Lead Forensic Scientist Fails to Recover all Evidence

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 24, 2020
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During day three of a murder trial, the defense said the lead forensic scientist failed to recover a portion of evidence, which was not her first offense of this nature. 

Marquette Tibbs is charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, robbery while armed with a firearm and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He allegedly shot and killed Orlando Silver III, 37, on the 1300 block of Howard Road, SE, in 2016.

During the first inspection of the evidence, the scientist, who is employed with the Department of Forensic Science, said she patted down the jacket and pants to ensure that there were no sharp objects inside. 

Following that, she said she inspected what she thought was every pocket of the jacket and pants.

The forensic scientist failed to recover $330 from the jacket pocket and $60 from the pants pocket. The money was found when defense counsel conducted a search.

Following the incident, the scientist received a letter of reprimand from her supervisor that informed her of evidence from the case that she failed to recover.

The scientist has a record of similar infractions. In two other cases, the scientist made other mistakes that involved failure to remove ammunition from a gun and contaminating evidence from a crime scene.

Another forensic scientist, from Signature Science Laboratory in Texas, said he reviewed a DNA swab from Tibbs’ cheek and a swab from the gun which was a mixture of two individuals’ DNA. 

The scientist said he could not determine the source of the DNA on the gun. He said the gun sample was incomplete and not suitable for comparison because there were too many contributors and it was difficult to distinguish.

Tibbs’ trial is set to continue on Jan. 27.

Written by Corrine Simon