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Pastimes : Murder Mystery: Who Killed Yale Student Suzanne Jovin? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffrey S. Mitchell who wrote (986)	10/27/2001 9:30:02 AM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1397

Re: 10/27/01 - Hartford Courant: Test Shows DNA Not From Jovin's Yale Adviser Test Shows DNA Not From Jovin's Yale Adviser October 27, 2001 By GARY LIBOW, Courant Staff Writer NEW HAVEN -- A DNA sample taken from under the fingernails of slain Yale student Suzanne Jovin is not from her thesis adviser, James Van de Velde, the only suspect named by police in the 1998 killing. New Haven State's Attorney Michael Dearington revealed Friday that DNA obtained from Van de Velde, who has long proclaimed his innocence, did not match the DNA obtained from Jovin's left hand. Dearington also announced that investigators would be asking colleagues, friends and acquaintances of Jovin to provide DNA samples voluntarily. Until now, five weeks shy of the third anniversary of the killing, investigators have revealed little about the investigation other than to announce the establishment of a reward and hot line for information. Van de Velde's DNA sample was taken in his lawyer's office by a private investigator hired by Yale within the past six to eight months. It is known that the DNA obtained from the 21-year-old Jovin was from a man. Dearington, in a written announcement, said that DNA samples had been obtained from Jovin's former boyfriend, from all male police officers and responding EMTs, and from all but one of the fire department personnel who had access to Jovin's body at the crime scene. All those samples have tested negative. Investigators from the New Haven Police Department and the state's attorney's office soon will begin requesting DNA samples from those who knew Jovin. David Grudberg, Van de Velde's lawyer, said he believes that the sample could lead police to the killer, and he expressed disappointment that police have not publicly ruled out his client as a suspect. "Fingernail scrapings are routinely checked as part of any homicide investigation for forensic evidence of the killer," he said. "I am not the least bit surprised that the male DNA sample received from Suzanne Jovin's fingernails did not match James Van de Velde." Van de Velde is currently in the Middle East, working as an intelligence officer for the federal government. Jovin was found stabbed repeatedly on Dec. 4, 1998, in the East Rock section of New Haven. The murder investigation has been stymied by a lack of witnesses and forensic evidence. Dearington said that until and unless a match is found to the DNA material mixed with Jovin's blood, investigators will not know whether the contributor of the material was an innocent acquaintance or a likely suspect. The sampling, Dearington said, is intended to either match the DNA with a man Jovin would have encountered through normal circumstances or rule out those men. If friends and acquaintances are ruled out, it increases the odds that the DNA belongs to her killer, authorities said. Authorities did not say when they had taken the DNA sample from Jovin. Dearington said that until a match is made, no suspect can be eliminated merely because his DNA does not match the profile. Scientists at the State Police Forensic Sciences Lab in Meriden were able to glean a measurable amount of DNA mixed with the victim's blood. Modern typing techniques were able to amplify and detect extremely small quantities of DNA, Dearington said. But scientists were unable to tell the nature of the cellular material that was found, in large part because the "questioned" DNA was mixed with a much greater quantity of Jovin's own blood. The sampling will not require anyone to give blood. Samples will be taken with a toothbrush-like swab that is softly scraped on the inside of a person's mouth. All sampling will be voluntary, Dearington said, because there is no legal power to force a person to give a sample of DNA. At a press conference in March, Yale University announced that it was putting up $100,000 in reward money for new information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Jovin's killing, which occurred about 2 miles from campus. Yale's contribution raised the total reward to $150,000. Grudberg said that New Haven police have "destroyed" Van de Velde's life by naming him as a suspect. He declined to comment on whether Van de Velde plans to sue the department. There is a three-year statute of limitations on such a suit. ctnow.com

To: Jeffrey S. Mitchell who wrote (986)	11/13/2001 5:46:10 AM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1397

Re: 10/31/01 - NH Register: Local kids test their DNA skills Front Page Local kids test their DNA skills Peggy Schenk, Register Staff October 31, 2001 WESTBROOK — Students at Westbrook High School are working as forensic scientists this week as the BioBus makes a three-day visit here. Their hypothesis: Police have three suspects in the unprecedented theft of crown jewels. The real thief was cut in the act, leaving behind some incriminating evidence, drops of blood found at the scene. It is a perfect situation for DNA fingerprinting. DNA, or dioxyribonueucleic acid, is a genetic material found in every human cell and is unique to every individual. Comparing the DNA from the blood found at the crime scene with samples from the three suspects would determine who committed the crime, BioBus scientists Caroline Traub and Tom Wolverton instructed the students Monday morning. "Can you tell me why investigators in New York are asking for hair brushes and toothbrushes of those still missing from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center?" asked Traub. To compare DNA samples from hair and mouth tissue left on the brushes, came the chorus of student response. "That's right," Traub said. "There is DNA in the smallest hair and in cells from inside the cheeks left on tooth brushes," she said. "There's thousands of cheek cells on your toothbrushes at home." With hands covered in blue latex gloves and eyes protected by lab glasses, students in teams of two set to work at lab stations, learning the techniques of loading and comparing DNA samples. It is a process forensic scientists in Connecticut are using to help police solve cases such as the 1998 murder of Yale student Suzanne Jovin. Recent findings indicate that DNA from tissue found under Jovin's fingernails does not match that of the named suspect in the case, and police are expected to ask other friends and acquaintances of Jovin for DNA samples to compare. The BioBus, which is bringing the world of forensic and other genetic science to youngsters throughout Connecticut, is a mobile science learning center. It is sponsored by CURE, an organization made up of 27 businesses, organizations and institutions of higher learning, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The goal is to generate interest in the field among the young to develop a future workforce, Traub said. In addition to DNA fingerprinting, students in other labs investigate "The Mystery of the Crooked Cell," looking for clues that lead to the diagnosis of sickle cell anemia, a disease of the red blood cells that affects one of eight African-Americans. The $3.6 million BioBus program was launched in New Haven in September. The 40-foot bus is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment that can accommodate 24 students at 12 workstations and two instructors. It provides youngsters with hands-on experience in scientific procedures as a supplement to the school's science curriculum. The program is free to school systems that request it. Visits last between two and five days. In Westbrook, one of the first school systems to reserve the bus, students in biological science and chemistry classes are participating in the DNA exercise. Also, youngsters in science classes in the middle school tour the bus. "It's a great addition to the curriculum," said Principal Robert Hale. "It has equipment that we would never be able to afford. It gives kids a sense of what it's really like to work in a science lab." The BioBus will visit Platt Regional Vocational-Technical School in Milford on Nov. 13 and Amity regional schools on Jan. 28. ©New Haven Register 2001 zwire.com