The jury has been called back in.
The state calls its 48th witness, SLED agent Ryan Kelly.
SLED agent Kelly testified only about collecting DNA swabs from a number of people, including Curtis Smith, John Marvin Murdaugh and the Beach family. He steps down.
The state's 49th witness is SLED agent Rachel Nguyen, who works in DNA analysis. So we might finally get to hear the results of all these DNA tests.
Nguyen has spent the past 20 minutes explaining her testing. She confirms a swab of the steering wheel of Murdaugh's 2021 Chevy Suburban tested positive for blood. A few other swabs from the SUV tested + on the presumptive test and negative on the confirmatory one.
Nguyen testifies about getting presumptive (not confirmatory) positive tests for blood on stains on Alex Murdaugh's shirts and shorts. She then forwarded those stains along for further analysis.
FOLKS! We finally can see exhibits in real-time! This is huge and something I have been complaining about for three weeks now. Bravo to the court officials/Court TV folks for getting it figured out.
This is incredible. I can do my job!
Nguyen testifies the blue rain jacket tested negative for blood. Though we know it did have lots of GSR on it.
Nguyen testifies she also swabbed the cuffs, hood and pocket interiors of the blue rain jacket and forwarded the swabs along for DNA analysis. That could help determine the jacket’s primary wearer.
Nguyen doesn't provide the answers to many of these tests. I assume he will hear about them later?
Barber establishes with Nguyen that presumptive blood tests are fallible. They could show as positive for human blood as well as animal blood and a host of chemicals and organic matter, including bacteria.
Under questioning from Barber, Nguyen testifies that someone - not her - conducted a HemaTrace confirmatory test on Murdaugh’s white T-shirt. (We have been told previously that confirmatory test came back negative for human blood).
Nguyen says there was no confirmatory testing for blood on Murdaugh’s shorts or shoes.
Barber establishes with Nguyen that the only positive confirmatory test for blood she got was from the steering wheel of Murdaugh’s 2021 Chevy Suburban.
Nguyen says she can’t explain why the SLED crime scene unit tested Murdaugh’s shirt with LCV - which dyed it blue and rendered it untestable by the defense - after she had already tested it for blood. “I am unsure why that particular test was used by the crime scene unit.”
Nguyen testified she doesn't use LCV testing.
We are on a brief break.
