29-Oct-2015

Judge to allow TrueAllele evidence in deaths of Wolfe sisters

Pittsburgh, PA

Prosecutors will be allowed to present DNA mixture evidence in the trial of Allen Wade, accused of killing Susan and Sarah Wolfe in their East Liberty home two years ago. Defense attorneys had asked for an admissibility hearing on the TrueAllele software used to connect Wade to the crime, claiming the DNA analysis technology is not scientifically valid.

Assistant District Attorney William Petulla said that the Superior Court's 2012 Pennsylvania v. Foley decision established TrueAllele's validity, and that there have been seven published peer-reviewed validation studies on the system’s reliability. Respecting the Foley precedent, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski ruled that TrueAllele is generally accepted in the scientific community, and denied Wade’s request.

• Judge to allow DNA evidence in deaths of Wolfe sisters - Newspaper
  
• Investigators use Pittsburgh company to examine DNA in Wolfe sisters' deaths - Newspaper
  
• TrueAllele admissibility outcomes and rulings - Admissibility
  
• TrueAllele validation studies and other publications - Publications