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Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Irish Times
Analysts ‘did not identify' DNA of Dublin firefighter accused of raping woman in Boston hotel, US court hears
Analysts 'did not identify' the DNA of the Dublin firefighter arrested on rape charges over St Patrick's Day weekend last year in samples collected from the complainant, a US court has heard. The complainant, a 29-year-old attorney, claims she was raped last year by Terence Crosbie (38) while his Dublin Fire Brigade colleague Liam O'Brien slept in a separate bed in a shared hotel room. She says she had consensual relations with Mr O'Brien after meeting him at the Black Rose bar in Boston. She later fell asleep in a separate bed but then awoke to Mr Crosbie raping her. Mr Crosbie denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty. READ MORE Alexis Decesaris, a DNA analyst, testified on Thursday that a process was conducted to eliminate female DNA and isolate male DNA from samples collected from the complainant. She said the results were 'consistent' with there being 'two individuals' separate from the complainant who are both male. Earlier in the day, the court heard from a Boston police crime lab analyst that there was a high likelihood that one of those male profiles belonged to Mr O'Brien. However, Ms Decesaris, an analyst at Bode Technology,said it was unclear if the second set of male DNA, collected from the complainant's genitals, was deposited by Mr Crosbie. [ Dublin firefighter accused of raping woman in Boston hotel says he 'didn't touch' her, US court hears Opens in new window ] Ms Decesaris then faced cross-examination from defence lawyer Patrick Garrity. Addressing her, he said: 'Your testing did not identify Terence Crosbie's DNA on that genital swab, did you?' Ms Decesaris said that was 'correct'. Under questioning from Suffolk assistant district attorney Erin Murphy, Ms Decesaris again confirmed the finding of 'two distinct male contributors' in a sample collected from the complainant. The jury previously heard a Boston police detective testify that the complainant did not recall Mr O'Brien's name and did not recall meeting Mr Crosbie before the alleged assault. The court was told the detective tracked down Mr Crosbie with the help of hotel security footage as well as images of Mr O'Brien and Mr Crosbie provided to him by a federal agent. He said that on March 16th, 2024 – a day after the woman reported the alleged rape – he approached Mr Crosbie by the lift of the hotel. [ US woman awoke in Boston hotel to 'somebody on top' raping her, jury in Dublin firefighter trial told Opens in new window ] Detectives initially asked Mr Crosbie of his whereabouts on March 14th and March 15th. Mr Crosbie said he was one of 10 members of Dublin Fire Brigade who travelled to Boston to march in the city's St Patrick's Day parade. Mr Crosbie said he had interacted with the woman in the bar and again briefly when she went up to the hotel room with Mr O'Brien. He told detectives he waited in a chair in the corridor outside of room 610 while the complainant and Mr O'Brien were inside, jurors heard. He told detectives he later knocked on the door, used his phone as a torch and 'didn't see anybody in the bed'. Mr Crosbie said he removed his trousers and shirt, pulled the bed covers off and got into the bed. A minute and a half later, he said, he 'heard a girl moving' and saw her collect her belongings in the dark and leave. He told detectives he did not have any interactions with the complainant before she left. When detectives asked whether Mr Crosbie had sex with the woman, he replied: 'No, I didn't touch her.' Mr Crosbie was arrested later that evening after booking an early flight back to Ireland and boarding an aircraft. The woman has told the court through tears that she 'woke up to somebody on top of me' raping her. She testified that she told him to 'stop' and that she eventually managed to manoeuvre her legs off the side of the bed and break free. According to the complainant, Mr Crosbie continued to follow her around the hotel room. When she collected her clothes and went to the bathroom, she said Mr Crosbie tried to get in and 'was jiggling the handle' after she locked the door.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Shameful': Washington murder case dismissed after DNA evidence is lost
WASHNGTON — Days before a Washington murder trial was to begin, prosecutors decided the evidence they had against the defendant — who was in custody for more than five years — was not good enough, and the victim's family still wants an explanation. When John Pernell was shot to death on Nelson Place SE in July 2010, witnesses told police the retired protective service officer fought with one of four men trying to rob him and others. Pernell and his friends were setting up their barbecues for a traditional Fourth of July get-together when the men jumped a fence and announced a robbery. The investigation went nowhere until 2019, when a witness told police they should look at a man named Kavon Young. According to a document filed in D.C. Superior Court, police said DNA discovered under Pernell's fingernails matched the DNA profile of Young. The probability the DNA did not belong to Young was one in 3.4 billion in the United States African American population. But that DNA evidence — presented in court as a match in 2019 — suddenly became a mismatch two days before trial. Prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office, the defense attorneys and the private lab that did the original testing will not say why. 'It's shameful. We have a right to know what happened,' said Pernell's daughter, Yolanda Pernell-Vogelson. Two days before the trial was set to begin, Pernell-Vogelson and her sister, Ayana Pernell, say they got a call from Michael Spence, the prosecutor in the case, who told them the initial calculations were wrong. 'To this day, [we] have not been given a full, understandable explanation as to why this has happened,' Ayana Pernell said. 'I mean, we are essentially victims also.' Court records show the private lab that did the testing, Bode Technology Group Inc., lost the evidence and it cannot be retested. The judge told the prosecution and defense that at trial, the jury would be told 'the government's labs and/or agencies negligently lost the DNA extract in this case' just before the trial was set to begin. In an April 9 filing, prosecutors noted again the DNA 'matched the defendant' 'as reported by Bode Technology' — a result prosecutors relied upon for five-and-a-half years until deciding two days before trial it was unreliable. Bode Technology group declined to comment. Young was released in April, and NBC Washington couldn't reach the attorneys who have been representing him. Pernell's daughters said they wrote letters to all lawmakers in the city. 'We extend our condolences to Mr. Pernell's family and friends, including his daughters," Washington Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said in a statement Wednesday. "I've contacted them regarding his case, and we are investigating the matter to see if there is anything additional the District can do to be of assistance to ensure justice.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
05-06-2025
- NBC News
'Shameful': Washington murder case dismissed after DNA evidence is lost
WASHNGTON — Days before a Washington murder trial was to begin, prosecutors decided the evidence they had against the defendant — who was in custody for more than five years — was not good enough, and the victim's family still wants an explanation. When John Pernell was shot to death on Nelson Place SE in July 2010, witnesses told police the retired protective service officer fought with one of four men trying to rob him and others. Pernell and his friends were setting up their barbecues for a traditional Fourth of July get-together when the men jumped a fence and announced a robbery. The investigation went nowhere until 2019, when a witness told police they should look at a man named Kavon Young. According to a document filed in D.C. Superior Court, police said DNA discovered under Pernell's fingernails matched the DNA profile of Young. The probability the DNA did not belong to Young was one in 3.4 billion in the United States African American population. But that DNA evidence — presented in court as a match in 2019 — suddenly became a mismatch two days before trial. Prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office, the defense attorneys and the private lab that did the original testing will not say why. 'It's shameful. We have a right to know what happened,' said Pernell's daughter, Yolanda Pernell-Vogelson. Two days before the trial was set to begin, Pernell-Vogelson and her sister, Ayana Pernell, say they got a call from Michael Spence, the prosecutor in the case, who told them the initial calculations were wrong. 'To this day, [we] have not been given a full, understandable explanation as to why this has happened,' Ayana Pernell said. 'I mean, we are essentially victims also.' Court records show the private lab that did the testing, Bode Technology Group Inc., lost the evidence and it cannot be retested. The judge told the prosecution and defense that at trial, the jury would be told 'the government's labs and/or agencies negligently lost the DNA extract in this case' just before the trial was set to begin. In an April 9 filing, prosecutors noted again the DNA 'matched the defendant' 'as reported by Bode Technology' — a result prosecutors relied upon for five-and-a-half years until deciding two days before trial it was unreliable. Bode Technology group declined to comment. Young was released in April, and NBC Washington couldn't reach the attorneys who have been representing him. Pernell's daughters said they wrote letters to all lawmakers in the city. 'We extend our condolences to Mr. Pernell's family and friends, including his daughters," Washington Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said in a statement Wednesday. "I've contacted them regarding his case, and we are investigating the matter to see if there is anything additional the District can do to be of assistance to ensure justice.'
