Dna

A jury is expected to begin deliberations today in the case of an Altadena man accused of raping four women in La Crescenta and Pasadena in 2001. Deputy District Atty. Natalie Adomian and defense attorney Mark Davis will give their closing arguments to the nine-woman, three-man jury hearing the case of Clifton Hutchins in Pasadena Superior Court before retiring to begin its deliberations. Hutchins took the witness stand on Thursday to deny his involvement with four sexual assaults that took place between June and November 2001 in La Crescenta and Pasadena.

A former Tournament of Roses official arrested Wednesday as the suspected killer in a 2004 cold case was again a free man Friday as prosecutors found the evidence against him lacking. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office officials said Sheriff's Department detectives presented insufficient evidence to charge Richard Allan Munnecke, 71, in the death of Donna Lee Kelly, who was 59 at the time of her death. “There are other potential suspects. Insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” Deputy District Attorney Patricia Wilkinson wrote in paperwork declining to file charges.

A recent revelation that Leslie Combs Brand, the so-called Father of Glendale, probably fathered two children with a secret mistress came as a shock to many, but local history enthusiasts are downright delighted. Longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Cecilia Rasmussen, who concluded her “L.A. Then and Now” history column with the piece on Brand on April 6, backed up her scoop with a DNA test that linked Brand to a descendant of his alleged mistress, Birdie Esther Carpenter Gordon.

Jackson Bell Rep. Adam Schiff's (D-Glendale) bill to give local investigators increased access to federal DNA databases has been signed into law. President Bush signed it into law Saturday. The law includes provisions written by Schiff that expands the national DNA database by allowing states to use lawfully obtained samples, along with allowing state and local law-enforcement agencies to compare their samples with national databases. "DNA evidence is one of the most powerful tools we have to solve a lot of the unsolved murder, rape and violence-crime cases," Schiff said.

A court date has been set to hear a motion challenging DNA evidence gathered from an Altadena man who allegedly raped four women in La Crescenta and Pasadena. Clifton Hutchins, who is being held at the North County Correctional Facility on $4.4-million bail, said errors were made on reports regarding DNA samples. Hutchins was arrested by Glendale Police officers in 2001. He is set to appear in Pasadena Superior Court on Dec. 8. Hutchins lost an earlier motion to dismiss his case on grounds that the original copy of a search warrant and a list of evidence could not be found.

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Police Department criminalist testified Tuesday that the genetic code of Tyreese Reed, a man accused of attacking and raping seven women in Beverly Hills, Glendale and Koreatown, matched DNA collected from two women. Criminalist Jennifer Butterworth explained to jurors that a person’s DNA is uniquely his or her own and that a saliva swab sample collected from the inside of Reed’s mouth matched hair, mouth and lip specimens taken from three women.

Thank God for DNA. This is the story of Thomas Doswell who was recently released after spending 19 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. This took place in Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1986 when Doswell, who was 25 years old, was convicted of the rape of a 48-year-old woman. At the time of his conviction, Doswell -- who is African American -- had a wife and two young children. Doswell was convicted largely because he was chosen from a photo lineup by the victim and another individual who had witnessed the attack.

A bill recently introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) would make it easier for police departments to use DNA technology to solve cold cases. Schiff pointed to last year's break in the 25-year-old so called “Grim Sleeper” serial murder case, where the Los Angeles Police Department used DNA from a suspect to conduct a check of California's DNA database to see if there were any leads within his family. Investigators started focusing on, and eventually arrested, the suspect's father, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., after getting a DNA sample from him that resulted in a perfect match.