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Commonwealth of Virginia v Aaron Christopher Gordon, Jr.
Homicide: TrueAllele analyzes clothing evidence
| Crime | On August 18, 2022, police found the body of Towan Cappell 100 feet from the road in an undeveloped area with his pants pockets pulled out. Police treated his death as suspicious. |
| Evidence | Police collected the victim’s clothing as evidence. |
| DNA | A private DNA laboratory generated informative DNA data from the victim’s pants pockets. |
| Match | The DNA lab concluded that the pants pocket mixtures were too complex for comparison purposes. |
| TrueAllele | TrueAllele interpreted the pants pocket evidence data, calculating informative DNA match statistics and inferring informative unknown contributor profiles. After establishing that DNA from the victim and his brother were present in the evidence, the computer statistically excluded suspect Aaron Christopher Gordon, Jr. from the evidence. |
| Cybergenetics | On July 19, 2024, Cybergenetics analyst Jennifer Bracamontes testified before a Rockingham County jury about the TrueAllele DNA results. |
| Outcome | On July 22, 2024, the jury found Mr. Gordon guilty of voluntary manslaughter. On October 28, 2024, the judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison with three additional years suspended. |
Media
- Suspicious death investigation in Harrisonburg - WHSV3
- Harrisonburg man charged with murder in 2022 suspicious death case, HPD says - News Leader
- Jury Selection, Opening Remarks In Gordon Trial - Daily News-Record
- More Witnesses Take The Stand In Gordon Trial - Daily News-Record
- Verdict Rendered In Gordon Trial - Daily News-Record
- Man sentenced to 10 years in prison, three additional years suspended in suspicious death of 26-year-old - WHSV3