Compassionate Reader
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IMO, they've already gotten a hit. Remember the two hairs whose mtDNA was extracted, tested and reported back in 2004? One hair (found in or under the ligature of Michael Moore) was a 97.5% mtDNA match to Terry Hobbs, Stevie Branch's step father. The other (found on a tree stump right beside the discovery ditch) was a 93% mtDNA match to David Jacoby, Terry Hobbs' friend.
Terry Hobbs claims that he did not see the boys on May 5, 1993. David Jacoby testified in a deposition in connection with the Pasdar suit (Terry Hobbs unsuccessfully sued Natalie Maines Pasdar and the Dixie Chicks for defamation of character) that Terry Hobbs was with him, playing guitars, from about 5:15 pm or 5:30 pm until about 6:15 pm or 6:30 pm on May 5th. Neighbors have since come forward (because they weren't questioned in '93 and didn't know until the information from the defamation suit was made public knowledge about Hobbs' claim that he didn't see the boys on May 5, 1993) to state that Terry Hobbs saw and spoke to the three little boys at about 6:30 pm on May 5, 1993, which makes him the last person to see the boys alive, a fact which he denies to this day.
So, we do have identified DNA from the discovery ditch that does not belong to either the victims or the WM3. We have more DNA that is "unidentified" which is different from "unknown" IMO. I believe that it is not outside the realm of possibility that either:
1) they know that some of the DNA on Chris' shoes is Hobbs' and they're just not releasing that information to the public, or
2) the DNA from Chris' shoes has only been tested against the victims and the WM3.
Either way, I have a feeling that Hobbs is not a very comfortable man right now. Of course, it's more likely that the mysterious DNA is from one of the classmates of the little boys. The most important part is that, even with all the new testing, no DNA matching the WM3 has been found. Although lack of DNA won't exonerate the WM3, if all testing continues to exclude them as the source, IMO that will cast reasonable doubt on their guilt and grant them a new trial.
Also, IIRC, they are also retesting the clothing fibers by using newer methods that can better determine the source of that evidence, too. If this testing excludes the items collected from the homes of Damien (Garanimals T-shirt belonging to Damien's younger brother) and Jason (red bathrobe belonging to Jason's mother), again IMO reasonable doubt will be cast on the original verdicts. Additionally, if DNA can be extracted from the blood on Damien's pendant (which so far has only been identified as to type) can be shown to only match Damien and Jason, again IMO reasonable doubt will be cast on the verdicts. However, I don't believe that they can perform further testing on the pendant because the sample was small and might have been destroyed in the original testing.
If I understand the latest status report, the DNA testing on the human hairs has been completed, but there is still testing ongoing. There are hairs that are supposed to be animal hairs that are being tested, and there are the aforementioned fibers. In short, the testing is far from over, and as nothing linking the WM3 to the case has been (or will be) found, the State's case will fall apart.
Terry Hobbs claims that he did not see the boys on May 5, 1993. David Jacoby testified in a deposition in connection with the Pasdar suit (Terry Hobbs unsuccessfully sued Natalie Maines Pasdar and the Dixie Chicks for defamation of character) that Terry Hobbs was with him, playing guitars, from about 5:15 pm or 5:30 pm until about 6:15 pm or 6:30 pm on May 5th. Neighbors have since come forward (because they weren't questioned in '93 and didn't know until the information from the defamation suit was made public knowledge about Hobbs' claim that he didn't see the boys on May 5, 1993) to state that Terry Hobbs saw and spoke to the three little boys at about 6:30 pm on May 5, 1993, which makes him the last person to see the boys alive, a fact which he denies to this day.
So, we do have identified DNA from the discovery ditch that does not belong to either the victims or the WM3. We have more DNA that is "unidentified" which is different from "unknown" IMO. I believe that it is not outside the realm of possibility that either:
1) they know that some of the DNA on Chris' shoes is Hobbs' and they're just not releasing that information to the public, or
2) the DNA from Chris' shoes has only been tested against the victims and the WM3.
Either way, I have a feeling that Hobbs is not a very comfortable man right now. Of course, it's more likely that the mysterious DNA is from one of the classmates of the little boys. The most important part is that, even with all the new testing, no DNA matching the WM3 has been found. Although lack of DNA won't exonerate the WM3, if all testing continues to exclude them as the source, IMO that will cast reasonable doubt on their guilt and grant them a new trial.
Also, IIRC, they are also retesting the clothing fibers by using newer methods that can better determine the source of that evidence, too. If this testing excludes the items collected from the homes of Damien (Garanimals T-shirt belonging to Damien's younger brother) and Jason (red bathrobe belonging to Jason's mother), again IMO reasonable doubt will be cast on the original verdicts. Additionally, if DNA can be extracted from the blood on Damien's pendant (which so far has only been identified as to type) can be shown to only match Damien and Jason, again IMO reasonable doubt will be cast on the verdicts. However, I don't believe that they can perform further testing on the pendant because the sample was small and might have been destroyed in the original testing.
If I understand the latest status report, the DNA testing on the human hairs has been completed, but there is still testing ongoing. There are hairs that are supposed to be animal hairs that are being tested, and there are the aforementioned fibers. In short, the testing is far from over, and as nothing linking the WM3 to the case has been (or will be) found, the State's case will fall apart.
