home. It was a brutal murder with multiple stab wounds. There
was DNA collected from under Annas fingernails, but at the time, there was no effective

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method (that was admissible in court) that could separate two samples of DNA.
Eventually, as technology and techniques improved the DNA could be split with ease.
DNA evidence from the case was put through a DNA database system and matched to
Matthew Brock in 2009 who was immediately tried for murder. In another case in 1981
where a girl named Patricia Beard strangled to death. There was semen evidence
inside her, but the DNA was not put into the main database until 20013 and was
matched to Hector Bencomo-Hinojos who was tried and convicted of murder. The body
of Sarah Lynn Wineski was found strangled and raped in St. Petersburg, Florida in
2005. DNA evidence was then matched to Raymond Samuels (Stefoff 47-51).
Another thing DNA testing is useful for is for settling rape cases and child
custody. Maurice Barry- Albert Sullivan had been convicted of a small shoplifting felony.
Since he was convicted and the state of Virginia had laws requiring one to give their
DNA if convicted of a crime, his DNA was matched to the rape of a Raleigh women from
2000 (Stefoff 36-38).
Besides catching perpetrators, DNA testing proves helpful in clearing names and
reputations. In 2013, Randolph Arledge was cleared of a murder conviction. He was
cleaned because DNA evidence came up pointing to another man who was convicted of
other felonies. This proves how valuable testing is compared to witness testimony that
can falter. Roy Criner was convicted of raping and murdering a 16-year girl. The semen
taken from the girl was testing in an old machine which determined that 40% of men
could match the sample. Due to testimony and publics need to blame someone Roy
Criner was charged with murder. Roy Criner was relieved from a death sentence when
new evidence came up that excluded him from committing the crime. He was still

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subjected to spending another 20 years in prison because no judge would pardon him.
Eventually, he was set free when lawyers from the Innocent Project took up his case
(Carmichael 54-59).
In conclusion, solving crimes would prove to be difficult without the application of
DNA testing resources. DNA is a wonderful part of a person that can help bring peace to
victims. Thanks to new technology there are ample ways to bring someone to justice.
There are many examples of how DNA testing has made out world a better place.
Hopefully the world can restrain itself from violent crimes so that DNA testing is used
less.

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Works Cited
Carmichael, L. E. Forensic Science: In Pursuit of Justice. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Abdo
Publishing, 2015. Print.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) National Human Genome Research Institute. National
Human Genome Research Institute. 16 June 2015. Web. 20 February 2016.
<https://www.genome.gov/25520880#al-4>.
Handy, Steve. Understanding Mitochondrial DNA Testing DNA Genealogical
Experiences and Tutorials. DNA Matches. 4 November 2012. Web. 20 February
2016. <http://dnamatches.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/understanding-mitochondrialdna-testing.html>.
Hunter, William. DNA Analysis. Broomall, Pennsylvania. Mason Creek, 2014. Print
Marzilli, Alan. DNA Evidence. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chelsea House, 2004. Print
Riley, Donald. DNA Testing: An Introduction for Non-Scientists Scientific Testimony: An
Online Journal. University of Washington. 1997. Web. 20 February 2016.
<http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html>.
Stefoff, Rebecca. Famous: Forensic Cases. Tarrytown, New York: Marshal
Cavendish Benchmark, 2009. Print.
2014 Crime in the United States. FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI. 28
September 2015. Web. 20 February 2016.
<https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/september/latest-crime-statsreleased/latest-crime-stats-released>.

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