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Davis Enterprise, The (CA)
No Headline
Lauren KeeneEnterprise staff writer
Published: January 26, 2007
SACRAMENTO — Semen stains found on a colorful blanket in John Riggins'
van match the genetic profile of the man charged with his and Sabrina
Gonsalves' murders, a criminal investigator testified Thursday in
Sacramento Superior Court.
Derrick Greenwood, an investigator with the homicide unit of
the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, outlined the DNA
evidence during the third day of a preliminary hearing for Richard
Joseph Hirschfield, who is accused of committing the 1980 double murder.Criminalists
first identified Hirsch field as a suspect in 2002 as a result of a
"cold hit" — a match between the blanket stains and Hirschfield's
DNA profile, which had been put in a national database following his
1997 conviction on child-molest charges in Washington state.Following
the cold hit, four cuttings from the stained blanket were sent to the
state Department of Justice laboratory in Richmond, along with pieces
of Riggins' and Gonsalves' blood-stained clothing and newly obtained
hair, blood and saliva samples from Hirschfield.Reading
from a report prepared by DOJ Supervising Criminalist Steven Myers, an
expert in DNA analysis who prepared profiles from the numerous samples,
Greenwood testified that three of the blanket stains contained sperm
fractions, the DNA profiles for which matched those from the Hirschfield hair and fluid samples.According to Myers' report, the odds of that same profile occurring in the Caucasian population is one in 240 trillion."Based on this information, there was strong evidence to believe Mr. Hirschfield was the donor," Greenwood said.The
investigator also testified that a fourth blanket sample contained a
mixture of genetic profiles, with the profile of the major donor
matching that of Gonsalves.Greenwood is scheduled to be cross-examined on his DNA testimony next week when the preliminary hearing resumes Wednesday.
Hirschfield has pleaded not guilty to murder and rape charges in
connection with the Riggins and Gonsalves case, which began on Dec. 20,
1980, with the couple's abductions from Davis. Their bodies were found
two days later in a ravine along Highway 50, near Hazel Avenue.Discovered
inside Riggins' van was the red-and-blue paisley blanket, which had
been intended as birthday gift for Sabrina's older sister, Andrea, on
the night they were kidnapped.Less-advanced DNA technology
played a role in the case involving four other suspects — the so-called
"Hunt group" — who were charged with the murders in 1989. On the eve of
their 1993 trial, Yolo County prosecutors dismissed the case after
learning that DNA testing had excluded the three male suspects as
possible donors.However, Hirschfield's defense attorneys
have indicated in court motions that they plan to challenge the current
DNA evidence, as well as elicit testimony that supports the Hunt
group's involvement in the murders. The defense team is expected to
present its case next week.— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 747-8048.
Copyright, 2007, The Davis Enterprise. All Rights Reserved.
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