Update on Murderer Ken Register's DNA test
DPinedale1
"A second DNA test, which appeared to reduce the odds that Johnnie Kenneth
Register II was the killer of Crystal Faye Todd, did not negate the first test
done
by SLED for Register's original trial, according to the person who completed
the first test.
"She verified our result," said Lorri Johnson, quality and safety manager for
SLED's forensic lab.
Johnson was referring to a DNA test completed recently by Meghan Clement
in connection with the post conviction relief hearing on Register.
Johnson's first test showed a five-probe, nine-band match of semen found in
Todd's dead body with Register's DNA. She figured the chances that anyone
but Register had deposited that semen was one in 250 million Caucasians
and one in 1.5 billion blacks.
Clement figured the odds at one in 1.3 million Caucasians, but Johnson said
Clement used a different test, an equally reliable one that requires less
material than the one she did.
Johnson testified Friday in Register's post conviction relief hearing,
saying
Clement foudn that Register's DNA matched the material from the crime
scene on six loci different from the five she used. That means Register has
now matched on 11 probes and most labs won't even do more than 13, she
said.
Johnson was accused Wednesday of rushing her test.
She agreed Friday that she rushed the test because of the high priority
Horry County police had put on the case.
"I did rush the analysis," she said. "I did not compromise the integrity
of the results."
She said she followed SLED's protocol and standard scientifc procedure.
Instead of testing consecutively for probes, she tested several concurrently,
she said.
Register's PCR attorney, David Gundling of Georgetown County, tried to
attack Register's arrest warrant through Johnson's DNA testing.
According to the warrant, the DNA test was complete and pointed to one
and only one individual, Johnnie Kenneth Register. He was arrested Feb.
18, 1992, but a final DNA report was not complete until Oct. 2 of that year.
Johnson explained that by saying on Feb. 17 she contacted SLED agent
David Caldwell and told him she had a visual match of five probes. After that
she retested and then set the odds that the semen came from Register.
Setting odds is a lengthy and complicated process, she said.
The warrant was not wrong in that a visual match had been made, she
said. The idea that the match could be Register and only Register did not
come from her, she said.
Horry Independent, Dec 7, 2000
ATrueCrimeRdr
to convince a jury of someone's guilt or
innocence. I guess that says it all about
whether or not Register killed Crystal
Todd.
Dale, did you say they have made a decision on this hearing or not? What
do Register's supporters think now?
Kelly