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Ohio v Slater Howell III
Cleveland killer convicted after TrueAllele analysis of complex DNA
| Crime | On April 7, 2014, a person killed gas station clerk Babul Kumer Saha before subsequently robbing the store. |
| Evidence | DNA samples were collected from several items around the gas station, including a gas pump button, a plastic bag, and a lottery cash register slot. |
| DNA | The Cuyahoga County crime laboratory developed DNA mixture data from the collected items. |
| Match | The lab’s manual method of analysis was unable to help the crime lab draw conclusions from the complex mixture data. |
| TrueAllele | The computer separated out the 7-person DNA mixture data to find that Slater Howell III, a new local gang prospect, matched the bag with a match statistic of 98 thousand. |
| Cybergenetics | On September 7, 2017, DNA analyst Jennifer Hornyak testified about the computer’s results before a Cuyahoga County jury. |
| Outcome | On September 12, 2017, the jury found Slater Howell III guilty of all charges. On November 14, 2017, Howell was sentenced to life in prison for Saha's homicide and the murder of a Cleveland firefighter, a charge to which he plead guilty. |
Media
- Photos show suspect in deadly gas station shooting FOX8
- TrueAllele interprets 7-person DNA mixture in gang killing Cybergenetics Newsroom
- Man accused of murdering Cleveland firefighter, found guilty of murdering gas station clerk Cleveland19
- Man convicted of killing Maple Heights store clerk to ‘earn bones’ for Heartless Felons Cleveland.com