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44 Chapter Six A Double-Edged Sword DNA for and against the Prosecution  DNA became the defining part of my career. Lectures became a way of life. Whether at the local Kiwanis, Lions, or Rotary club, university and law school classes, or meetings of state and national organizations, I tried to educate the public about DNA and its impact on the criminal-justice system. Fortunately, my audiovisual techniques improved from the days of the dark and unreadable slides I projected at the FBI Academy. Some of the visuals I used were professional-quality depictions of DNA testing. Others summarized court cases and rulings on the use of DNA evidence. I had entered the multimedia world of the 1990s. I became a spokesperson for the use of DNA in the legal system as well. I was enlisted as a regular lecturer for prosecuting and defense attorney organizations like the National College of District Attorneys, statewide prosecuting attorney groups in different regions of the country, and state bar associations. I even gave presentations to groups of judges who wanted information on DNA and the legal system. Scientific organizations also were hungry for information about the experience of admitting DNA evidence in court. Annual meetings brought together scientists and the growing number of prosecutors and defense attorneys with a stake in DNA testing and its use in criminal investigations and cases. Soon I found myself venturing to countries outside the United States. My longest journey came in early 1994, when I made a presentation at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. I had to look at a map to find out that the Emirates were centered in the city of Dubai, close to the Persian Gulf. The city was remarkably clean, beautiful, and new, as was the large and impressive lab at the Dubai Police Department. Although DNA testing had only recently been started in the lab, the types of evidence R4400.indb 44 R4400.indb 44 8/24/07 11:46:21 AM 8/24/07 11:46:21 AM 45 A Double-Edged Sword that had already been tested in actual cases were extensive. The scientific meeting itself was designed to educate forensic analysts and research scientists from the entire Middle East. Simultaneous translation of the first-day speakers, which included me, was provided in Arabic. Among those attending was Dr. Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist from the Connecticut State Police in New Haven. Born in Taiwan, Lee was a legend in the forensic community. He had worked on cases that included the deaths of John F. Kennedy , Sam Sheppard, and Vincent Foster. Dubai was the most exotic place I visited during my years of evangelizing for DNA testing, but the conference held there was just another sign that forensic DNA testing was becoming internationally accepted. Yet back in the 1980s plenty of fine-tuning was needed. Perhaps the most exciting development in the science of DNA since Watson and Crick first defined its structure , the Human Genome Project, was still years in the future. Prosecutors like me still had plenty of surprises and problems ahead of us—particularly when some expert witnesses turned out, I believed, to be something less than expert. One case that led to a duel between scientific witnesses was the murder of a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, Melissa Orchulli, in 1988. The defendant, Willie Ray Roberts, had previously been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles. After he was released from custody, he moved to San Diego and attacked a woman with a butcher knife. The victim loved Roberts nonetheless and married him even after he was arrested and convicted and had served three years in prison for the attack on her. Roberts worked for a construction company close to his home. On mornings before work, he got into the habit of spending time at a convenience store between 6:30 and 7:30 trying to impress teenage and preteen girls on their way to school. He often walked along with them uninvited, offering them clothing and money and even handing out his telephone number and asking them to call him. He would compliment them, ask for hugs, and occasionally grab one if the opportunity presented itself. When a girl hesitated, Roberts would insist that he simply wanted to be her friend. Orchulli was one of the girls Roberts talked to, and he had, on one occasion, convinced her to hug him. In April 1988, Orchulli complained...

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