Gel Electrophoresis In Court Cases

Gel electrophoresis is a technique used by scientists, that allows DNA fragments to be arranged by size or whether the molecule is positive or negative. The movement of the molecules are based on the influence of a direct electric current. (Leonard D. Holmes, 2014) Gel electrophoresis is an important technique because it allows scientists to separate the nucleic acids such as DNA, RNA, and proteins so they can be studied separately and more accurately. Whether the charged particle is positive or negative, it will determine the direction they will move. For example, negatively charged particles will move toward the anode, which is on one side of the gel, and the positively charged molecules will move toward the cathode, which is the other side …show more content…
One case the technique was used is the case of Earl Washington Jr. On February 12, 2001, he was released after spending nine years on death row for a murder he never committed. He was sentenced to death in 1982, but with the help of DNA evidence his sentence was reduced to life in prison and eventually, release. A year before he was released, more precise DNA testing was found and matched to two other suspects in the murder. One night in 1984, Earl broke into his neighbor’s house and the neighbor Ms.Weeks heard the glass in the kitchen door break so she went around the corner to surprise Earl. He grabbed a chair and swung it at Ms.Weeks and then left the house. It was proven that the chair had hit Ms.Weeks and cut her scalp, along with other injuries. He was then arrested for charges of breaking and entering her house and for wounding her with a chair. Along with being charged for that he was then accused of being a suspect of the murder of Rebecca Williams. She was said to be stabbed multiple times and raped in her own home. Earl’s confession was the only thing that linked him to the crime, even though he was innocent. He had a disability and a habit of agreeing with people. He was within nine days of his execution when important DNA evidence was found. Scientists used the technique gel electrophoresis to prove that Washington was not guilty. The technique also proved that there were …show more content…
The case involves Vilma Ponce and her 2-year-old daughter Natasha Otero. A neighbor who has been charged with crime before, Joseph Castro was investigated and a bloodstain was found on his watch. Scientists at a major testing laboratory in New York testified that the blood on Castro’s watch matched the mother's blood. The scientists said that there was a slight possibility the similarity was a coincidence. They also did many other tests with blood samples, but they didn't have enough DNA data to support the case. For example, four scientists involved in the case stated, “overall, the DNA data in this case are not scientifically reliable enough to support the assertion.” They didn't have enough data to prove that the blood sample from Castro’s watch came from the murder victim. The scientists faced many failures while conducting experiments that are needed to find the identity of the bloodstain. Eventually, they decided to use the technique gel electrophoresis to find the matching of DNA samples. As a result, specialists discovered that the samples did not match even by the company’s own published standards. At the hearing Dr. Lander who was a main expert witness for the defense, challenged the laboratory's decision to reduce as nonhuman containments two bands of DNA on an electrophoresis gel. There was no evidence that the bands were not human DNA. Since the bands were human DNA, they were counted as strong

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