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State of Tennessee v Roy Coons, Jr.
TrueAllele finds child killer’s DNA on window frame
| Crime | On August 10, 2017, 12-year-old Yhoana Arteaga was found dead in her bedroom after being beaten and strangled, allegedly with a karate belt. |
| Evidence | DNA was collected from karate belts, the victim’s body, clothing, and bedding, a cigarette butt, and an inside window frame of the victim’s home. |
| DNA | The Metro Nashville Police Department Crime Laboratory developed DNA mixture data from the evidence items. |
| Match | Too many family members could have mixed their DNA on the items. Sophisticated mixture interpretation was needed to tease them apart. |
| TrueAllele | The computer compared the inside window frame against ten people, connecting Roy Coons with a 332 million match statistic. |
| Cybergenetics | On July 8, 2019, DNA analyst Jennifer Hornyak testified before a Davidson County jury about the TrueAllele results. |
| Outcome | The next week, the jury found Mr. Coons guilty of second-degree murder, felony murder, attempted child rape, and aggravated criminal burglary. The judge sentenced him to life in prison for murder, plus 25 years for attempted rape. |
Media
- Neighbor arrested in "brutal" slaying of Nashville girl Yhoana Arteaga, 12 CBS News
- Suspect in brutal killing of 12-year-old Yhoana Arteaga pleads not guilty Tennessean
- Victim's mother, sister testify in second day of murder trial News 4 Nashville
- Roy Coons Jr. convicted of killing 12-year-old girl News Channel 5 Nashville
- Yhoana's mother, district attorney react after jury finds Coons guilty News 4 Nashville
- Coons sentenced 25 years on top of life sentence for murder of 12-year-old girl Fox 17