The state plans to spend tens of millions extra after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation realized Missy Woods manipulated knowledge in a whole bunch of instances.
DENVER — A former DNA analyst who’s now beneath prison investigation earned greater than half one million {dollars} in extra time from 2007 to 2023, based on court docket data filed in Weld County. These paperwork say all of it was paid for by taxpayers.
Colorado plans to spend greater than $7 million extra after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation realized Yvonne “Missy” Woods manipulated and deleted data, impacting more than 650 cases across the state. The funding will cowl retesting of proof and potential reimbursements for post-conviction overview and retrial prices.
There is no proof Woods’ misconduct impacted the homicide case towards James Dye, who’s accused of killing Evelyn Kay Day in 1979, court docket paperwork say. However as a result of there at the moment are questions on Woods’ credibility, the trial has been pushed again to April 2025. Prosecutors have requested to retest the proof.
Questions about who killed Kay Day in 1979 went unanswered for more than 40 years. She was overwhelmed and strangled to loss of life close to Goals Neighborhood School in Weld County.
Then there was a break within the case. DNA scientist Woods helped deputies arrest James Dye in 2021. He has a multistate prison historical past. Day’s homicide was one of many county’s oldest chilly instances. On the time of his arrest, relations stated they believed Dye was able to homicide.
Day was working at Goals Neighborhood School as a enterprise lab monitor and was final seen alive round 10 p.m. by a pupil in late 1979. Investigators recovered DNA from her physique, and it was decided it didn’t match her husband.
The chilly case was reopened in Could 2020.
Prosecutors assigned to the James Dye trial stated in court docket paperwork there isn’t any proof Woods’ misconduct impacted the current case.
Contemplating the questions raised by the investigation into her conduct, court docket paperwork stated, prosecutors requested the proof be retested by a distinct analyst. Dye hasn’t gone to trial but, and now it has been delayed much more after the investigation into Woods.
The aim of the retesting is to find out whether or not the DNA does or doesn’t match Dye to the chilly case homicide and contain a distinct analyst who can testify to unbiased outcomes “unencumbered by Fifth Modification points,” data say. If prosecutors referred to as Woods to the witness stand, she may plead the fifth.
District attorneys stated in court docket paperwork Woods “breached the general public belief” and within the course of “fairly presumably dedicated a whole bunch of prison acts.” Investigators in South Dakota are nonetheless reviewing whether or not Woods violated any legal guidelines there. That investigation might be handed over to the district lawyer in Jefferson County, CO who will make any charging choices.
Courtroom paperwork stated the 29-year-veteran at CBI was thought-about a “golden baby” that administration cherished, partially, as a result of Woods dealt with so many instances.
A coworker throughout an inner investigation stated she was one of many highest performing scientists.
Woods labored a lot, court docket data within the Dye case say, from 2007 to 2023 she earned greater than half one million {dollars} in extra time, funded completely by taxpayers.
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The inner investigation discovered a coworker accused Woods of manipulating data in 2018. Woods was faraway from casework and after the overview, she was reinstated. CBI said the results of the review in 2018 were never shared with the agency’s former director. CBI has launched an extra investigation into how the criticism in 2018 was dealt with.
James Dye’s attorneys stated in court docket paperwork CBI allowed Woods to proceed working essentially the most severe instances understanding that her fraud may blow like a powder keg at any second.
“Following the invention of Woods’ actions in manipulating DNA evaluation knowledge in 2023, CBI is meticulously reviewing all of its testing protocols,” stated CBI Director Chris Schaefer stated in an announcement in June 2024. “Not solely is Woods’ caseload being reviewed, however we’re auditing the outcomes of all present and former DNA scientists to make sure the integrity of the Lab.”
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