Expert Witness Blog
Jose Alberto Felix’s murder trial took an interesting turn of events on Tuesday when DNA testing done by the defense linked him to the crime. Felix is charged with the kidnapping and slaying of Dallas restaurateur Oscar Sanchez. Expert witness Rick Staub of the Orchid Cellmark lab in Dallas testified that only one in nearly 1.8 billion people not related to Mr. Sanchez would have the same partial DNA profile. DallasNews.com goes on to write:
The tests were ordered last week when attorneys discovered in the middle of the trial that a statuette thought to have Mr. Felix’s palm print in Mr. Sanchez’s blood on it was never submitted for DNA testing. Prosecutors said they thought the tests had already been done.
Although the state and a lab hired by the defense divided each of the five DNA samples, only the defense’s tests provided conclusive results. State District Judge Lana Myers ruled that the state could call the defense’s DNA expert witness to testify about the results.