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New DNA match leads to armed robbery arrest


Staff Report

Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:58 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:59 p.m.

OCALA - DNA evidence, newly linked to Willie Graham, 42, of Ocala, led to his arrest Wednesday in connection with two armed robberies last year and year before.


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Willie Graham
MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

A hat had been recovered near the crime scene in November 2006, when the Kwik King at 2780 S.E. 58th Ave. was robbed, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office news release. Just over a year later, the store was robbed again. And this time a sweater was found nearby.

Both were sent off to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab for a possible match from genetic material found the items. No match was found intially.

Then, on Wednesday, the FDLE notified Marion County sheriff's detectives that a match had been found in the offender database.

Detectives immediately went to Graham's home at 5160 S.E. 29th St., Apartment C, and made the arrest. Graham was charged with two counts of armed robbery.


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  1. johnlloydscharf says...
    November 20, 2008 4:19:46 pm

    Whenever I find that DNA testing is being done, I want to know:

    What were the DNA tests that were run? In the CODIS database of Maryland, of fewer than 30,000 profiles, 32 pairs matched at nine or more loci. Three of those pairs were â??perfectâ?ť matches, identical at 13 out of 13 loci. Experts say they most likely are duplicates or belong to identical twins or brothers, but they did not establish that.A study of the Arizona CODIS database carried out in 2005 showed that approximately 1 in every 228 profiles in the database matched another profile in the database at nine or more loci, that approximately 1 in every 1,489 profiles matched at 10 loci, 1 in 16,374 profiles matched at 11 loci, and 1 in 32,747 matched at 12 loci.In a recent case against a Murillo-Sosa, a jury was told the match was 5 of 13. They had to say he was not guilty. SO, what kind of match are they going to make?How about doing it right the first time and take the time to get a FULL DNA testing of Y chromosome DNA and mitochondrial DNA, as well as autosomal (CODIS) DNA?

    Is it a mitochondrial DNA test which matches everyone who descended from the same maternal ancestor in the last 20 generations as THE DEFENDENT(S)? Is it just a "high resolution test" which the FBI performs or a real full genome sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA?Is it a Y Chromosome test which matches everyone who has the same paternal lineage for the past 400 years? If so, is it 12 markers, which could be one to fifty percent of the population, or is it a 67 marker test that can pin it down to a surname?There may be a way to combine all of these that will resolve the identity to one person, but is what they have beyond a reasonable doubt unless they do FULL testing?

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  2. johnlloydscharf says...
    November 20, 2008 4:21:41 pm

    DNA match claims are being used to extract confessions, but they cannot turn over results to the Defense? This sounds like a Brady Violation.John Trainum, a 25 year detective, is now recommending that interrogations be videotaped because of how they are extracting confessions.On 1/24/08, in the LA TIMES, he wrote, "I've been a police officer for 25 years, and I never understood why someone would admit to a crime he or she didn't commit. Until I secured a false confession in a murder case."

    So, a confession in a case is NOT a sign that it is a done deal. It goes back to the DNA testing. Again, DNA testing is not magic, but it is being treated as such. The only power of DNA testing that is absolute is in EXCLUDING suspects.

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