Virginia could soon move ahead with a new DNA-matching technique used in only two other states, after the Virginia State Crime Commission takes up the issue Monday.
The commission is scheduled to hear a presentation on familial DNA, which identifies suspects by linking crime scene DNA to the DNA of relatives whose profiles are in criminal justice databases.
The crime commission makes recommendations to the General Assembly on public safety matters. The commission will consider whether legislation is necessary to proceed with familial DNA, what implementation would involve and how much it could cost, said Kristen Howard, the executive director.
Critics say familial DNA testing could invade privacy, burden investigators and target minorities. But Virginia prosecutors and the state’s Board of Forensic Science Board have backed the technique.
Locally, Prince William County prosecutors are pushing to use familial DNA to solve the case of the “East Coast Rapist,” who has raped 19 women, including two Dale City teenagers in October 2009. And the parents of slain Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington are raising awareness about the technique because they want it used to search for their daughter’s killer, whose DNA is also linked to a 2005 Fairfax sex assault.
The commission on Monday will hear from Mitchell Morrissey, the district attorney in Denver. Colorado and California are the only states using familial DNA. It has led to an arrest in the “Grim Sleeper” serial killer case in Los Angeles and a conviction in a Colorado car break-in case.
“We hope to show them that it works,” Morrissey said. “If you sit down and put together a policy, you can do this in a constitutional and legal way that protects people’s privacy.”
Dan Harrington, Morgan’s father, said he will speak during the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting.
“There’s a DNA link between the two cases,” he said. “We need to use all the tools possible.”
Pete Marone, director of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, said his department can conduct the tests, but whether to do so is a policy issue.
He said he wants the commission to make a decision on how to move forward.
“I think we do need some kind of direction on the types of crimes that we’re going to apply it on,” Marone said. He said the department has also begun researching and pricing software vendors, in anticipation of the go-ahead to pursue familial tests.
