Young Jeff Ashton introduces DNA evidence

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"It's not a new procedure, it's not a revolutionary procedure," Ashton said. "I submit to you anything reliable enough to be used to make life and death decisions is reliable enough for court."

Wow. Short and compelling. Well done, JA!
 
He hit the nail on the head with DNA, but the air testing is far more risky. I am afraid of what this air testing has the potential to do to the justice system. It feels a lot more like many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. The prosecution does not need this evidence and I am certain this is going to cause heavy debate in the jury room and possibly in an appeal- if...
 
not so much a fad, really. air testing on a large scale has been done by cities, counties, states, feds (and the military) for a looonnng time

the SAs aren't trying to intro junk science here. not these SAs, anyway
 
Love it, thanks for sharing! He's so hot! maan. lol
 
He really is good at what he does. And he is still such a cutie---
 
3JAYHAWKS said:
He hit the nail on the head with DNA, but the air testing is far more risky. I am afraid of what this air testing has the potential to do to the justice system. It feels a lot more like many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. The prosecution does not need this evidence and I am certain this is going to cause heavy debate in the jury room and possibly in an appeal- if...
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I wouldn't be quick to accept it as a reliable technique by itself, but my dad was an investigator and said the smell of human decomposition is unique and unforgettable, so I trust this evidence in conjunction with the testimony of experts.

And if Dr. Vass' findings have been published and replicated, then it is most likely a pretty sound technique. Especially if one of his studies was funded by the NIJ. The people who back a study can be very telling, for example, if bayer funds a study that says aspirin can decrease the damage caused by a heart attack, I wouldn't be quick to believe it. But, if the American Heart Association did, I would. The government and the FBI doesn't have much of a financial benefit from this science, I imagine they are constantly funding projects that will help them solve cases more efficiently and solve cases they wouldn't have been able to before.
 
Wow, look how young he was! I do admit, I do prefer the older, more mature Ashton, but then, I'm a lot older than I was in 1987, too. :wink:

Thanks for sharing this.
 
3JAYHAWKS said:
He hit the nail on the head with DNA, but the air testing is far more risky. I am afraid of what this air testing has the potential to do to the justice system. It feels a lot more like many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. The prosecution does not need this evidence and I am certain this is going to cause heavy debate in the jury room and possibly in an appeal- if...
Click to expand...


Hi. I'm curious about the many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. Can you give an example?
 
3JAYHAWKS said:
He hit the nail on the head with DNA, but the air testing is far more risky. I am afraid of what this air testing has the potential to do to the justice system. It feels a lot more like many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. The prosecution does not need this evidence and I am certain this is going to cause heavy debate in the jury room and possibly in an appeal- if...
Click to expand...

I totally agree. With DNA, you have some reasonable assurance that the DNA string being analyzed came from a single person, and was not "contaminated" by anyone else's DNA. Air has no boundaries and freely mixes with other air in the atmosphere. This case is especially troublesome since we have George and Cindy "airing out" the car, cleaning the car, garbage in the car, and so many other factors that could contaminate and skew the results from an "air sample". I don't see how it could be seen as reliable evidence of anything.

Sure, I believe they can accurately test air and give you all the components contained within the sample. However, I do not believe they can isolate a sample upon collection and accurately tie it to the place it is being collected. Heck, someone could unzip their jacket and release a small burst of air carried from miles and miles away. To me, trying to introduce something so volatile in a death penalty case reeks of desperation (sorry for the pun...couldn't resist,lol) , and if I were a juror, I would hold it against the state if this was the best connection they could make.
 
carrie said:
Hi. I'm curious about the many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. Can you give an example?
Click to expand...

There are many many many many "scientific" findings that have since been discarded, but not before being used to convict many people. For example, you may have heard of Cameron Todd Willingham (the Texas man recently put to death over the death of his children in a house fire). The methods used by firemarshalls, and relied on in his conviction, have since been completely discredited. Here is a fantastic article of the story if you are interested...http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann

Another example is the way hair analysis was used before the acceptance of DNA. Hair analysis "matching" was widely trusted and used to convict people when it is nearly impossible to say whether a hair came from a particular person.
 
love it! his persona was every bit as riveting then too! but I think a little age suits him much better! he's got such presence now! :loveyou: mr ashton :D
 
carrie said:
Hi. I'm curious about the many other scientific fads that have put innocent people in jail. Can you give an example?
Click to expand...

Actually DNA is one, although it is no longer considered a fad. I think the air science is just as acceptable and just as fallible as DNA is.

[ame="http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=falibility+of+dna+testing&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest#q=fallibility+of+dna+testing&hl=en&client=opera&hs=7Ou&rls=en&channel=suggest&prmd=ivns&ei=1PztTc-JGsuUtweyooyrCQ&start=10&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=ab95f2c3d6d1ae04&biw=1024&bih=654"]falibility of dna testing - Google Search[/ame]
 
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