So, while the political directorate and the local forensic experts devil the details of DNA testing in Belize, even without DNA, the work which the experts from the National Forensic Science Service carry out is crucial to the prosecution of crimes.
The most vivid example of this was the guilty verdicts that were handed down 3 weeks ago to the accused murderers, William Danny Mason and his co-accused, Ashton Vanegas, Keiron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo. These defendants were convicted on circumstantial evidence led by DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal. But, the most incriminating materials which proved that they were responsible for the 2016 beheading murder of Pastor Lewellyn Lucas were DNA and electronic evidence.
Here are the Director's comments on that successful prosecution, and the effective use of forensics:
Gian Cho - Executive Director, National Forensic Science Service
"In my opinion, it's definitely a turning point in terms of the successful use of forensic evidence in the court system. It was a huge victory for the prosecution's side, and I know that the DPP had given an interview to try and give you some little insight into what her office went through to ensure that they prosecuted the case to the best of their abilities. But, yes, it was a heavy reliance on digital forensics, as you know, heavy reliance on DNA evidence, also the appropriate crime scene processing techniques, and maintaining chain of custody, ensuring or minimizing the risk of cross-contamination. So, all of that was aired out in court, and that's really the definition of forensic science, the application of science in a court of law being up for debate. The science should be objective, and whichever - whether it's the defense or the state, whichever side the evidence supports, that's for the judge or the jury to decide. The scientific evidence should not be biased."
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