Don’t forget this Saturday, July 20th, 4PM, for a Meetup at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg. It isn’t strictly limited to people who are members of DKos; you’re welcome to bring any Kos-Kurious friends you might have.
There’s another nature diary for Colorado on Daily Kos today — www.dailykos.com/… takes you to the western slope for birdwatching.
There is an entrance fee for the Sanctuary, which goes to the cost of taking care of all the animals as well as staff and such. Sorry I hadn’t included this in my earlier posts. Dinner is a possibility after they close at sunset (which should be around 8:15 PM). No, not your being dinner. Dinner at a local restaurant for more socializing.
Please RSVP in the comments or a Kosmail if you’re planning on joining us.
DAY PASS VISIT COSTS:
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Adults (ages 13 to 69) - $50 per adult
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Seniors (ages 70+) - $20 per senior
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Children (ages 3 to 12) - $30 per child
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Children (0-2) - No entry fee
Was it ego, or mental illness that caused Missy Woods of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to continually alter test results to “solve” cases that put people in prison?
www.9news.com/… came from 9News Next with Kyle Clark this last Friday, but I have been hearing about this for years, it seems. It may have only been since last year, but I’m not so sure. It was reported to the Director of the CBI back in 2018 that forensic data that was analyzed by Missy Woods in 2017 and 2018 was possibly mishandled, but a review found no evidence of problems. A more extensive review shows that around 652 cases and possibly a few thousand pieces of DNA evidence now have to be reviewed to see if she falsified data or took shortcuts that make her conclusions unsupported by evidence. Defense lawyers are scrambling to see which clients were convicted based upon her testimony, as are prosecutors.
The Director at the time, Jon Camper, doesn’t recall any reports of mishandled evidence. nor apparently an update after Missy went to see a psychologist for stress and overwork, so CBI brought her back on to work high-profile cases because she was able to get results. Jon Camper even referred to her as “a star”. This scandal may cause potentially hundreds of cases to be retried, perhaps inmates to go free and the state to be liable for millions of dollars in lawsuits for people found to have been wrongly imprisoned.
From the Longmont Times Call:
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is moving to retest DNA samples in thousands of criminal cases and expects to spend at least $7.5 million to remedy problems discovered in one longtime employee’s lab work, according to a state budget request.
Officials discovered “anomalies” in the DNA testing work of Yvonne “Missy” Woods last year and started both internal and criminal investigations into Woods. She worked for the CBI for 29 years and left before the agency publicly announced the anomalies in November.
About 3,000 DNA samples need to be retested by a third-party laboratory, CBI officials estimated in a January budget request. That will cost roughly $3 million. Additionally, the agency asked for $4.4 million to pay out to district attorney’s offices across Colorado to address claims by people who say they were wrongly convicted of crimes because of Woods’ work.
Also, from the website: thetruthaboutforensicscience.com/...
The findings of the investigation, released by the CBI, revealed alarming discrepancies in Woods’ handling of DNA testing data. These discrepancies included the manipulation and omission of test results, as well as the posting of incomplete findings in some cases. While the investigation did not uncover evidence of falsified DNA matches or fabricated data, it exposed serious breaches of protocol and violations of agency policies. Woods’ conduct, described by the CBI as intentional, compromised the integrity of forensic evidence and eroded public trust in the criminal justice system.
In response to these revelations, the CBI initiated a comprehensive review of all cases involving Woods to ensure the accuracy and reliability of forensic analysis conducted under her supervision. The agency also enlisted third-party investigative resources to safeguard the integrity of the inquiry and uphold the principles of transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, a separate criminal investigation into Woods’ conduct is ongoing, underscoring the gravity of the allegations and the need for swift and decisive action.
Most of the web links are from 2024 when the investigation’s conclusions were partially released, but the link at KDVR is from 2023: kdvr.com/…
Media reports show Woods has worked on several high-profile cases in Colorado, including the case against Alex Christopher “Hammer Killer” Ewing, which was prosecuted in 2021, and Jesus Daniel Lopez, which was prosecuted in 2013. She also was recognized by the Colorado State Government in March 2022 for “Outstanding Service in Government,” a Tom Clements award.
The CBI statement includes the following:
CBI’s DNA forensics team identified the following types of manipulation in Woods’ work:
- Deleted and altered data that concealed Woods’ tampering with controls
- Deleted data that concealed Woods’ failure to troubleshoot issues within the testing process
- Failed to provide thorough documentation in the case record related to certain tests performed
These manipulations appear to have been the result of intentional conduct on the part of Woods.
The review did not find that Woods falsified DNA matches or otherwise fabricated DNA profiles. She instead deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners, calling into question the reliability of the testing she conducted. According to CBI’s policies and procedures, Woods should have conducted additional testing to ensure the reliability of her results in these affected cases. The CBI has a high degree of confidence in its analysts and laboratory integrity and the level of ongoing scrutiny is high.
I’m just so happy to pay tax money because this woman couldn’t do her job properly and nobody caught her until she had been at her job for 29 years, the last six under investigation. I’m much more unhappy that people who might be innocent may have lost their freedom because of her intentionally not following policies. As a quote I saw somewhere said, “Science doesn’t lie, but scientists sometimes do”.
Well, that’s a long article, but it really got my dander up over how unnecessary the whole issue is, being a waste of money, time, probably many peoples’ lives, all because of one tech who cut corners.
And in other news, the Colorado Republicans are going to have dueling meetings about whether failed candidate and anti-gay crusader Dave Williams can remain chairman of the party — www.coloradopolitics.com/…
Leaders of both groups accuse the others of staging "illegal" and "fraudulent" meetings in what they characterize as attempts to hijack the state Republican Party for their own gain, even as GOP candidates are left scrambling to prepare for a crucial election just months away.
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"My official statement is, 'Whatever,'" Watkins told Colorado Politics in a text message.
and, not to be outdone, the Colorado Libertarian party is feuding with the national party about who gets to be on the ballot for POTUS here in Colorado — www.coloradopolitics.com/…
The Libertarian Party of Colorado's plans to place independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the state's ballot hit a snag this week when a national party official filed paperwork instead designating the Libertarians' presidential nominee, Chase Oliver, to Colorado's general election ballot.
Fun Times?
Please let us know your RSVP, your thoughts on this and any other matter, all below in the comments. The floor is open...
