Yvonne "Missy" Woods, a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA scientist appeared in court Thursday to face criminal charges over data tampering that authorities said raises questions about the validity of more than 500 cases. Problems with the scientist’s work were found in cases involving homicide, sexual assault, robbery and other crimes, according to a law enforcement affidavit, the Associated Press reports. In at least two cases, both homicides, the defendants received lesser sentences under plea deals than they could have faced if they went to trial because prosecutors did not want to involve Woods, for fear of acquittals. Woods would sometimes be called as a witness during trials to explain DNA evidence against defendants. And while she was described as a “star analyst” by one former colleague, she was also seen as a person who worked too fast and was “not the most thorough,” according to an internal affairs report. Though some defendants may have earned lesser penalties, authorities haven’t found any evidence of wrongful convictions or more harsh penalties, but prosecutors across the state are continuing to review the impacted cases.
On Thursday, Woods, who retired in 2023, appeared before a judge by video from a suburban Denver jail after turning herself in a day earlier. “This gets to the heart of whether or not science can be trusted, whether or not law enforcement can be trusted and quite frankly whether the judicial system can be trusted,” Jefferson County judge Graham Peper said during the short hearing. Woods allegedly told investigators at one point that she had changed data to complete cases more quickly, according to an arrest affidavit. Woods faces 52 counts of forgery, 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count each of perjury and cybercrime, for alleged misconduct between 2008 and 2023. Last week, Michael Shannel Jefferson was sentenced last week to 32 years in prison in the home invasion killing of Roger Dean in 1985. Jefferson was identified as a suspect in the cold case in 2021 through DNA evidence. The allegations against Woods led prosecutors to offer Jefferson a deal to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, rather than murder. He could be eligible for release in eight years.
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