Author: Jenny Deam
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Colorado DNA scandal: Review of former CBI DNA scientist’s 10,786 cases causes rape evidence logjam
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The time to process a rape kit in Colorado has now nearly doubled, leaving victims in limbo due to the continuing scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the director of the embattled agency told lawmakers Wednesday. While in November 2023 it took an average of 275 days to analyze the DNA evidence in a…
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New law on post-conviction counsel access, notification in the works following CBI scandal
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A new state law is being sought to demand better notification to defendants of potential wrongful convictions following the scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation involving tainted DNA tests in hundreds of cases going back decades. The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender confirmed to the Denver Gazette on Monday that it is…
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Groups accuse Colorado Bureau of Investigation of skirting oversight in forensic lab investigation
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Two groups accused the Colorado Bureau of Investigation of skirting a federally required oversight process to investigate misconduct in its forensics lab, adding to mounting allegations of wrongdoing at the embattled agency. In a five-page letter dated Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and the Korey Wise Innocence Project demanded more accountability and…
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U.S. Justice Department settles lawsuit against Colorado over disabled residents in nursing homes
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The U.S Department of Justice has settled its sweeping lawsuit against Colorado which is expected to bring relief to thousands of people in the state with disabilities who have for years said they were needlessly and illegally made to languish in nursing homes when they were eligible for community- or home-based services. Not only has…
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Prosecutor requests new DNA testing in Colorado murder case tied to CBI scandal
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The Boulder County district attorney has asked for new DNA testing in the murder case of a defendant who was convicted largely on the strength of the analysis done by now disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne Woods, who goes by Missy. In a court filing Nov. 1, Michael Dougherty said the additional…
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CBI scandal: New details raise questions about DNA evidence in Boulder murder case
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Michael Clark has declared his innocence for 30 years; on that he has never wavered. Even today, at age 49, serving a life sentence without parole at Colorado’s Fremont Correctional Facility, he insists that as a teenager he was nowhere near Marty Grisham’s Boulder apartment on Nov. 1, 1994. He admits that at age 19…
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Study: Homeless sweeps don’t reduce crime, may even increase violence
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Despite prevailing public and political wisdom that removing homeless encampments is necessary to reduce crime in an area, a new national study looking specifically at Denver’s crime rates after sweeps found the narrative was, in fact, mostly false. “There is no evidence that sweeps make our community safer,” said Pranav Padmanabhan, the Denver-based lead author…
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Affluent Denver suburb accused of bullying disabled homeless guests at Motel 6
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A modest Motel 6 in Greenwood Village has become the latest flashpoint in the Denver region’s ongoing struggle with homelessness as the owner of the motel has now sued the wealthy suburb in federal court for allegedly trying to rid itself of undesirable disabled people. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 1 in U.S. District Court in…
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Swept Away: Five years after federal court settlement critics say Denver still ignoring rules of homeless sweeps
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Two summers ago, Michelle Steves found herself caught in yet another city sweep of homeless encampments, this one not far from the Colorado Governor’s Mansion. She had been living on the Denver streets for years by then and the early morning convergence of trash trucks and city workers barking orders had become a regular part…