Flaws with DNA, Serology & Evidence Collection
When the state’s case leans on DNA and serology, defense lawyers can feel like they’re up against unshakable science — but this program proves otherwise. By unpacking the hidden flaws in evidence collection, testing, and reporting, it gives you the tools to dismantle the prosecution’s “gold standard” claims and reframe them as weaknesses. You’ll learn how to expose shortcuts in serology, challenge misleading DNA interpretations, and highlight investigative failures that undermine reliability. With practical strategies drawn from real-world prosecutions, this program empowers you to translate complex forensic issues into powerful arguments judges and juries understand — transforming intimidating lab reports into opportunities for reasonable doubt.
In the first session, you’ll see why serology still matters. Many government labs skip it altogether, going straight to DNA and leaving juries with half the story. You’ll learn how to insist on serology testing for semen, saliva, and blood, and how to show judges and juries why its absence undermines the reliability of the entire forensic case. Real-world scandals — from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s mishandling of DNA to the notorious Joyce Gilchrist fraud — drive home the risks of taking lab reports at face value.
The second session pulls back the curtain on what DNA reports really mean — and what they don’t. You’ll learn how presumptive tests can mislead, why “touch DNA” is a misnomer, and how DNA transfer and persistence can explain results the prosecution calls incriminating. From contamination by EMS gloves to DNA migrating through laundry, the science of transfer creates powerful alternative explanations that juries need to hear. You’ll also see how to challenge misleading terminology, expose when labs skip confirmatory tests, and cross-examine analysts who claim certainty where none exists.
Finally, the third session shows you how to turn sloppy forensic work into “gems” of impeachment. You’ll learn to attack deviations from standards in sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) reports, medical records, and forensic photography. Missing swabs, absent body maps, manipulated photographs, vague injury descriptions, and incomplete chain-of-custody documentation aren’t small oversights — they are opportunities to dismantle the state’s case. With practical examples drawn directly from sexual assault prosecutions, you’ll gain the tools to cross-examine experts, impeach witnesses, and create reasonable doubt by highlighting what should have been done but wasn’t.
Together, these sessions provide a comprehensive arsenal for sexual assault defense. You’ll walk away able to:
- Demand and interpret full serology and DNA discovery.
- Explain DNA transfer and persistence in plain terms that juries understand.
- Challenge misleading terminology like “sperm fraction” or “fresh injuries.”
- Cross-examine forensic nurses and lab analysts on missed steps, poor documentation, and deviations from published standards.
- Reframe the prosecution’s forensic “strengths” as weaknesses that support the defense theory of the case.
Full Presentations Included:
- Serology and DNA: Why It's Important | Laura Schile
- Serology Testing and DNA Transfer: What the Lab Reports Really Mean | Lisa Desire
- Your Case is Raining Gems: How to Impeach Deviations from the Standards of Evidence | Dr. Jennifer Johnson
Prices
- List Price $119.00
- Member Price $99.00